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| Coimbatore Junction |
This Diwali, we decided to
pay a visit to Udhagamandalam, better known as Ooty, the
Queen of Hill Stations. Our journey to this beautiful and bustling little
town began from Chennai where we were visiting some family members. Ideally,
one should board a train to Methupallayam and then hop aboard the toy train that
winds its way all the way up to Ooty.
Having done our bookings rather late, we had to make our reservations
aboard the Cheran Express from Chennai Central to Coimbatore Junction. Reaching
Chennai station early isn’t much of a bother at the station as there is an AC
waiting room (charge, Rs.30/hour) where travellers can relax in comfort and
watch TV as they wait for the departure of their respective trains. Our train
left Chennai at exactly 10.10pm as scheduled and, after a comfortable,
uneventful night, we were outside Coimbatore Junction at 6 am, all set for the
next leg of our journey.
Our driver, a senior gentleman named Michael,
was an experienced driver. And, to add to that, he was cheerful, friendly,
humble and honest. Luckily for us this Tamilian man also spoke enough English
to be able to converse with when required.
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| Nilgiris |
Having hauled our bags into the booth of the
silver Indica, Michael started us on or 2 ½ hour drive to Ooty. Although long,
the drive is pleasant and refreshing. Once outside the city, we passed through
small villages and long, deserted stretches of landscape all the way to the
Nilgiris.
As the name
suggests, Nilgiris, or the Blue
Mountains, are said to have been so called on account of the kurunji flower, which blooms here every twelve years giving the slopes a
bluish tinge. Another theory assumes that this name comes from the blue smoky
haze given off by the eucalyptus trees that cover the area. Well,
there were no kurunji flowers for us to see, but yes, we did pass through some
dense eucalyptus forests which frequently made way for lush green tea
plantations at regular intervals. Here and there, a few houses and temples
added colorful relief to the vast expanse of green that spread out on every
side.
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| Methupallayam |
On the way, we stopped at the Methupallayam
Viewpoint from where we can see Methupallayam spread out far below us. Then, passing
through Kotagiri, we finally arrived at the bustling little town of Ooty. This beautiful botanical paradise
was first brought to the public eye by John Sullivan, Collector of Coimbatore
district in 1819. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations of South
India, and has previously been a summer retreat for many a British officer in
days gone by.
Our reservations were
made at the tourist hotel managed by the TTDC,
or the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department. The guesthouse
is clean and surrounded by well-manicured gardens with a variety of colorful
flowers all around. Our cottage was just what we expected – clean and spacious.
It consisted of a hallway, a large furnished bedroom, a little balcony and, of
course a nice big bathroom (off-season rate, Rs. 1000 per day) The cottage,
like every other place in Ooty, lacked fans or ACs. They aren’t really needed
as the weather is always pleasantly cool here. One thing we did however wish
for was central heating. Thankfully, we had come prepared with thermals and
woolens to keep us warm.
After checking-in, we
drove down to the town center, commonly known as the signal or the Charring
Cross junction. Here, the streets are lined with restaurants and shops selling
woolens, home-made chocolates, filter coffee and other little knick-knacks to
attract tourists. We chose to have our breakfast at The Garden Restaurant, one of the many run by the Nahar Group of
Hotels. This clean little vegetarian restaurant has comfortable seating beside
large picture-windows. There are pretty, floral watercolors adorning the walls
between the polished, wooden furniture. If you do plan to stop by here, do try
their club sandwich. It’s got the right amount of chutney, cheese and
crispiness and it goes well with a cup of hot filter coffee or masala milk.
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| Botanical Garden |
Post breakfast, we took a walk and explored the shops along
Charring Cross junction and decided to visit the Botanical Garden at the end of the street. By the way, there’s said
to be a Tibetan market along the way, but it wasn’t too spectacular or
out-of-the ordinary, really. So, there we were at the entrance to the 22 acre
Botanical Garden. This garden was
laid out in 1847 and is currently maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants, including a 20-million-year-old
fossilized tree. There is an entry charge of Rs.15 per head and Rs.30 for
cameras. Not much to do here other than admire the vast variety of plants and
flowers all around, but it’s sure to be a treat for any nature-lover.
Making
our way back to the town center, we stopped to sample some of the much
talked-about chocolate that’s available in every shop. After much sampling and exploring, we zeroed
in on NPS Supermarket, a little
store that had the widest variety of chocolate we’d seen. Here you can choose
from chocolates filled with various flavors like orange cream, strawberry
cream, coconut, caramel and hazelnut. Also available are chocolates sprinkled
liberally with dates, nuts, fruits, butterscotch and rice crisps. Take your
time choosing, but do remember that there’s no such thing as free samples given
out in Ooty. Also, another thing you’ll notice as you walk around town is the
various signboards encouraging people to keep the surroundings clean as the
Nilgiris are a plastic-free area. Plastic is actually banned here. Wow!
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| Boat House |
Carrying
a little bagful of chocolates, we headed to Ooty Lake for a spot of boating. This
lake, covering an area of 65 acres was
constructed in 1824 by John Sullivan. It was formed by damming the mountain streams flowing down
Ooty valley. The lake is set among groves of Eucalyptus trees with a railway
line running along one bank. At the entrance of the Boat House is a small amusement park for children and adults. There
are fun rides and also a house of mirrors and food stalls. There is a parking
charge of Rs.20 and an entry fee of Rs.30 to get into the Boat House. One can
choose from a canopied speed-boat that carries 15 people, an old-fashioned
row-boat or a paddle-boat. We chose the paddle-boat and after paying a fee of
Rs.100 for a 30 minute ride, we stepped into our paddle-boat and paddled off
towards the shadier side of the lake where we stopped awhile before paddling
back to shore.
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| Shinkow's |
For
lunch, we opted for Shinkow’s, an
old Chinese joint recommended by a travel site. The restaurant was quaint and
cozy enough, but we were disappointed by the fare provided. The menu is very
limited and food is rather insipid, dry and bland. The staff is fairly
friendly, but do bear in mind that this restaurant does not charge a service charge.
However, a few of the waiters are most likely to mislead you into paying a 10%
service charge in the hope of getting a fatter tip. Check the bill carefully
and pay the exact same amount mentioned therein. We refused to be taken in by
one such ‘over smart’ waiter who proceeded to follow us as we left the
restaurant and stood casting threatening looks as we drove away.
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| St. Stephen's Church |
We
then spent the afternoon exploring the 19th Century church of St. Stephen’s, one of the oldest churches
in the Nilgiris. This church was thrown open to the public on Easter Sunday,
April 3rd, 1831. It is said that the beams of this church have been
made from the wooden beams taken from the Mysore palace. At the back of this
church is an old British cemetery with many a British citizen lying beneath the
gravestones. This cemetery also houses the final resting place of the young
wife and daughter of John Sullivan, the man who is credited with the establishment
of Ooty.
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| Sunset at Doddabetta |
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| Sidewalk Cafe |
A very good option for
dinner is Sidewalk Café, a warm,
bright and pleasant little diner-styled restaurant situated in the center of
town. The interiors are tastefully done-up in soothing greens and a soft,
summery yellow. Here you can get a break from the usual South-Indian fare and
tuck into pizzas, sandwiches, pastas and burgers. Also available are delicious
smoothies, milkshakes and teas. Rates are fairly good and although service is a
little slow, it’s worth the wait.
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| The Guernsey Tea Factory |
After a long, tiring
albeit happy day, we tucked ourselves under our sheets and caught up with much
needed sleep. The next morning saw us driving down to the neighboring hill
station of Coonoor, which is
approximately 40 minutes away from Ooty.
The town center here is awfully crowded and noisy, with nothing spectacular
to boast of. Drive a little further and, away from the chaos, you’ll soon come
to some breathtakingly beautiful tea plantations and misty valleys. Although
there’s much to see here (Wellington Cantonment, Sim’s Park and Lamb’s Rock) we
drove straight towards the Guernsey Tea
Factory, where, for a fee of Rs.20 we were given a guided tour of the
factory and shown the various steps that go into sending the tea from the
plantation to our homes.
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| Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint |
Our next stop was Dolphin’s
Nose Viewpoint, which not only provides a panoramic view of
the vast expanse of the Nilgiri Hills but also of Catherine
Falls across the valley in Kotagiri.
The place is teeming with friendly monkeys who skip around the tourists in the
hope of getting a tit-bit or two.
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| Veg Special Meal |
Back in
the town center, we entered the crowded Hotel
Sri Lakshmi, a South-Indian restaurant and ordered the Special Meal for
Rs.90. What arrived was a thali laden
with 15 different delicacies including papads and two sweet preparations of kesari and payasam. This heavy meal
ends with a serving of bananas and, if you wish, a cup of filter coffee.
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| Thread Garden |
Driving
back to Ooty, we stopped at the Thread
Garden. Most people in Ooty are strangely ignorant of the existence of this
little display exactly opposite the entrance to the Boat House, but there it
is, a large board that advertises ‘The Flower Show’. With an entry ticket of
Rs.15 (additional charge for cameras) you can see a beautiful display of
flowers, plants and lawns fabricated entirely from thread, canvas and wire. The
brainchild of Mr. Anthony Joseph, it is the end result of 12 years of untiring
work. Absolutely everything is done by hand and no machinery or needle is used
at any stage.
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| Rose Garden |
The next morning after
checking out from the guesthouse, we took a short drive to The Government Rose Garden, the largest rose garden in India. Today this garden has one of the largest
collections of roses in the country with more than 20,000 varieties of roses. The
collection is said to include Hybrid
Tea Roses, Miniature
Roses, Polyanthas, Papagena, Floribunda, Ramblers, Yakimour and roses of
unusual colors like black and green. Unfortunately for us, there are hardly any
roses blooming in the winter months of November and December, so except for a
few roses scattered here and there, all we got to see were some well sculpted
lawns and trimmed hedges.
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| Nahar Wellness Spa |
Driving
back to Coimbatore via Kotagiri
isn’t too interesting as this last hill station in the Ooty-Coonoor-Kotagiri
triad isn’t much to speak of. Except for tea plantations there’s nothing much
to do here, unless you plan to visit Catherine Falls. In retrospect, it would
have probably been more eventful to drive out via Coonoor. Anyway, having time
to spare, we dropped in at the Nahar Wellness Spa at Kotagiri. In preparation
on the long drive ahead, we indulged in a foot and head massage, Kerala style
(Total cost, Rs. 900).
The
drive back to Coimbatore’s Omni Bus Stand was uneventful and, completing all
payment matters with Michael, our driver, we went to the KPN travel office to
wait for our bus back to Chennai. This particular trip was one packed with lots
of travelling and, although it was a wee bit tiring, we returned with the
satisfied feeling one gets after a holiday well spent.
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