15th August,2008 13:30 hrs, Glanton Manor , Charring cross, Conoor Road, Ooty!!
We checked-in to our hotel which was impossibly arranged by a friend. The reception gives you a nice feel and you expect a decent room. Well You get one too. Ignore the little details you may not like about the room, you are not going to spend your time indoors in Ooty now are you?!
With all the luggage still in our Spark, we decided to walk around the town after freshening up. There was not even a little tiredness that had set in after the 6.5 hours drive. Nice hot tomato soup for the soul followed by some serious lunch.It was 3pm. After the meal we decided to explore Ooty on foot. It is easy to find tourist spots around because of Information boards installed in the town. The Botanical Garden was just about 1 km from our hotel. Sights of bunches of fresh, orange carrots with its plant still on it put smiles on our faces. we had to buy a couple of bunches and much on them on our way back!
The Botanical Garden is a huge place with myriad , beautiful gardens and trees that could have easily been as old as time!
The Glass house with uncountable flowers was very nice.
2 hours later we walked out of the Botanical Garden and headed towards the hotel. On the way we bought some carrots and rose apples.
The Rose Garden , about 1.5 km from the Botanical Garden was our next stop. We stopped at the hotel, which was in between got into our car for a drive through the town. We drove to the Rose Garden. How many types of roses are there!!
Then we drove to Ooty lake only to find out that it was closing time. We thought we could come there the following morning.
Another thing Ooty is famous for are Ooty Chocolates. Lots of them! We bought paper bags full of Dark Arabian nuts, rum and Raisin, and lots more! Paper bags because use of plastic is avoided in Ooty.Nice!
After a quick dinner at a nearby hotel we thought of experiencing Ooty in the night. A fountain at the square caught our fancy.
The walk had done us good and we thought of retiring for the night.Snuggled inside the covers with sweaters and socks we faded into happy slumber with excitement of a day most loved!
DAY 2
6am, Michelle and I had to go for a refreshing,morning walk amidst nature. How many times can you do that in Bangalore! Walking up an incline we came across horses, chirping birds, an art college and pretty bungalows.
A little away we could see a white edifice that had THE TEA FACTORY written across it in bold red letters. How we wished we could walk till there. A 2 rupees chai at the roadside and a plan for the day, we walked back up to our room.
Since hot water is available in the hotel only between 7-9 am , we had to finish getting ready by then. We had asked the hotel to arrange for a taxi to take us to Dodabetta Peak, the Second Highest peak in South India. From an indica to a van, for both of which I expressed my concern if it would climb the peak, we were pleasantly surprised to find a sparkling new Sumo as our drive. Upgrading is always a good feeling. The driver was also a very enthusiastic chap who enlightened us about a lot of things about Ooty and its demographics and geography.
To our advantage, he even took us to the same Tea factory which we would have missed had we taken our car to the peak. The tea factory gives youa tour of the process of tea manufacturing and also gives you to sample a cup of tea. My third for the morning! It also has a shop from where you can buy different types of tea like chocolate tea,Cardomon Tea,Green Tea,Black Tea, Orange Pekoe and CTC. Oils and essentials are also available.
After the factory stop we arrived to the tourist crowd of Dodabetta peak. Althought the views of Conoor, Mysore border,Ooty and the Green Valley are vey nice, the crowd of people makes you want to run away! Tip, if you do plan to visit, be there early. It opens at 8am.
The road back was by then jammed up with cars both parked and moving! It was only at 11 am that we finally managed to reach out hotel. So boating plans were cancelled. We had to make a move if we were to reach Bangalore before Dusk.
Lunch, hotel check-out, petrol refuel and air pressure check, and cash withdrawal later, we bid adieu to the old hill station of Ooty nestled in the laps of the Blue Hills, Green Flora and misty white fog! It was 13 30 hrs.
The drive down the Kalatti ghats was obviously much faster,but only at the region limits did we realize that the route back to Mudumulai was not the same as the one we had come on. So did the unexpected detour cost us? To find out, you will have to read Part 3, the return !
The scenic country side and the winding roads make one stand still while time passes by.
The Tea Gardens make you want to run through them
The highway goes via Pykara Boat House. We did not have the chance to stop there, maybe next time. The route converges with the origional route directly at Mudumulai. So if you were planning to stop for lunch at all the resorts you saw while heading towards Ooty, they no longer fall in your path.
