Our wanderings and perceptions

At-last comes an opportunity to travel in the Chennai Metro train. CMRL has just taken the city up to another level. With automated ticketing entry and exit, escalators and lifts, ticket vending machines, snacks selling vending machines and automatic doors of coaches the Metro is indeed a boon to Chennai. It takes sometime to digest the fact that the all modern and immaculate is all ours for Chennai-ites. The flooring are done in granite and maintained clean and neat. Hand bags and carry baggage are set to scrutiny through the scanner as in airport security check-ins; a must in today's state of the world. Around the ticket counter are the different vending machines for snack packets and for ticketing. Counters are less manned due to lesser number of passengers. Employees are friendly and provide all help that is necessary for first timers. CMRL has employed people near the platforms to ensure they get into the right train and no one stays close to the tracks. Our jo

On the third day our plan was to visit Cauvery peak. Our guide told us that this place is some half an hour journey from our place and has a scenic beauty. After taking a quick breakfast we started our day. We were told that a day at the cauvery peak including lunch and coffee is charged at Rs.500 per head while only going around would be Rs.100. The path to cauvery peak was an off beaten and enjoyable too.  First place was visit was Shri Chakra Mahameru temple. This looked like newly built temple. Godess  Lalitha Thiripurasundari is the mail deity. She was in her full alangaram when we were there. After worshipping we went around the temple, it is well maintained. Mahameru chakra structure is in the middle and seems to be one of the largest chakra installed anywhere. The other Gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Bramma take their places around the temple. We continued our drive through the coffee estates to reach the Cauvery peak. There is the MSP plantations and our drive in to their e

Friday morning dawned in the beautiful hill station of Yercaud with the sound of cock waking us up. With the help of immersion water heater we got freshened up for the day. Called the Venkateswara hotel for breakfast delivery. They sent the food through auto rickshaw for a delivery fee of Rs.70. Spoke to that auto rickshaw driver and decided to go around Yercaud site-seeing for Rs.700. After having our breakfast, our day started with the first site 'Pakoda Point'. This place provides a wonderful view of the hill and its surroundings. There were rifle shoot, bow and arrow and eatables like corn, chips, etc as in any sight seeing location. Around this place were old houses being sold for a minimum of Rs. 25 lakhs each.  Next our visit was to lady's seat. This again is a view point with a small top to house a telescope and gives magnificent view from the hilltop for a per head price of Rs.5. There are tea stalls, photography stall and eatable shops around. You will

Sitting in the middle of Shevaroys hills range this hill station is the queen of Salem. We planned a trip to this place over a extended weekend during the chilly month of Maargazhi. Started the trip on a Thursday early morning. We took NH79, Tindivanam route to Salem at 6 am in the morning. Traffic was quiet heavy along the Tambaram-Perungalathur area but manageable beyond that. So took a break here and had breakfast at Vasanta Bhavan.  National highways apart from providing easy commuting road also ensures accessible rest rooms. The drive all the way to Salem was smooth. Few kilometres before Salem central is the way to go up the Yercaud hill. Entry to Yercaud needs a entry fee of Rs.40. Reached this place around 1 o'clock. When we reached at the top of the hill, navigating to our friend's house there became difficult as the roads were being renovated before the summer season. A local offered to help us reach our place and asked us to drop him there as well. Raman took