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On an average day, temperatures in many parts of Southern India are higher than most Europeans would find comfortable, especially given the humidity. This was certainly the case for the British in pre-air-conditioning colonial times. In order to flee the summer heat, they established the summer headquarters of the Madras government in a hill station in the Western Ghats. It was named Udhagamandalam, or Ooty for short, and temperatures here at 2240m are certainly lower than near the coast, with daily highs just above 20 degrees.
We arrived in Ooty on Wednesday evening after one of my most uncomfortable experiences ever: taking a minibus from Mysore up into the mountains. We had booked a private bus, expecting it to be slightly more comfortable than a government bus. Reasonable thought perhaps, given you pay 3 Euros to make the 4-hour journey on a private bus as opposed to about 1.20 Euros on a public bus. In real terms the difference is perhaps very small, but in percentage terms it certainly isn't! The trouble started in Mysore: The bus couldn't leave as some of the passengers had not yet shown up. I pointed out to the driver that the ticket clearly stated
that people who were late would miss the bus and would have to buy a new ticket, but that clearly was not the way things worked in practise. After a delay of more than an hour, we could finally get on our way. In total about 25 people had been crammed into a tiny mini-bus with no AC, and it wasn't long before some pretty awful music came blaring from the speakers. Uncomfortable though we were on the bus, there were some positive aspects. First of all, some of the scenery on the way was quite nice, with us driving through Bandipur and Mudumalai National Parks. We saw some spotted deer and the occasional monkey, but the tigers which supposedly roam free in this park were nowhere to be seen, if they exist at all. Secondly, the bench behind us was occupied by three friendly young doctors who asked us question after question about life and living costs in Europe. Despite this, we were very happy to finally arrive in Ooty, given that it had gone dark and Indian mountain roads are not the safest to drive on at night. One small mistake by the driver and on the loooong
way down you'd probably feel like a parachutist in free fall! The hotel (Hotel Khems) was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment as well, and we quickly decided to book a more up-market place for the next night.
On Thursday morning, after a reasonable night sleep and a nice breakfast in a Starbucks-type coffee place, we checked out of Hotel Khems and made our way to King's Cliff, a small hotel in the hills above Ooty. I loved it from the start: a beautiful colonial mansion with a well-kept garden. We were met by friendly staff who promptly showed us to our room. After a nice lunch outside on the lawn, we were picked up by a driver (arranged by the hotel) who took us to see Ooty's main sights: the lake, where we hired a pedal boat; the Botanical Garden; and Doddabetta Peak, which at 2634m above sea-level is the highest in Tamil Nadu State. Unfortunately, low-hanging cloud somewhat spoiled the views, but still the day had so far turned out far better than expected. The evening wouldn't disappoint us either: We had an early dinner back at the hotel, where fires had been lit in every room,
including our bedroom. Awesome and definitely a first for me! Shame I shared the experience with Phil, and not some drop-dead gorgeous blonde, but hey, you can't have it all.
Friday was unfortunately already our last day in Ooty, and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon we were scheduled to leave by train. In the morning we once again hired a car through our hotel (at 7 Euros each for 5 hours a bargain), which took us to see some of the areas surrounding Ooty and another hill station, Coonoor. The views of the valleys and tea plantations were superb. We visited a tea factory which gave me a slightly better idea of what has happened to the contents of a teabag before it's lowered into a cup. After having some lunch at the hotel, we were taken to the train station to get on the miniature train which runs between Ooty and Mettupalayam. The railway, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, makes it's way down to Mettupalayam over 50km or so, and is known for the great views on the way. Unfortunately, the track is rather steep, which causes the train to take 3,5 hours to
get down the mountains, which seemed a bit long in the packed carriage, but overall well worth it. The hot and sweaty train ride was followed by a hot and sweaty taxi from Mettupalayam to Coimbatore, a boring industrial town where we stayed for the night so that we could take the train from Coimbatore to Kochi this morning. More about Kochi and the journey here at a later date though!
Something which I've come to realise more than ever over the last couple of days is that I don't understand the mindset of many people travelling in a country like India. Undoubtedly, many people would say that Phil and I are travelling on a relatively high budget in India, and that we might be missing part of the 'Indian experience' by doing so. We don't (generally) eat in cheap road-side restaurants, nor do we sleep in dirty, cheap hotels. We don't take the cheapest seats on a train, but instead spent more on seats in a carriage with AC. Perhaps this puts us out of touch with the average Indian person who couldn't afford to travel like us. I would rather think though that these luxuries enhance my
experience of India. I am generally well-rested in the morning which gives me the energy to make most of the day. By not eating food from road-side stalls, I don't have Delhi-belly all the time, like some travellers, which means I don't spent my days on the toilet. But is this a bad thing? Let's face it, I am a tourist. And being a good tourist doesn't necessarily mean to do the same thing as the average local. Sometimes the proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt...
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