Yercaud

Yercaud is a popular tourist spot in Southern India (see wikivoyage for detailed travel guide). I don't remember much other than going to a park regarding the first time I went there (as a side trip during one of the marriages of college friends). And despite living close by since 2017, it wasn't until 2021 that I went there again. Even that needed a couple of my friends dragging me out. I'm glad they did.

 

January 2021

We had our own vehicle, but there are frequent buses too. It wasn't that cold for January at the foothills. I still packed warm clothing and that came in handy at the peak.

On the way up

 

About 20 hairpin bends later, we reached the peak. There are a couple of parks and a lake among other tourist attractions. We spoke about going for a boat ride, but the wait time was too long and we decided to skip.

Boating in the lake

Like any tourist place, options for food and beverage were overpriced. The coffee shop we went had a nice ambience.

Nursery near the coffee shop

 

There was a nursery near the coffee shop that I enjoyed browsing. My friends bought a few plants too. After that, we got a few local products like tea, coffee, home made chocolates, scents, etc. Overall, it was a nice trip, especially in the company of friends.

 

May 2022

I finally managed to get my lazy self to visit Yercaud again. Went alone this time. Was bored from writing programming books and this was a chance to get some relief from summer temperatures as well. I got up early and caught a bus ride to the peak.

 

I made the mistake of going during a weekend in summer. Once I reached there, it was clear that there were just too many tourists. I had to wait about 30 minutes to get breakfast served.

Lake under a clear sky

I was too early for parks to have opened. So, I just strolled around and got a glimpse of ongoing constructions and village life. There were kids learning self-defense in school grounds.

After one of the parks opened, I spent a few hours there. By the time I had come back after the stroll, it had become crowded. Still, there was enough space to sit around and observe tourists having breakfast, enjoying the swings, snapping selfies, etc.

Adventure activities

Boating was out of question. So, I went to check the coffee shop from the previous year and that was crowded too. I simply walked around the streets and found a place organizing adventure activities for kids (which was unsurprisingly crowded too).

 

I decided to return back early. But first, I got some home made chocolates and masala tea. Then, as I went to the bus stop, I came to know about the main attraction event for the tourists - flower show. The waiting queue was too long outside the gate, contributing to the traffic problems.

Lots and lots of tourists were still coming up. So much so that it took about couple of hours to go down 4 hairpin bends. Luckily, I had brought snacks (just in case). I will likely go back next year in summer, but I will certainly avoid the weekends!!