20 March, Mangalore to Coonoor and beyond

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Train journey to Managlore, another large city we did not intend to spend long in - booked in to a very comfortable hotel (still only 20 quid a night) and were promptly marooned there by heavy rain. Would have liked to explore the city a bit, but with the mud and general decrepit look of the place stayed in the hotel mainly watching telly, and me indulging in a facial and haircut which cost all of 5 pounds (being on the road for three months plays havoc with the appearance). Ken got his hair cut here - same sort of style his mum probably made him have at the start of a new school term. It's growing out now. To reach the hill stations we took an overnight sleeper for the 10 hour journey to Coimbatore, another scruffy noisy town with very little to recommend it. Saw the after effects of the Holi festival here, lots of coloured paint staining the streets and several misguided Westerners who had not managed to wash themselves clean days after the event and were still hungover from too much merrimaking.

So with a sigh of relief we hired a taxi to take us the 2-3 hour trip up to Coonoor hill station. Baking hot until we reached the foothills, then started the 1 and half hour climb up what I insist, at 7000 feet, is a mountain. With every blind bend on this tortuous road the air cooled and freshened. Monkeys reappeared out of the forest and we climbed up through clouds into brilliant sunlight, stunning views back down the valley and once more a feeling of being on the most alarming fair ground ride ever, like at Wayanad. Ken had located a hotel on the internet which happened to be at the very top of the town, itself spread across the steep hillside and spilling over into the valley. Thought originally it might be a bit isolated from 'where its at' ie shops/eating places but it turned out to be just perfect. We had the best night's sleep since leaving England - cool enough to need a blanket, no traffic/markets noise - both of us have been suffering from a minor case of sleep deprivation, never slotting in more than 3 - 4 hours at a time cos of heat/mozzies/noise etc. so 7 hours uninterrupted shuteye put a whole new complexion on the day. Hotel also had the advantage of the services of Sunnil, a nice young man who, for the next week, was at out beck and call, our smallest need catered for - brilliant, we wish him well in his new position once the season is over and he takes up a new job in local government.

Set about exploring the town and surroundings - in our wanderings came across a church and graveyard that would have seemed totally in place in an English shire, all moss-covered tombstones and weeping willows, with a lovely old C of E church in the background. All graves except 2 were British expats who found their final resting place here dating back to the Raj - one tomb in particular caught our eye, a Sir Robert Stanes who came to Madras in 1858 at the tender age of 17. An entrepreneur who created the best tea plantation in the area, he was also also a philanthropist, founding an English school for poor locals just down from our hotel which still operates today - apparently Coonoor has one of the best standards of education in S India, largely due to to him. His grave is still tended, and his descendants come to India every year to visit and pay their respects. He gave the school a motto - 'Not For Me. But for You'.....nice sentiments, not all the Imperialist legacy was negative...

Spent the afternoon at Tranquillitea, a lovely old house above the town now converted to a tea room where we sampled 10 different kinds of tea, a bit like wine tasting without the hangover. Green tea, black tea, white tea, organic tea.. The United Nigiri Estates Co Ltd in the town is like a blast from the past - a real old fashioned establishment used to dealing with the Raj set in days of yore - Mr Vishal's father'grandfather were valued merchants in those days and he still retains the affection and respect for us Brits which is probably more than we deserve. Spent a happy hour or two with him discussing the merits of various teas, purchasing essential oils and picking his brains for history of the area. No prizes for guessing what souvenirs we're bringing back. If you like a good cup of tea and find yourself in the area, visit him in Coonoor - everyone knows where to find him and he's a mine of information.

Decided to do the tourist bit and visit the site called the Dolphin's Nose, high in the hills above the town (no idea how it got its name, no resemblence to a dolphin at all). For the first time in these travels we actually made the plan the night before, and boarded the bus as intended - usually Plan B comes into operation and we end up doing something entirely different to Plan A. Climbed up a tortuous potholed road, evidence of landslides and rock falls from the monsoons scattered in our path. Quarter of the way up we found ourselves in the clouds, like Richmond Park on a foggy day, visibility practically nil - emerged above the clouds to find our way barred by workmen/women laying an elaborate road surface akin to a WBC pavement - 100 yards of pristine brickwork half way up a mountain in the middle of a highway that would not be out of place in Beirut. Seemed like our journey would end there, but no, we decided to walk the remaining '2 Kms' 'cept it wasn't 2 Km, more like 8 in baking heat. Finally reached the point and the clouds instantly closed in obscuring the view completely - literally couldn't see a bloody thing in front of our noses. Turned to make our way back up to where a bus was due to take us back into town at 2.30, to be told by the local chai man 'no bus today'....so faced with a very long walk of indeterminate distance over challenging (to say the least) terrain in roasting heat ...not happy bunnies at this point. To the rescue came young Abbas, a rickshaw driver delivering stuff to the chai shop - he squeezed us into the front of his 2 wheeler and negotiated us back to our hotel, asking only R50 for his trouble - gave him R100, whereupon he invited us to lunch with his wife, son and parents. Had the best curry we tasted in Coonoor, foldkhere are so hospitable and generous, it's humbling.

Sadly had to leave Coonoor after a week as the hotel was full with the start of the Indian holidays , so we bade fond farewells and headed for another hill station, Kodai Kanal - another town, another story, later........

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