Ooty --- A refresher . Review on Ooty

Ooty the queen of Hill Stations.

The family vacation was around the corner and there were arguments galore, the seaside was my choice, Hill station ... Oooty quoth my wife…and guess where went? :)

We drove down from Mysore through thick forests of Bandipur and Mudumalai where the only wild beings other than my two children were the hordes of tourists in buses, cars, mobikes, vans, daredevil jeeps etc.

The wise real denizens of the forests kept away from the road! But more about this in some other review.

The first view of the hills was… breathtaking and the second and the third views also were breathtaking. The lush vegetation dotted with flowers of various hues and shapes, terraced plots of cabbages and carrots… clusters of houses faraway. The only eyesores were the numerous vehicles many of them old and groaning up the hills spewing smoke.

We stopped at the check post and the aroma of the Niligiris (Eucalyptus) enveloped me and it was in a pleasant mood we drove through the shade of tall trees and entered Ooty, the Queen of the Hill stations, loll she was a bedraggled sight after the constant rains.

There were bright lights and people to the right of me, to the left of me, to my front and to my back… get the picture!

It was evening and we checked in at our Guest house and found it pleasant and warm after the chill outside.

We were advised about this point and that point and this park and that park and boat rides and children’s park and what not.

This, I told the better half, is a holiday and not a school tour to cram as many views as one can in the shortest possible time. Many people feel they have not got their money’s worth if they do not rush and see all the so called attractions.

We got up late, had a leisurely breakfast, a really hot bath and guess what all our ailments disappeared! We drove to Coonur at a leisurely pace and landed up at a tea garden where we drank heavenly tea and also bought packets of tea at exorbitant rates which the chap promised was the same stuff which we had tasted. Alas… we got taken in the stuff in the packs is nowhere near as good when we tried it at home. Lesson No one never buy the stuff at these tea gardens.

We rolled on to Lambs point and ho hum another hill station view… I was jaded from all the view one saw while driving.

And then we reached Dolphin’s nose …. I jolted out of my boredom. Rolling hills, swirling clouds of mist, a waterfall cascading, green carpets and …. A vision to lift up the spirits. This I believe is the best view I have ever seen in all my travels.

We went to the other view points like Dodabeta etc. but all paled in comparison to Dolphin’s nose. The drive back to Coonur was equally pleasant through the swirling mist. The only spoiler was the local taxis speeding round the corners blaring their horns.

Another high point was Sim`s park and elegant well maintained park where we strolled about looking at the magnificent old trees many over a hundred years old.

There is small restaurant at Coonur near the bus stand, Lakshmi restaurant, which serves good vadas, idlis & dosas and the service is quick and pleasant.

Next day at Ooty was not very pleasant. The rose garden had no roses as it was off-season. The lake and boathouse was crowded and dirty. The botanical gardens were good but touts bother you here. The thread garden is good for a visit but the rates are a bit steep and you feel hot inside. The children’s park is nothing great just a park with the usual rides you see in most fairs.

The roads were not very good but this was due to the incessant rains which also left Ooty a bit bedraggled. The train was not operating due to landslides. The shops try to sell you stuff you do not need at exorbitant rates.

But Ooty is safe and plastic free. The authorities have put up boards every where and seem to have reduced the menace of plastic bags to a great extent.

Another excellent thing is the large number of pay and use toilets. At most places, including the view points you can find the pay and use toilets. These to a large extent have helped to keep the place clean. But you can still see some cretins refuse the facility and use the open air. Unfortunately there are no guards who can stop these or the smokers from spoiling others enjoyment.

We enjoyed the bracing weather and the children loved the walks and rambles and the homemade chocolates that Ooty is famous for. Take Ooty slowly instead of rushing here and there and it really is a pleasant refreshing holiday spot.

We came back refreshed and the wife had a smug look when I told her it was an enjoyable holiday.