Princess Of Hill Stations

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India.

Mesmerized. That's the only word that I can describe my state right now as I stand, 2000 meters above sea level, on the Coaker's walk facing the never ending expanse of soft clouds and barely there rising peaks of faraway mountains.
How can I be so sure that it's the view that stole my breath away and not the lack of oxygen?

Well the explanation is very simple - Usually I wouldn't miss any opportunity to click pictures of whatever intrigues me, be it a selfie or plain old photography with the back camera. It irritates some while the others love the beautiful pictures. But the moment I came into view of this beautiful landscape, all I could do was look. Not even once my hand reached for my phone. My eyes drank into the beauty that my mind could only describe as heaven.

Remember those childhood fairy tale shows and movies depicting fantasy lands?

Well alas! This is what it looked like, a sea of clouds extending from the place you stand up to the infinities of the sky. The few mountain tops, high enough to peak out seem like enchanted faraway worlds.

When after a few minutes my mind walked out of this daze, I reached out for my phone to encapsulate this wonder forever, but whatever pictures I clicked was deleted immediately. Nothing could match up to the actual effect it had. & that's how I knew the place had me spell bound.

The next destination was the Kodai Lake. I was visiting the place for the very first time & yet it felt like deja-vu experience. Mind you it was no case of reincarnation or amnesia. Few minutes later I realized the reason as well. The place looked pretty oddly familiar to the backdrop of images of various TV shows shot at Central Park, New York. Yes the glistening lake in the sunshine with the trees in colors of green, orange and some brown could easily be mistaken for a landmark in The USA.

Let’s dig a little deeper down the memory lane to the teenage years and the Vampire love story Twilight. Wanted to feel like Bella Swan arriving for the first time at Forks?

The ride through the Palani Ghats with the winding roads, mist and the Eucalyptus trees leave no effort to truly transport you to her first time in Forks.

I had come here to have a relaxing time but didn’t expect to fine such beauty, tranquility and nostalgia. The place is truly a ‘Princess of hill stations’.