The Forest of Palani
You know how you feel so excited the night before you are travelling to a place you love, that you just can't sleep;
Well, I love the forests of Palani.
First ray of daylight.
Starting off early, our seven hour journey to one of the oldest mountain ranges of India took us swirling about the hair pin bends of Sathy ghat and Palani range.
Nestled in the womb of the thick forest of Palani, our destination was an alluring organic farm overflowing with peace and tranquility and over-looking the valley.
This vast part of the hill is not only a temp0rary home for travellers searching for a peace of mind but also a humble adobe for a numerous species of flora and fauna and hosts an array of adventure opportunities like fresh waterfalls, hiking trails and peaks standing taller than anything else you may see around you.
With cold dew drops lingering in the air, Kodai was at its best by the time we got there. A quick meal and short nap later we set out on a short hike to 'the rock' for the panaromic view of the valley and that cool uplighting breeze.
That is all it took - Cool breeze on my face and the sight of the distant horizon; to help me escape from the reality of life and into the mystic.
Sitting on the rock, one would realize why everyone says there's magic in Kodai (Well, apart from the obvious); Drops of dew wettening your face, cool breeze whistling in your ears and the fresh mountain air; you ask yourself, "Why haven't I done this before?"
After much contemplation and relaxation on 'the rock', we headed down to explore the fresh water fall in the farm. About 7 feet in height, the plunge makes for a perfect shower on a hot summer day. We didn't have the luxury as it was freezing cold already.
After dark, there is not much to do outdoor, hence, we sat in the community place playing cards and other games and getting cozy. The weather stripped us from our campfire previlege, sadly.
Our morning, the next day, was at 5am.
We started hiking up towards the sunrise point by 5:30am. The trail took us crossing knife edges, crawling under the passion fruit(Or it seemed) creepers, into thick fog covered woods and through the early morning route of the notorious wild Gaurs(mistaken as Bison).
Our short getaway to the splendid forest of Palani proved to be much more exciting and at the same time relaxing than what we had imagined it might be.
For an overview of our complete experience, watch this video:
