Ooty

I'm in a hill station called Ooty in the state of Tamil Nadu. Hill Stations were created during British rule as an escape from the oppressive summers. So Ooty started out as a resort town up on in a mountain in the Nilgiris. The area is famous for tea and spice plantations. The scenery around Ooty is spectacular. The ride up (by minibus) took us through winding, steep slopes with numerous hairpin bends and we could see the amazing peaks of the Nilgiris. The route went through Mudumulai National Park, a wildlife santuary so we saw some animals. I saw a herd of elephants, lots of beautiful spotted deer, peacocks, and pretty birds. The person sitting beside me on the bus was a computer software engineer and he told me a lot about the area. He also arranged accommodation for myself and two travel buddies I hooked up with - Graham and Suzanna (Aussie couple). The guy was wonderful. He called up someone he knew who let out holiday houses and arranged for us to stay at one of these places. And I love the place. It's better than anything I would have found on my own. It is spotless, spacious, and right beside a lake in a pine forest. But it is actually close to town - a half hour walk - interesting walk - past a deer park, pretty public gardens, villagers doing their everyday life, and then you're in town. At this holiday house an 'auntie' comes in to make brakfast and dinner. This morning she made idlis served with masal chai. They were amazing - steaming, soft - and the coconut sauce and lentil sauce that went with the idlis were full of flavor and delicious. It was quite an experience having this cook make this breakfast just for the three of us.

Ooty is much cooler than Bangalore and Mysore. In fact, I'm in winter clothes. It's great to stroll through this village. It's cleaner and easy to navigate the streets. Winter woollies and coats are on sale everywhere. This place is also famous for homemade chocolate which I've sampled and it was wonderful. There are a lot of modern homes built on the mountain slopes and there are quite a range of shops. There is a colorful bazaar selling clothes and produce and a string of jewelry stores. The main attraction to Ooty is that you can escape into the wilderness. trekking into the mountain is popular, but the trails aren't clearly defined so a guid is necessary.

I leave this place tomorrow for Coimbatore where I'll make my way to Cochin.