High up in the hills of Ooty

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Our task when we arrived was to find how we could catch a bus from Coimbatore to Ooty – our chosen destination high up in the hills of the Western Ghats. I walked about a bit while Zoe guarded the bags and found out we needed to make our way to the new bus stand – we fought with rickshaw drivers for a while to get a decent fare and eventually caved as it was way to early to struggle too hard over what was effectively 25 cents. Out at the bus destination we were thankful to find a bus waiting for us to jump on. And the fare at Rs60 for the both of us to get to Ooty was cheaper than the bloody rickshaw ride to the bus stand which was Rs90. Settled into the bus we were soon trundling along. We had a short stopover in Mettapalayum where I picked up a couple of fried goodies for brekky and then we were soon climbing into the winding roads up to Ooty. The trip up was pretty precarious – very wind roads, crazy bus drivers, animals – you name it – and we just kept going up and up. Zoe latched on to my arm fairly tightly but thankfully we made it in one piece a few minutes later. The view was pretty spectacular actually – the tea plantations multiplied in number the higher we got and we were more than happy with Ooty when we arrived – looked like a pretty good place to be for a few days. Our fun with rickshaw hustlers reemerged at the bus stand….we couldn’t get a decent price (we later discovered prices were fixed) so we decided to walk to our hotel. It ended up being a bit further than we thought but the hotel was worth it as was the comfy bed and view we discovered in our room. After a late breakfast we wandered into town and found a place to catch up on the world happenings with the www. Wandering some more, we went through some cool markets that sold anything you’d want (fresh chickens killed on the spot seemingly). We kept going and eventually found a place a while later for what turned out to be some pretty good (but expensive) pizza. Darkness was soon upon us and we walked back to the hotel, hoping to avoid any packs of dogs on our journey. Cricket on the telly kept us entertained for a while and then bed came.

The next day we decided to jump on a tour around the region that our hotel had advertised. At Rs135 each though it was hard to go wrong. After breakfast it got off to an auspicious start – we drove about 100m and joined the rest of the tour group to check our first stop, the Thread Garden. This marvel of a tourist site consisted of a whole garden made of thread, yes thread. Thrilling! Across the road and just down from our hotel was the Boat House – set on an ok looking lake with lots of gimmicky rides. Zoe and I weren’t inclined to jump on the pedal boats and hung about a bit until the bus hit the road. Our next stop was the second highest peak in India. The view was great and thankfully the tour was getting better. Everyone else on board was Indian so the English commentary was rather skint but we got the main points. Next up we went driving, stopped for a valley view (could see all the way to Kerala) and then made our way to a tea plantation close to Coonoor (a nearby town). Before we could make it though, we had to negotiate more scary cliff edged roads and more interestingly a jungle bison. This creature was huuuuge!!! Kind of like an oversized cow, it stopped traffic for a while but we finally got past it. We then made our way in amongst the tea bushes and got an ever so brief explanation of the process involved in growing/picking/etc. We walked about the plantation for a while and then headed up to a nearby on farm shop to sample the tea. The masala chai was great and very fresh…..but then Zoe and I discovered chocolate tea…..so so good a purchase was inevitable! After a quick lunch break and some monkey spotting, we then went to two really good lookouts called Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin’s Nose – we could see over Mettupalayam, the valley below and could also spot the toy train tracks. Stunning views. We then negotiated the road back to Ooty (no jungle bison this time) and got dropped off at the Botanical Gardens. Looking a little too busy for us, we wandered back through town, checked out the net to plan some more travel and stopped off for some dinner. Feeling lazy after our long day we got a rickshaw back to the hotel. You know what’s next – bed.

After a paratha for breakfast the next morning and cornflakes for Ms Zoe, we got dropped off by a guy from our hotel at a place where we could go for a trek (Zoe calls it a walk). Ooty is apparently renowned for its trekking/walking. Some steady climbing for a while and we were up at the peak after a little bit of strenuous walking. Up the top there was a rickety old iron tower – we climbed up and got a great view over the surrounding valleys and mountains. Once down we followed the cobblestone path back to where we started, feeling refreshed and like we actually stretched our legs. One of the things we noticed a lot (as with yesterday) was the proliferation of eucalyptus trees. The aroma was intense and reminded us both of home. We walked back towards town past some local farms and then jumped in an auto back to Ooty. After some exploration re the buses to Wayanad for later in the week, we had a quick search for more travel stuff on the net and then got us a late lunch. Some more walking and a mango ice cream later and we were soon back at the hotel. The day just flew by. Dinner provided with us a great discovery – tomato fry. We weren’t sure what we were going to get (although we were reasonably certain tomatoes would be the dominant ingredient not surprisingly) but the dish, a mixture of tomatoes and Indian spices was superb. Definitely a great find and one we’ll have to try and recreate and have many times again. Satisfied, bed struck.

Our last full day in Ooty started with a walk to the bus stand to make sure (as much as we could) that we got the right info for our bus to Wayanad. There was a bus on the stand heading to our destination – we think – so the guess is that we’ll be able to make it out and get to where we want to. We then found a good little restaurant for some dosa’s for brekky. We had a friendly but over attentive waiter – seemingly angling for a tip. Moving on, we strolled to the synonymous Café Coffee Day (Indian version of Starbucks) and grabbed probably the best coffee I’ve had on the subcontinent for this trip. We then wandered to the Botanical Gardens and sat down for a while – I finished my book and Zoe undertook some people watching. Batting off requests for photos, we then headed back into town. Zoe spotted a supermarket and once inside she made a beeline to what I didn’t know. I soon found out. VEGEMITE!!! We couldn’t believe it and quickly overlooked the Rs 275 (about $6.50) for a smallish jar. Good find Zoe! This store evidently had other imported goodies – unfortunately no BBQ shapes. A few purchases later we moved on. We stumbled across a place making fresh potato chips and got us some for later on. I also grabbed myself a beer to ensure beer and chips could be had later on in the arvo. We had some internet time (this travel planning is time consuming) and then meandered back home for an afternoon of relaxing. Most importantly, we had us some BBQ sanga’s when we got home and they went down a treat. Followed by beer and chips later that afternoon and a successful day was had. The theme continued into the evening….more relaxation with continued lazing about and some dinner down in the hotel restaurant. Tomato fry on the menu again!

We got up earlyish the next morning to ensure we got our bus to Wayanad. After a quick brekky we got dropped down at the bus stand and thankfully our bus (at least what we suspected was our bus) came soon after. More winding roads and jaw dropping views later, our packed bus snaked its way to Kerala.

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Photos

Chocolate tea
What a discovery

VEGEMITE!!!!!
It's nearly all gone....