NJOI | THE | CHILL. Review on Ooty

PARADISE GAINED! MAKING A DAY PER WEEK… THAT’S SUNDAY

B4 Starting I felt that the space is not enough (contd. In comments also) but since I cant write another day as tomorrow never dies I write whatever I have seen with my golden eye…

If u say FIRE it doesn’t burn.

If you say ICE it doesn’t freeze.

If u say SUGAR it doesn’t taste.

If u say WATER it doesn’t spill.

If you say PERFUME it doesn’t scent.

But…

If u say… OOTY… it CHILLS

Thank U English men for giving us this paradise… Thank U Mr. John Sullivan

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PACKING OFF

After being roasted black and blue in the rays of the T’jore this May we decide for a brief relief in the chillness of the Niligiri hills. The plans were fast, leave for Ooty on the Saturday (24th May) evening, stay at Kotagiri that night at a guesthouse and graze all over Ooty the next day. My Pa had no difficulty in arranging for a white ambassador from his office (Central Govt.) at Kotagiri. And off we went packing … Shirts, trousers, Saris and Chudis were all stacked into our Trigger traveling bag. Sweaters? The office boy informed that the climate was pleasant and we wont need one. And ah a pair of binoculars and a camera; “go and get a film roll” my mom called out. By the time I returned I could see the ‘GOVT. OF INDIA’ badged Amby parked in front of our portico, my heart raced.

BYE SUNNY

We started climbing the first hill to Kotagiri after taking the divergent from the Conoor way (we have seen Conoor already). ‘Ooty: 65kms; Kotagiri: 43kms’ a board says at the end of Mettupalayam road. We bade good-bye to Mr. Sun and I could sense the pressure diffi in my ears as we climbed. The Amby pulls in second gear effortlessly. Screeeeeeeech… we come to a halt, on the fourth hill you gota viewpoint, we could clearly see the Coimbatore plains and the city sprawled across the middle of it. Also the Bhavani sagar, Viscose industry, the straight road from Mettupalayam and the twisties across the hills we climbed through are visible. Then we continue with our four hairpin bends. The air was cleaner and the cool wind soothed the burns suffered at T’jore. The aroma of tea leaves filled my nose as A.R Rehman’s hit ‘Pachai Niramae’ filled my heart. It was a wonderful drive to Kotagiri as the monkeys stared at us all the way…

COZY COTTAGE

After being in the messy city house, we were given a typical cozy cottage at Kotagiri. “Wow..Wow..” Three black friendly Labradors greeted us. Wooden floor, cozy furniture, false ceiling, heavy blankets, wall hangings, wood-glass doors, flower gardens, heater and no fan, the cottage was very cozy and warm. I watched TV sprawled on the sofa for some time until hot Chappatis and Kuruma arrived, we swelled our bellies and drank naturally frozen water from large tumblers. Aaaaaaugh… I yawned. I was asleep the minute I pulled over the heavy woolen blanket.

DHODABETA

The next morning, after breaking the fast at Kasturi Bhavan, we head for Dodabeta. Our ‘Govt. Of India’ car makes no fuss in entering as other cars are parked farther. This peak forms the junction b/w the Western and Eastern Ghats. It Costs 5 bucks (excluding the 30 for other cars) to view from this highest point (8640 feet) in South India. Also you get a telescopic view for 3 bucks. They ask u to imagine the Karnataka boundary though u actually can’t! After that u can go trekking down some stones to a nearby point. Horse rides are also there for 30 bucks but can be bargained to 20. You can see flowers all the way…

TO OOTY

Finally we head for Ooty. One good thing about going here is that u never get bored while traveling… Green trees, colorful flowers, valleys and chillness fill your monitor and pull your head out of the window. Then and there monkeys add to this ‘pull’ factor. The aroma is better than the best perfumes and addicts u to the max. Our car getting stuck into thick traffic announces the entry to Ooty! You can see white-red combination houses stacked together on the slopes of the valleys amidst small temples, as the roads twist around. Houses with cars parked on terraces are another common sight. Here even a street dog looks as hairy as German Shepherds! The tea estates seem like green silk saris with paths embroidered across them. Pine trees amidst them add to the nature’s art. You can see women plucking tea leaves with gunny bags on shoulders and children selling carrots on roads, child labour? The more u spiral up, the cooler u feel as the wind keeps blowing your hair…

GOVT. BOTANICAL GARDEN

At the botanical garden we are welcomed by floating soap bubbles and a huge crowd as though there were 10 ration shops there! Get the entry ticket and off we go. The flowers are very pretty and remind you of your girl that brings a mischievous grin to your face. The lawn looks the best green you may have seen and I couldn’t help rolling down the lawns along with the other kids, felt sheepish though when I got up! The flowers inside the glass house also seduce you a lot. The hedges are trimmed to various animal shapes and some really look funny. Then we spot a 20 million old trunk as we munch down the delicious home made chocolates, a Ooty special.

CENTENARY ROSE GARDEN

Again our ‘Govt. of India’ car takes us right to the front of the garden without pass probs. As the name suggests the flowers also seem to be a hundred years old. Though they have plenty of roses, I didn’t find them very attractive. So we didn’t go inside, saw it from outside itself with binoculars and left for Lake View. But traffic again, after half an hour the police were able to clear the route… If u’re driving better take a Zandu Balm with u.

LAKE VIEW

The Ooty lake is as famous as the Botanical Garden. This artificial lake built by John Sullivan is full of floating population, the cars are parked even a km from the lake and it seemed to be a mission impossible for us to get in. Also the lake has become very dirty, so we decide to go boating in the Pykara instead, our camera snapping all the time…

Contd. In Comments… the best place, KODANADU is there…