In the old days those who could afford it escaped summer heat to hill stations. One such hill station in South India is Ooty. It's located in the Nilgiris, or the "Blue Mountains", in Tamil Nadu. We spent a long weekend there over Easter in temperatures between 15 and 25 celcius. Nice. 

Ooty is a manageable drive away from Bangalore and after Mysore the scenery was interesting. The roads were not very good, especially on Karnataka side, but rural life was again exotic enough to city dweller's eyes. Before the climb up to the mountains the road winds through Bandipur National Park, where deer were grazing on the roadside in abundance. It's also a tiger reserve, and though we didn't really expect to see any of those magnificent beasts anywhere, our heads kept turning in anticipation. But we had to be content with wild deer and monkeys. The only elephant we saw was labouring as a forrestry machine, but kids appreciated it all the same.

Frequent "cross-tarffic" caused enjoyable pauses along the way.

Forest was in bloom in places. And these are indeed flowers, not withering autumn leaves.

These guys were so numerous that even I could not miss them all with my camera.

A good place to stay in Ooty is Taj Savoy, oldest part built in 1829, if I recall correctly. Based on very limited experience of course. Some of the more heritage-oriented rooms were heated only by open fire place, which gave the night time some extra atmosphere.

Savoy at dinner time from behind the front lawn.

Now the negative part. Ooty was packed. Half the Bangalore was there and for instance the much talked about peak of Doddabetta (highest peak of the sierra) was so full of people, cars, stalls, noice and trash that it was excruciating. There were even paddle boats (!) lined up where you could take your picture in. Why on earth was that? The surrounding scenery seemed to be the only thing not properly exploited, hardly visible behind the massing families. Even the benches were facing toward the centre, not the view. We got away soon as possible.

"Om" to you too...

Coming back we decided to stop along the way and take a walk off the tourist brochures We hiked up a slope, through eucalyptys forest, along the mud fields and ended up in village on a slanting hillside. People were friendly, as always, seemed at peace with the simple life they were leading. It was a good detour. 

The botanical gardens were worth a visit too, as well as the colorful back alleys of the Ooty proper.

Another day we visited Coonoor, not too far from Ooty, a pleasent car or train ride away. As a town it is not that different from Ooty, but the tea plantations around it are something else.
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Roadside view near Coonoor.

Tea fields east of Coonoor. No wonder the leaves are picked on foot.

Dolphin's Nose offered magnificent views of the valleys and peaks around, as well as the 250 ft water falls. Come early and you can evade the crowds that are probably already on their way.

Catherine Water Falls. Someone told me they are named after a woman who committed suicide there.

Another view from Dolphin's Nose. Monkeys obviously have a good head for heights.

Visited a tea factory too, and got a nice unhurried tour with a knowledgeable guide, just for us. The place was Swamy&Swamy at High Land Estates.

Ladies feeding the selected leaves to cutting machine one floor below.

All in all it was a nice trip. Perhaps next time we'd rather get a cottage away from the major towns, where hiking is a bit more accessible. Anyway the country side is breath taking and the climate is superb during the season.

Coming back to the heat in Bangalore felt a bit oppressive. It's back to life under AC.