Toy train

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Today started with the drive to Conoor. The journey was flat for most of the way, but then climbed up steeply into the Nilgiri hills. This is a hairpin bend road, but there is a lot of traffic going up and down to Ooty. Mostly vegetables arecoming down in trucks. This is the area cool enough for growing potatoes, carrots etc. The hills are forested with mixture of firs, eucalptus and other trees. There are signs on the road for ecological protection and no littering. Monkeys line the road, they will stand up if they think you have anything to feed them. There was a particularly attractive tree with pink tinged leaves that looked as if it had just come into leaf. Our hotel here in Conoor is the wallwood garden hotel. It is a small hotel. It was built in around 1835 and has a very attractive view over gardens. It is very much cooler here. For the first and probably the only time I am wearing my fleece. The highlight today was the toy train ride up to Ooty. We were in the best location right at the front so that we could see the track and the driver. The steam engine was at the back. All the bends in the track are numbered. Some sections have a token system. The driver must see a man holding a card before proceeding. We passed a person operated signal box. As we climbed up the weather became misty, but it cleared as we approached Ooty.

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