For quite some time i had been planning some time off from work. I had never been to Ooty and decided it would be ideal for a 3 day vacation. I thought about hiring a cab but some people who had been there, assured that the drive was not a difficult one and also the total distance was about 290 (about 7 hours drive).
The car was in good condition (i had my Maruti 800 serviced last week) and we started by around 10 AM on Monday, 9th March. The initial plan was to start as early as possible by 6 AM, but....
Mysore Road was a smooth drive and i was able to cross Mysore by 2.5 hours. By 2.30 PM we had lunch at Nanjangud and the next important place was Gundlupet. The road passes through Bandipur-Mudumalai sanctuary and we enjoyed this stretch very much. Few Deer came to the main road itself and we stopped to take pictures. The windows however need to be closed to discourage langur monkeys from attacking. We spotted a line of Elephants in a distance and another lone elephant grazing on the roadside. Couple of Peococks also and we thought we were lucky to spot so much wildlife.I had my new Sony H50 (9MP & 15X zoom) so i could take some really good pics of the wildlife.
The next stretch of 4-5 kms was a nightmare. There was no road at all and it was like an obstacle course. Then there is an important deviation; one which goes through Masinagudi which is the steep climb having 36 hair pin bends and other which goes through Gudalur. I stopped to ask some people about the directions and they advised not to take the Masinagudi route bcos the car may find it a bit too much. The Gudalur route, though about 40 kms longer was quite ok. About 8 or 9 hair pin bends and the road was good. Couple of places it was bit confusing bcos of no directions to Ooty, but asking someone around helped.
The last stretch of about 20 kms climbing the hill had beautiful landscapes on the sides. I stopped few times to take some pics as well. One such stop gave me a scare when i got down and family was still seated inside. Maybe i had not pulled the handbrake fully and the car started to slide backwards! Somehow i pulled the door open and pulled the handbrake fully but my heart was beating thrice faster.
Finally reached Ooty by around 7 pm and finding Hotel Silver Oak where we had reserved accomodation was not difficult. After dumping the luggage, me and Lakshmi came down to have Tea. Ooty tea is anyways famous and i was so tired, so the tea was refreshing. Pallavi unfortunately had cracked her lips after all the antibiotics she had taken last few days for cough. I asked the hotel boys to get Zytee ointment which i applied and put her to sleep. We ordered Dinner to the room itself since everyone was tired.
Next day i booked a Tata Sumo for sightseeing, but by the time all of us got ready and started it was 11 AM. First we went to Coonoor to a nice view point on top of the mountains. Unfortunately we could not see any view because of the mist. The Tea gardens were on the hill slope and there was a lady there who was renting the tea-picking costume. Lakshmi tried it and we took few nice pics. I bought 2 packets of tea (ginger and cardomom) and next we went to Sims park.
Coonoor is more beautiful than Ooty and we could see mist on the road several places; like being inside the clouds. Our luck was not good as it started drizzling. Though we took tickets to Sims park, we could walk inside only a short distance through the pathway because the drizzle had increased. Took couple of pics including one of a Rudraksh tree and had to rush back to the cab.
The driver dropped us at the Railway station just in time for the 1.30 PM toy train to Ooty. Ticket fare was nominal and train had very few people due to off-season. We sat in the first class compartment and the 1 hour journey was fantastic. Apart from the beautiful landscape scenary on both sides, the train goes through few tunnels, one of which is quite long.
By the time we returned to Ooty our cab was waiting and we went to Lunch at a nice restaurant in Ooty. Not much time was there, so we cancelled Dodda betta and went to Botanical Gardens. The famous botanical gardens is a place worth visiting for the sheer size and variety it has. It is well maintained and has several unique things like the Fossil tree trunk. Couldnt go right up to the top but made it up till the Italian garden. Also the water lily pond and lush green lawns were very beautiful. I could get several superb pics inside the garden (one good pic is posted).
By the time we came out of the garden it was close to 6. Visited a Handicrafts shop and browsed. Though several items were good it was very expensive. I wanted to buy something different as a souvenir; first we spotted a metal horse, then finalized on a colourful wooden musician doll with mridangam. Also picked up few woollen stuff for the kids and returned to the Lodge by 6.30 PM.
Kids were very tired and fell asleep. Lakshmi wanted to go for some shopping so we set out at 7.30 PM and visited several nice shops. As is the problem with women, even after several shops she could not make up her mind on something worth buying. I bought a nice casual shirt and selected a cardigan for Lakshmi. She also bought an Anarkali dress and we closed shopping with few home-made chocolates.
Next day we started out after breakfast in our own car by 9.30 AM to Wax museum. It was much better than expected. Most of the wax statues were indian personalities and was well maintained. Veerappan was one of the highlights here. Bought a wax candle for Pallavi and set off on the Mysore highway.
About 15 kms further there was a nice View Hill where we stopped. Though the climb was bit steep, the view on top was breathtaking. It was also possible to take a horse ride, but i did not opt for that. Further on the road was the Kamarajsagar dam. Though the gate was closed, we could get in through the side of the fence and walked on the dam path. The water was crystal green even though it was not much. Couple of nice pics near the dam and we were on the way to Pykara.
Twice i missed the way searching and finally i spotted a small board saying pykara. The narrow road goes up about a few kms leading to the Pykara lake. A few people were there and we teamed up with them for the Motor boat ride. Ride was very nice and the lake is very scenic. It became a bit cloudy and the cold wind was biting.
Finally started from there by 1 pm and rest of the drive was a bit of marathon for me. I stopped just once to buy a few cartons of Frooti and crocin syrup (Pranav had fever). It was the first time i drove non-stop for such a long duration and distance. From about 2 PM to when we reached bangalore by 8 PM, i drove at an average of 60 kmph. Finally reached home by 9 PM after a memorable vacation.
