Kodaikanal - Activities
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Kodaikanal - Activities
Boating
You will soon discover that most of the entertainment for tourists is Kodai goes on around the lake. Don’t be put off by the hordes of people. There are ways of circumventing this problem. If you happen to be here over a weekend, get away from town on hikes and picnics in the hills, and try again on Monday morning. Get to the lake on weekdays, as early as possible, to beat the rush. A walk around the lake takes about 45 minutes at a brisk pace.
But you may well want to take it slower, and wait and admire the view from this spot and that. It is truly delightful sight and you may find yourself on one of the cement benches (or on the grass), watching the wonderful colors and textures of the landscape.
One get a totally different perspective from a boat ad from the middle of the lake you will get a rich view of the spacious, wooded compounds on its periphery. You can hire a rowing boat, with or without a boatman, at very reasonable rates from the Boat Club.
Cycling. Cycling has become a fad in Kodai, and no wonder. The flat road which rings the lake is an ideal cycling track, and one hopes that in time the authorities will ban motor vehicles and make it the domain of the pedestrian and cyclist. There are cycles for hire, and the rate seems to be Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 per hour. It is really an ideal activity for the whole family; again, try to avoid the rush hours unless you love crowds. You can also take short excursions, to Pillar Rocks for example, on a bicycle. It will mean pushing it uphill some of the way, but that makes coming down all the more enjoyable.
Horse-riding
This is a favorite tourist activity in kodai and other hill stations in India. Most of the animals are small ponies which gallantly bear some enormous passengers and put up with much shouting and screaming. There are set routes and distances they cover, and soon become programmed, a it were, to turn back after a certain point. Horse-riding is done around the lake and there are two main points where the horse-wallahs wait for business: one near Bryant Park, another below Carlton Hotel. Much haggling goes on when it comes to the price; a trot around the lake costs Rs. 40 to Rs. 60.
The syce will run, or cycle, along with you, and it is amazing how skillfully the animals avoid stepping on their owners’ toes, even at a fast canter! Apart from these robot-like ponies, there are now several good horses for hire, some if them ex-race horses from Madras and Bangalore. If you are trained rider and resent being toward along by a man on a cycle, take off on your own; there are some good soft riding tracks leading up from the lake, such as the one next to Sterling Resorts.
Hunting the waters
Fishing or angling started in the hills with the introduction, in the 1900s, of European carp into Koai lake, and tout form Soctland into the higher elevation streams. The carp grew to very large sizes in the nutrient rich water of the lake and mirror carp weighing up to 10 kgs could be caught during the 1950s. In recent decades the size has gone down, and the common carp has replaced the mirror carp.
As usual with local fishermen, some interesting baits in Kodai lake is the home-made vadai. This is made by mixing peanut flour with enough water to pat into a thick chapatti and adding spices according to your own secret formula. It is then fried in oil until a firm crust is formed on both sides. This sort of vadai pancake should be about a centimeter thick so it can be cut into neat cubes with a razor blade. The thick crust helps it to stay on the hook when it is attacked by the myriads of tiddlers that inhabit the lake.
Cycle around the lake - and watch the clouds while they slowly descend onto the water; cycles are available for hire at the lake on an hourly basis. Boating at the Kodai lake - paddle and row boats are available at the lake. Trekking - Kodai offers several scenic trekking spots, including one which is to walk along the stream which goes to dolphin nose.
Kodaikanal - Activities
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