Doing-Nothing in Kodaikanal
When we go to Kodaikanal , we do nothing. We like Doing- Nothing in Kodai. So, we usually choose to go there in a season when 'doing nothing' is fun. The Xmas Season . Its merry to bundle up in woollies and go and sit among some Idli-Poo ( "Idli Flowers "= white hydrangea) patches and watch our conversation emerge as visible speech bubbles of condensation in the heavy , chilled air. Its nice not to have to jostle with holidaying busloads of excited tourists in the Botanical Gardens ; Its nice to watch the hide and seek game the Pillar Rocks play ( now-you-see-it-now-you-don't) ; its nice to hog the road along Bear Shola without fear of traffic. Its invigorating to explore mud lanes and "cuttings" breaking off the tar road and leading into clumps of houses , some perched on wonky ledges, some lurching over slopes. Its equally exciting to walk into unknown thickets of skyscraper trees and gather a bagful of perfectly scu...