In the lap of Nilgiris... The queen of hills.. Ooty...

With the scorching sun hitting as hard as possible , life in Chennai was no wonder looking for a breather. An obvious option for a salaried person is a hopeful stroll through the calendar looking for holidays in a  bunch. After having found one such bunch in the calendar, we started weighing all the options . Of all the options I thought of , Ooty , I must say never made it to the list. But it was my better half who threw her weight behind Ooty and the fact that it was a hill station was enough for me to assure a summer break. And hence the plans were drawn and the wait began.....

The journey began. A long and sultry travel through a crawling trail of vehicles pumping the mercury up, is how I would put the way to Ooty. Tired and exhausted, we reached Coimbatore. We boarded a public bus( an inevitable part of budget travel ) to the hills, only to slip into a quick slumber. The first gush of cold air through the creaky windows knocked us out of sleep, announcing the uphill climb.One hair pin after the other, we were ascending to the top of the world. All the pains we endured to reach there had borne fruits. Deck by deck , we were catapulted to a different world. A world of fresh fruits and vegetables , of Rumbuttans and apples, of fixed prices and jackets tucked over the shoulders. A nose colder and redder than rest of the body meant that we were there, in the lap of Nilgiris.

As we reached there by 2PM , we rushed in and out of the hotel as everything worth seeing closes by 6PM. Our urgency got us skinned by the auto driver's hefty price. Nevertheless we were where we were supposed to be, by the Lake side. Carved out in the midst of pine forests , its nothing short of clean mirror. But the moment we reached there, nature played the spoilsport. It started raining, plunging mercury even further. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the sun dipped down, mist took over an already chilling lake. The serene scenery of an icy cold lake in the midst of pine forests clubbed by mist and fading light cannot be brought out in words..

The next day started with a walk down the lake before the hill station has yawned to life. Little tea shanties selling locally made tea was the only business happening and the hills surroundings Ooty were covered with clouds reluctantly brushing its face. The day began with a trip to conoor via Wellington township of Madras regiment. In the pristine backdrop of nature, were a few brave men getting trained to do perhaps the worthiest of all jobs, to be an army man. The beautiful township had stories of many movies linked to it. An interesting drive through a road built by Britishers 100 years ago took us past many view points enough to make you fall in love with it. That's when reality struck, rains pushed Dodabeta out of limits, leaving us with Dolphin nose only which was nowhere short of our expectations.

 The next day started with so called filmy chakkar. Frankly, I had no idea why it was called so till the trip began. Every spot we visited, be it golf course or the pine forests was once a part of a movie. The trip began with a brief pull over at Kamaraj Sagar dam.  Although this not the first time I visited a dam but this was indeed the first time I found it so beautiful. The caravan moved ahead to 6th and ninth mile. Jaw dropping would be the best word to describe what the nature had in store for us. From the point we got down, a short trek up the hillock revealed perhaps the real beauty of the Nilgiris described best by pictures. A few more clicks and a cup of hot tea brought the day to an end. A day which proved why Ooty still rules the heart of everyperson who has fallen in love with mother nature.

A heavy heart full of desire to stay back was all we had we when started the descent down the hill. The same rickety government bus but exactly the opposite feeling. Ooty was falling back and Chennai was getting closer and so was the urge to come back to this wonderful place once again.
Few tips ::
1. The best time to visit Ooty is from March to June. Though I personally would suggest a trip in June as it's time when rains just begin and add essence to the hills.
2. Begin your day early in the morning so that you get to appreciate the best of the place.
3. For those loving the nature, avoid the wheels and try to be on foot and allow the serenity to soak into you
4. Plan a trip to Masanagudi also along with Ooty.
5. Places like Botanical garden and Rose garden are a must go when in Ooty