Land of hills

I was 7 years old when I visited South India with my parents. It has been 22 years now, a lot has changed, I have moved to Bangalore, living by myself and I have lost my dad. Most of our vacations used to be in mountains, mostly in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Dad always told me to be like the mountains because they are strong and they survive. Since then I feel connected to the hills. As a child my memories about those places are still very prominent and I want to relive those moments.

Like all my other travels a sudden kick aroused and I left on an early Saturday morning drive. This time my weekend get-away was to the Nilgiris,Tamil Nadu, to be more specific, Ooty & Mysore. Tamil Nadu is 6 hours drive from Bangalore.

DAY 1:On the way I crossed the Nilgiri forest saw couple of wild animals walking around freely. Well that definitely bothered me a bit as they were not tamed and I was scared of losing my life to a cheetah’s hunger but soon my fear was blown away by the beauty of a peacock welcoming with open wings. The temperature started falling, I turned off the Ac and opened the windows to spread my hands, touch the fogs, take that breeze on my face and breathe clean, that is when I realized I am in the mid of mountains. After reaching   Ooty in the afternoon, it was time to quickly fix a hotel and rush for the sight-seeing.  My first destination was Doddabetta Peak which is 9km away from Ooty. It is the highest mountain in the Nilgiris at 2,637 meters.  The view is breathtaking. I waited for the sunset and to my delight I experienced wonder. I was a little late, ideally the best time to reach there, is afternoon, when the sky is bright and clear.  While climbing down there was a local market on the stairs selling essentials and hot street food. Passing without a bite seemed like a crime, so I surrendered to those hot bhajis and moved to the next destination.

The Tea Factory and Tea Museum was a mini shopping mall. I experienced the entire tea making process and the making of handmade chocolates. Being a dedicated chocolate lover I bought almost all the flavours. This factory is not only a good resource of income for the locals but they it is also a great tourist attraction.  I figured that this tea factory not only makes money by selling their packaged tea in the market but they also make good revenue from the museum.  It is a well planned business. South India is indeed very smart.

By the time I came out of the factory it was evening and I had to return to the hotel.  After a day long journey I was still not tired and left to explore the local market by foot. Walking down the streets, looking at new things, meeting new people, knowing their language has always been exciting for me. Every time I travel to a new destination I learn about different cultures, people and life. It is very addictive.

Day 2:Next morning I started at 5:30am. My list was long and time was less. I went to see Suicide View Point- Lambs Rock. It is 8km away from Coonoor. The trek to this place is good and gives an amazing view of the tea estates.  It is advisable to go there early morning to avoid the rush. Once you are there you would experience  a sheer precipice of several hundred meters with a phenomenal view of the vast stretches of forests all the way to the Coimbatore plains with extremely colorful trees all around. The view is awesome. It is a good place for photography. I enjoyed the view but while returning back to the car I was chased by monkeys.  I would suggest everyone to be aware of MONKEYS.

My next stop was Dolphin’s Nose. When I first heard the name I was excited to see the place because in my visualization I could only think of an actual Dolphin’s Nose, hence I was curious to see the actual resemblance. After crossing several beautiful plantations and hairpin turns when I reached the place my mind went blank. I couldn’t speak and I got completely involved with nature. I think I was partially hypnotized.  It is 1000 feet above sea level and the view is spectacular. Later I figured the tip of the rock resembles a Dolphin’s Nose and hence the name. It is a uniquely enormous rock formation.  It is nature at its best.

While coming back I stopped by at a tea garden, went inside, took pictures and even plucked a few tea leaves. It is an absolute lovely place to pose for photographs.

It was 8:30am and I successfully managed to visit 3 beautiful places. I returned to Coonoor. It is a quaint old town with railways and steam engines, all exquisitely maintained. It has large signages all over the place saying “Plastic Free Zone”. The toy train ride is one of the most exciting tourist attractions. The train passes through 250 bridges and 16 tunnels. It is picturesque because of its surrounding rocky terrain, ravines, tea plantations and forested hills. This 45 minutes ride is a must.

I was running out of time and I still had few things in my list, I went to the Shooting spot and the Pine Garden. As a movie buff I had to visit these places as they have been featured in a number of popular hindi movies that I have grown up watching. My creative genes activated as I stood there.

I left for Mysore. I reached Mysore at 3pm and went straight to see the Mysore Palace.

Mysore- City of palaces

It is the official residence of the royal family of Mysore. When I entered the city, I went back in time. The city has amazing old structures, all well maintained. Even today, police use horses as a mode of transport instead of a van. How amazing is that? One must have the special sweet called Mysore Pak and buy at least one Mysore Silk saree. It is highly recommended.

My last destination was Brindavan Garden. This garden is located along the  Krishnarajasagara Dam. The garden is famous for beautiful Musical lighting fountains. I clearly remember watching these fountains holding my dad’s hand. I looked at it with the same amazement in my eyes, nothing changed except the fact that Dad is no more. But his spirit and his blessings remain.

It was time to return back to Bangalore, short yet beautiful trip came to an end.  I may not have covered everything at Ooty and Mysore but my trip was excellent and I returned with an experience of a lifetime. Awaiting a new journey….

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