Pulleri Illam , Payyanur:
The last few droplets of a heavy evening rain had just sluggishly departed from the edges of the r
oof-tiles of a century-old abode, when inside, the alarms went on in five mobile handsets. But their owners either unaware of or ignoring this cacophony, tried to find some peaceful sleep, not yet out of the hangover of the previous evening's travel, movie and late night chat. Come on, who would like to wake up after a mere one-hour nap?!
But somebody had to, as there was this promising plan at stake. When we, a group of collective-minded youngsters scattered geographically in South India, planned a trip to Ooty, the Queen of Hills of the Deccan, everybody frowned. It was real clowds that loomed over - the Monsoon was at the top of its fury and the Nilgiris would be bitter-cold and drenched in the rains, making travel across it a difficult experience. But this plan had been cooking for long, and it would be the culmination of bachelor trips for a few among us. Anoop and Srikanth, to name them. There was no chance any of us would miss it, no matter whatever happened.
And here was Anoop's gang of five who slept in Pulleri. [Srikanth's quadruplet gang , had by then started off from their Bangalore hub in no less an exotic vehicle than Tata Safari Dicor.] Anoop did the captain's role of getting ready his pack of men. Armed with very less travel gear and charged with a cup each of hot tea, we turned on the ignition of Tata Indica Quadrajet. Sanal, Unni, Manu and I yelled "Wowwwww!!!!" as Anoop raised the throttle and hit the turbo.
The Payyanur - Thalipparamb - Iritti road was as smooth and deserted to lure and raise the adrenaline of any driver, as dangerous its curves and turns were. And as the crew picked up tempo through hip-hop songs and beats, there was something happening inside my gut. The frequent turns and twists at high speeds had taken toll on my stomach - I was about to vomit - I called for a sudden stop, and the next thing I remember is a loud flushing sound from my mouth and the smell of yucky phlegm that filled my nose! I got back into the car after sometime, shouted "ok, let's go..". But I was failed again, thrice more. Each time I vomited and was over with it, I thought "ok, that was the last one". The fourth one, thankfully was the last one indeed - Anoop helped me with some oranges bought from Mananthavady - I felt much relieved after eating one. And then I looked into my watch to find that I had spent two-and-a-half hours sleeping.
6:00 AM
Sulthan Bathery:
We stopped amidst a tea-plantation in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
Rejuvenated with an orange's energy, I was on a high - I jumped on top of every muddy pile I found and posed for pics. Unni captured a few good ones, which are up now in my facebook profile. The real trip for me started then - I took control of the wheels from there. It was a thrilling drive - we had got news that Srikanth, Gokul, Sankar and Sandeep were waiting at Gudalore. The hurry to reach there and join them reflected in my speed very well, even though a couple of narrow escapes from vehicles that leapt out of U-turns brought me to control. Our arrival at Gudalore woke up the sleepy four and soon we found our Indica trailing their Safari - Srikanth was an excellent driver. Then we made an agreement - we took turns in trailing each other's car and the one in front took videos of the other. Got some stylish clips of the two Tatas emerging out of the U-turns with blinking head-lamps.
On the way to Ooty from Gudalore, we stopped at many places - amidst the eucalyptus plantation, at the cine-shooting location, etc. At another place where we ran across a hill, Unni again captured a brilliant snap of us climbing up the hillside - we made a still from some movie - we looked like classic expeditors. Not worth it, still for completion I mention here the dosa puffed up with baking soda and the watery tea that we had from a "Hill View Hotel".
11:00 AM
Ooty
As more and more milestones fell back, our expectation grew - the scene of a rain-clad, misty Ooty flickered in my mind. But it was not to be. A rather sunny noon welcomed us, and the silence on our faces clearly showed disappointment. We wanted to believe that that was not Ooty, no, no way! But as we got out of the vehicles, we smelled earth. It could not have been from new rain. The Monsoon had reached there days before, but the fresh smell lingered the air. Cajoled by that captivating nascent smell, we unloa
ded our backpacks from the cars and occupied a couple of rooms in a decent hotel. Boating beckoned, and we started off to Ooty Lake. The excitement was visible in everybody's stride. Some were on a high so really high that onlookers would have mistaken it for the effect of fresh home-made red wine. In the lake, we pedalled boats in a cool drizzle which threatened but never came as a downpour until we were in the stall on the shore, sipping hot chocolate tea. All that I wanted came along - it became colder and more foggy though a pleasant light prevailed. Gokul and Sandeep who opted out of boating to sleep on the lawn, disappointed me as they came out not drenched a bit, from a stall they ran into when rain decided to give them a break :)
The question then was 'now what?." Nobody prompted as all were tired from pedalling for almost an hour in the cold waters. But we threw us into the cars and they vroomed!!!
6:30 PM
Dolphin's Nose
Dolphin's nose was where we were an hour and a half later. A place thankfully so deserted for its own good but abundantly rich in flora and gusts of fresh air, it lay lazily, as though never anticipating us. The journey was treacherous - narrow roads which gorgeously embroidered Coonoor hills were as dangerous as they were beautiful. Scary depths were a feet away, and even inside the cars we were on our toes, with crossed the fingers. Half way up, where we got down at a view point, the smell of (hm... fresh, somebody remarked... :) elephant faeces seemed to come from very close that we packed off immediately to the top. After the rocking climb, Dolphin's Nose gifted us the real treat - thousands of feet below, a necklace of yellow and red lights spread - Mettupalayam and Coimbatore would not be so beautiful in any other view. [Sorry, the photo I have attached here is of no clarity, but it just gives
you a visual to imagine the reality, beyond the image.] That was at 7 pm, and we felt like camping there overnight. But the chill night to come was not to be taken silly, so we left that plan. After some hot tea, we bought tea-powder from the only shop available there. This tea-powder still makes good mornings to all at my home. They even ask me when I will go to Ooty next!!! Anoop was undoubtedly the best driver among us - he drove all the way back to Ooty - fatigue or sleep did not seem to have any effect on him. Whereas I pushed back my seat and slept off as soon as the car started. I just remember reaching hotel, getting into bed and sleeping off again, with scores of fur-coat worn mosquitoes trumpeting around.
5:45 AM, 12th July 2011
Ooty
There was no alarms set for Sunday morning. But still I woke up early, went out and relished a hot tea. Each time someone woke up, I took them for tea. After 4-5 rounds, I had had enough and returned back to room. Then in that not-so-broad daylight I realized that those creatures with fur were not mosquitoes, instead they were big hairy flies. Oh my god!!! Anyway the woollen cap I wore while I slept came of use - for else I would have had flies and bed-bugs inside my ears! After tea, Sanal's description of 'Kothu Porotta', a Chettinadu delicacy watered everybody's mouth, and we walked on and on for a long time checking for Kothu Porotta in almost every restaurant in Ooty. Nowhere it was available and finally we dropped porotta plans and pacified ourselves with plain dosas.
The next destination was the Botanical Garden - at the each and every spot, we took photos. There was this building 'Raj Bhavan', none of us could guess why that had to be there. Possibly a British leftover. Later learnt that it was built by the Duke of Buckingham in the late 19th century, and now it is the summer residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu! [Courtesy: Wikipedia] On the meadow inside the garden, we had a funny photo session - we got weird stills of us jumping, lying down in different patterns, and what not. The 2 hours spent in the botanical garden was worth it. It was 1:00 pm, we were running out of time. If we had more time to spend here, we definitely would have kept gaping at a group of stunning girls who breezed past us when we were leaving the garden!!!! We came out and roamed around the Burma Bazaar, had 'molaka bajji', onion pakoda and masala mangoes. Nobody could resist buying a small packet each of home-made chocolates to share at their friends' and home.
2:30 PM
Ooty
After a brisk lunch, it was time to say ''bye'' to the rest of the group. I was the only one to break away from the group - I had to return to Chennai, whereas the others left in the two cars to their respective starting points. Both left via Mudhumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. I heard later from them that they had a jolly good time on the way.
As I travelled downhill from Ooty to Mettupalayam via Coonoor, the Nilgiri railway track was visible along the side. It penetrated the hills and forests alike. Now that gave me a strong desire to come back later to Ooty, just for travelling in that train. As the last hillock was behind me, from inside the bus I glanced back at those mighty mountains I had just descended from - I had fallen in love with Ooty. '' I will come back for you'', I said with determination. A sigh escaped from my mouth, though unknowingly....
Footnote: Evergreen memories like of this trip w
ill stay long, deep inside. But they need to be re-felt at times, and the only sources which make it possible are those wonderful stills permanently captured by the lenses which adorn a photographer, as earnest and skilled as Unni.
Kudos, Unni......... keep going...
And a wonderful pack of friends we were, nine of us.. hope we will make the next trip soon....
The photo here in the left shows the team. From left: Srikanth, Sandeep, Sanal, Manu, Anoop, Sankar, Unni and Gokul. I could not make it into the frame as I and Unni had then exchanged roles.
The last few droplets of a heavy evening rain had just sluggishly departed from the edges of the r
oof-tiles of a century-old abode, when inside, the alarms went on in five mobile handsets. But their owners either unaware of or ignoring this cacophony, tried to find some peaceful sleep, not yet out of the hangover of the previous evening's travel, movie and late night chat. Come on, who would like to wake up after a mere one-hour nap?!But somebody had to, as there was this promising plan at stake. When we, a group of collective-minded youngsters scattered geographically in South India, planned a trip to Ooty, the Queen of Hills of the Deccan, everybody frowned. It was real clowds that loomed over - the Monsoon was at the top of its fury and the Nilgiris would be bitter-cold and drenched in the rains, making travel across it a difficult experience. But this plan had been cooking for long, and it would be the culmination of bachelor trips for a few among us. Anoop and Srikanth, to name them. There was no chance any of us would miss it, no matter whatever happened.
And here was Anoop's gang of five who slept in Pulleri. [Srikanth's quadruplet gang , had by then started off from their Bangalore hub in no less an exotic vehicle than Tata Safari Dicor.] Anoop did the captain's role of getting ready his pack of men. Armed with very less travel gear and charged with a cup each of hot tea, we turned on the ignition of Tata Indica Quadrajet. Sanal, Unni, Manu and I yelled "Wowwwww!!!!" as Anoop raised the throttle and hit the turbo.
The Payyanur - Thalipparamb - Iritti road was as smooth and deserted to lure and raise the adrenaline of any driver, as dangerous its curves and turns were. And as the crew picked up tempo through hip-hop songs and beats, there was something happening inside my gut. The frequent turns and twists at high speeds had taken toll on my stomach - I was about to vomit - I called for a sudden stop, and the next thing I remember is a loud flushing sound from my mouth and the smell of yucky phlegm that filled my nose! I got back into the car after sometime, shouted "ok, let's go..". But I was failed again, thrice more. Each time I vomited and was over with it, I thought "ok, that was the last one". The fourth one, thankfully was the last one indeed - Anoop helped me with some oranges bought from Mananthavady - I felt much relieved after eating one. And then I looked into my watch to find that I had spent two-and-a-half hours sleeping.
6:00 AM
Sulthan Bathery:
We stopped amidst a tea-plantation in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
Rejuvenated with an orange's energy, I was on a high - I jumped on top of every muddy pile I found and posed for pics. Unni captured a few good ones, which are up now in my facebook profile. The real trip for me started then - I took control of the wheels from there. It was a thrilling drive - we had got news that Srikanth, Gokul, Sankar and Sandeep were waiting at Gudalore. The hurry to reach there and join them reflected in my speed very well, even though a couple of narrow escapes from vehicles that leapt out of U-turns brought me to control. Our arrival at Gudalore woke up the sleepy four and soon we found our Indica trailing their Safari - Srikanth was an excellent driver. Then we made an agreement - we took turns in trailing each other's car and the one in front took videos of the other. Got some stylish clips of the two Tatas emerging out of the U-turns with blinking head-lamps.
On the way to Ooty from Gudalore, we stopped at many places - amidst the eucalyptus plantation, at the cine-shooting location, etc. At another place where we ran across a hill, Unni again captured a brilliant snap of us climbing up the hillside - we made a still from some movie - we looked like classic expeditors. Not worth it, still for completion I mention here the dosa puffed up with baking soda and the watery tea that we had from a "Hill View Hotel".
11:00 AM
Ooty
As more and more milestones fell back, our expectation grew - the scene of a rain-clad, misty Ooty flickered in my mind. But it was not to be. A rather sunny noon welcomed us, and the silence on our faces clearly showed disappointment. We wanted to believe that that was not Ooty, no, no way! But as we got out of the vehicles, we smelled earth. It could not have been from new rain. The Monsoon had reached there days before, but the fresh smell lingered the air. Cajoled by that captivating nascent smell, we unloa
ded our backpacks from the cars and occupied a couple of rooms in a decent hotel. Boating beckoned, and we started off to Ooty Lake. The excitement was visible in everybody's stride. Some were on a high so really high that onlookers would have mistaken it for the effect of fresh home-made red wine. In the lake, we pedalled boats in a cool drizzle which threatened but never came as a downpour until we were in the stall on the shore, sipping hot chocolate tea. All that I wanted came along - it became colder and more foggy though a pleasant light prevailed. Gokul and Sandeep who opted out of boating to sleep on the lawn, disappointed me as they came out not drenched a bit, from a stall they ran into when rain decided to give them a break :)The question then was 'now what?." Nobody prompted as all were tired from pedalling for almost an hour in the cold waters. But we threw us into the cars and they vroomed!!!
6:30 PM
Dolphin's Nose
Dolphin's nose was where we were an hour and a half later. A place thankfully so deserted for its own good but abundantly rich in flora and gusts of fresh air, it lay lazily, as though never anticipating us. The journey was treacherous - narrow roads which gorgeously embroidered Coonoor hills were as dangerous as they were beautiful. Scary depths were a feet away, and even inside the cars we were on our toes, with crossed the fingers. Half way up, where we got down at a view point, the smell of (hm... fresh, somebody remarked... :) elephant faeces seemed to come from very close that we packed off immediately to the top. After the rocking climb, Dolphin's Nose gifted us the real treat - thousands of feet below, a necklace of yellow and red lights spread - Mettupalayam and Coimbatore would not be so beautiful in any other view. [Sorry, the photo I have attached here is of no clarity, but it just gives
you a visual to imagine the reality, beyond the image.] That was at 7 pm, and we felt like camping there overnight. But the chill night to come was not to be taken silly, so we left that plan. After some hot tea, we bought tea-powder from the only shop available there. This tea-powder still makes good mornings to all at my home. They even ask me when I will go to Ooty next!!! Anoop was undoubtedly the best driver among us - he drove all the way back to Ooty - fatigue or sleep did not seem to have any effect on him. Whereas I pushed back my seat and slept off as soon as the car started. I just remember reaching hotel, getting into bed and sleeping off again, with scores of fur-coat worn mosquitoes trumpeting around.5:45 AM, 12th July 2011
Ooty
There was no alarms set for Sunday morning. But still I woke up early, went out and relished a hot tea. Each time someone woke up, I took them for tea. After 4-5 rounds, I had had enough and returned back to room. Then in that not-so-broad daylight I realized that those creatures with fur were not mosquitoes, instead they were big hairy flies. Oh my god!!! Anyway the woollen cap I wore while I slept came of use - for else I would have had flies and bed-bugs inside my ears! After tea, Sanal's description of 'Kothu Porotta', a Chettinadu delicacy watered everybody's mouth, and we walked on and on for a long time checking for Kothu Porotta in almost every restaurant in Ooty. Nowhere it was available and finally we dropped porotta plans and pacified ourselves with plain dosas.
The next destination was the Botanical Garden - at the each and every spot, we took photos. There was this building 'Raj Bhavan', none of us could guess why that had to be there. Possibly a British leftover. Later learnt that it was built by the Duke of Buckingham in the late 19th century, and now it is the summer residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu! [Courtesy: Wikipedia] On the meadow inside the garden, we had a funny photo session - we got weird stills of us jumping, lying down in different patterns, and what not. The 2 hours spent in the botanical garden was worth it. It was 1:00 pm, we were running out of time. If we had more time to spend here, we definitely would have kept gaping at a group of stunning girls who breezed past us when we were leaving the garden!!!! We came out and roamed around the Burma Bazaar, had 'molaka bajji', onion pakoda and masala mangoes. Nobody could resist buying a small packet each of home-made chocolates to share at their friends' and home.
2:30 PM
Ooty
After a brisk lunch, it was time to say ''bye'' to the rest of the group. I was the only one to break away from the group - I had to return to Chennai, whereas the others left in the two cars to their respective starting points. Both left via Mudhumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. I heard later from them that they had a jolly good time on the way.
As I travelled downhill from Ooty to Mettupalayam via Coonoor, the Nilgiri railway track was visible along the side. It penetrated the hills and forests alike. Now that gave me a strong desire to come back later to Ooty, just for travelling in that train. As the last hillock was behind me, from inside the bus I glanced back at those mighty mountains I had just descended from - I had fallen in love with Ooty. '' I will come back for you'', I said with determination. A sigh escaped from my mouth, though unknowingly....
Footnote: Evergreen memories like of this trip w
ill stay long, deep inside. But they need to be re-felt at times, and the only sources which make it possible are those wonderful stills permanently captured by the lenses which adorn a photographer, as earnest and skilled as Unni.Kudos, Unni......... keep going...
And a wonderful pack of friends we were, nine of us.. hope we will make the next trip soon....The photo here in the left shows the team. From left: Srikanth, Sandeep, Sanal, Manu, Anoop, Sankar, Unni and Gokul. I could not make it into the frame as I and Unni had then exchanged roles.
I an longing for a train journey in India. It's been so long. Nice post mp. Maybe we can go in December.
ReplyDelete@kirklops: omg kisa, gr8 news..i am ready... u coming in december?.. consider the plan executed.. nd thanks for the support.. will keep posting often..
ReplyDeletenice travel log da.. way to go :)
ReplyDeleteNice blog Vineeth.. Keep up the good work..
ReplyDeletesuper da......lets go next trip together :)
ReplyDeleteOoty also known by its local name Udgamandalam is a popular hill station in south India. Ooty is also called Queen of Hill stations due to its bewitching natural beauty. Ooty has many famous tourist destinations that you must visit such as Rose gardens, Annamalai Temple and the Wax Museum, etc. You can easily find many good hotels in Ooty that provide all necessary facilities. Hotel Lake View is a very popular 2 star hotel in Ooty with 74% customer recommendation. Room rates start from Rs.1400. Madhav Guest House is another popular Ooty hotel that provides all major amenities and rates start from Rs.600. To know about more some quality hotels in Ooty you can check out htelpushpak.com that has a good collection.
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