Me doing a Bollywood jig at tea estates, Ooty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nToy Train:<\/strong> While returning to Coimbatore, I woke up really early to attempt one more time to board the legendary Toy Train. I was welcomed by a long serpentine queue<\/strong>, all vying for that 1 elusive ticket. (The ticket was at a throw away price). Heart-broken, I still stood in the line. After waiting for a good 1 and half hour, the doors were closed on my face. So there were 3 kind of people there:<\/p>\n1 – Grinners:<\/strong> Who got the tickets plus a seat!<\/p>\n2 – ‘My world is shattered’ types:<\/strong> Who didn\u2019t get the tickets after waiting for eons.<\/p>\n3 \u2013 Soul Searching types:<\/strong> who got the tickets but had to take the arduous task of standing in the aisle through the journey. All they could view were the humans inside the train.<\/p>\nI thanked my stars that at least I didn’t belong to category 3 and boarded a shabby-shaky bus to Conoor. (And got the \u2018soul window\u2019 seat here! )<\/p>\nChair fit for a mother-in-law at Botanical Gardens, Ooty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIdli Thieves at Ooty Railway Station:<\/strong> There is a little canteen in the station premises, serving good quality and delicious cheap food.<\/strong> The relatives of people waiting in line for toy train tickets inundated the canteen for their idlis and dosas. The demand exceeded the supply and the canteen staff was overwhelmed to cope. The impatient crowd was making it worse.<\/strong> I stood there with a coupon to get my Idli. And then much to my amusement, I saw some youngsters grabbing the idlis from the counter in their plate and whizzing off without paying. I chuckled on witnessing such open robbery.<\/strong> Funnily, no one was doing anything about the chaotic situation. The shop-owner didn\u2019t even bother to stop the idli thieves. Fed up of waiting, even I was tempted to steal the idlis<\/strong>, but self-control, values given by my parents and patience salvaged me! I got my idlis ‘LEGALLY’ after a wait of 15 minutes. (I could have got it in 30 seconds had I looted, never mind!)<\/p>\nWe walked on these paths in Ooty for hours.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWalk aimlessly when in Ooty:<\/strong> Don’t forget to stroll on the countryside. Isn\u2019t walking the best way to explore a place. I did a lot of that and loved the experience. In one such walk , we entered a carrot farm<\/strong> and ate fresh carrots from the field .<\/p>\nLook closely. Those are artificial flowers at Thread Garden, Ooty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSoul Window Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nApart from South Indian delicacies, also try the locally produced chocolates, teas<\/strong> and fudges<\/strong>.<\/li>\nAvoid North Indian food.<\/li>\n Try if you must the continental food<\/strong> in the trendy cafes. I had amazing pasta and wood fired pizza at one of those.<\/li>\nHead to Coonoor<\/strong>, just 17 kilometres away. Quieter and less crowded, it is great for those who are looking for offbeat experience. I personally enjoy both touristy and offbeat<\/strong> destinations so I visited both Ooty and Coonoor. Kotagiri <\/strong>(28 kms) is another offbeat excursion.<\/li>\nFill your face with local fruits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\nMe at Shooting Point, Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNearby places I wanted to see but could not:<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n You can include these in your itinerary-<\/em><\/p>\nWithin Ooty-<\/strong> Toy train ride,6th<\/sup> mile and 9th<\/sup> mile (popular for film shoots), visiting a tea factory, Thread Garden and Wax Museum.<\/p>\nExcusrions:<\/strong> Mudumalai Forest sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Coonoor, Kotagiri.<\/p>\nThe lake behind Pine Forest, Ooty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHow to reach Ooty:<\/strong> Coimbatore is the connecting town. One can take a flight\/train\/bus to Coimbatore. From Coimbatore you can board Toy Train (Please book in advance), bus or taxi. The Toy Train also halts at Coonoor.<\/p>\nFor internal travels it is advised that you either book a taxi or buy a seat in a group tour van. Local buses also ply within city.<\/p>\nMe at Hotel Sapphire Garden View, Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBest time to visit Ooty:<\/strong> It makes for an ideal year round destination. However best time to visit Ooty is April, May, June, September, October, November.<\/strong> July to September is rainy season in Ooty. Inconvenient but beautiful nonetheless!<\/p>\nMe making friends in Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhere to stay in Ooty:<\/strong><\/p>\nOption 1:<\/strong> 3 of us stayed in a large room at Hotel Sapphire Garden View<\/strong>. The sit out area by the window was our favourite place. It was great for enjoying conversations over drinks. The rooms are not luxurious but comfortable. Replicas of paintings by famous painter Raja Ravi Verma dotted the corridor. It is walking distance from Ooty railway station and Central Bus stand. It was reasonably priced<\/strong>.<\/p>\nPhone: 0423 – 2443349 , 2443350<\/p>\n
Email: info@sapphiregardenview.com<\/p>\nMe and my friends from Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOption 2: <\/strong>Please stay in the dreamy romantic cottages near Valley View point. I wish I could stay there, but I discovered this gem on my last day. I was intrigued so I asked the staff to show me the rooms. It was Rs. 1200 (For 2 people), Rs. 2000 (Upto 6 can accommodate , room was huge) at that time. The facilities were not much: just a basic bed , wardrobe and toilet but the rooms were cozy<\/strong> , warm and romantic. Imagine sitting by the window<\/strong> overlooking the valley with a cuppa and your loved one in your arms. Ideal Honeymoon getaway!<\/strong> And I am sure , that if I ever return to Ooty, I will stay here !<\/p>\nMe at the lake behind the Pine forest, Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSpread the love, share this blog<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nGot any question\/comments, ask in the comment section below so that it can benefit other readers.<\/strong><\/p>\nEmail me for collaboration: abhinav21@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
Be a part of my journey on social media. The travel content I create there is different from this blog. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nMe at the Golf Course, Ooty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n