It had been four days stay in Sulthan Bathery of Wayanad. Visits to dams, lakes and caves in the pristine beauty of typical Kerala were enchanting. My father who is 84 years old managed well the small hill treks and the physical strain very well. But it is time to leave for the next leg of the journey. Our travel to Ooty the Queen of Hills in Tamil Nadu. The route planned was the Bathery - Gudalur- Pykara- Ooty.
The road stretches inside the Kerala state are good, the road inside Tamil Nadu becomes smaller and some stretches are really bad. Especially inside the Gudlaur town and in the stretches immediately after Gudalur and then again near Pykara. If you are driving a small car just be careful otherwise you may scrap the car bottom badly.
One crosses the Fog Hill for nearly four or five Kilometers there was thick fog and I had to drive in poor visibility though it was around ten o'clock in the morning. Enjoyable but be careful, switch on the fog lamps and drive slowly, because this is not an empty stretch but you encounter fast moving KSRTC buses and other private cars going to or from Mysore & Gudalur.
The road stretches inside the Kerala state are good, the road inside Tamil Nadu becomes smaller and some stretches are really bad. Especially inside the Gudlaur town and in the stretches immediately after Gudalur and then again near Pykara. If you are driving a small car just be careful otherwise you may scrap the car bottom badly.
One crosses the Fog Hill for nearly four or five Kilometers there was thick fog and I had to drive in poor visibility though it was around ten o'clock in the morning. Enjoyable but be careful, switch on the fog lamps and drive slowly, because this is not an empty stretch but you encounter fast moving KSRTC buses and other private cars going to or from Mysore & Gudalur.
The entire stretch from Bathery to Ooty is through forests and so really beautiful. On the way our first stop before Ooty was Pykara. Pykara has a beautiful lake, boating, a dam and a hydro electric plant. The boating area is behind the dam and they charge a small fee for the vehicle. Boat ride in Pykara is good. I did boat ride in earlier visit with family and not this time.
After spending nearly half hour and a cup of tea we moved to our next location, the shooting spot at Kodumund.A grass covered spot. Relax and enjoy the scenery.
It was 12.30 and so we drove to our Hotel, The Lake view resort. The one overlooking the lake and with spacious cottages. It was the usual routine of Check-in, Lunch and rest.
It was 12.30 and so we drove to our Hotel, The Lake view resort. The one overlooking the lake and with spacious cottages. It was the usual routine of Check-in, Lunch and rest.
In the evening we went for a walk to the lake. It is within a kilometer from the Lake view resort. We sat in the boat house watching the people pedaling away or in the row boats. We came out and walked the north periphery of the lake. There is a pedestrian walkway for most of the part. It is by the side of the road and there is traffic. The plan is to walk the south side next day.
We were back at the hotel and had rottis and chicken gravy. The Hotel in-house restaurant was offering idlis & dosas only in the morning.
We were back at the hotel and had rottis and chicken gravy. The Hotel in-house restaurant was offering idlis & dosas only in the morning.
Next day after the breakfast the first place we went was the obvious one, The Botanical Garden. Beautiful, well maintained and has a long tradition of flower show. When we went there was a mini flower show which was going on. We were lucky. My father literally was stunned at the beauty of the garden. It was an hour long walk around the garden. With my father unwilling to move out of the garden I had to almost drag him out of the garden like a kid since we had to see other places.
Next was the Doddabetta peak. The final stretch of the climb which branches off from the Kothagiri road is very bad. Once you reach the top then it is very chill with the mist all around. Occasionally the sky clears and you can have the view of Ooty and Coonoor. There is a telescope tower with two telescopes. There are couple of shops around this area selling tea and some eatables.
On the way down we entered the Tea factory and museum and you can walk around inside a running tea factory and understand the whole process of tea manufacture. Worth visiting especially for the tea enthusiasts. There is a small chocolate factory attached to the tea factory and you get good & tasty varieties of homemade chocolates.
Then it was back to Hotel for lunch, rest and the evening walk. As planned we took the south side lake road. It was almost without any traffic with one having the lake and other side covered with forest most of the places.
Next was the Doddabetta peak. The final stretch of the climb which branches off from the Kothagiri road is very bad. Once you reach the top then it is very chill with the mist all around. Occasionally the sky clears and you can have the view of Ooty and Coonoor. There is a telescope tower with two telescopes. There are couple of shops around this area selling tea and some eatables.
On the way down we entered the Tea factory and museum and you can walk around inside a running tea factory and understand the whole process of tea manufacture. Worth visiting especially for the tea enthusiasts. There is a small chocolate factory attached to the tea factory and you get good & tasty varieties of homemade chocolates.
Then it was back to Hotel for lunch, rest and the evening walk. As planned we took the south side lake road. It was almost without any traffic with one having the lake and other side covered with forest most of the places.
I spent the evening trying to book the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) ticket from Ooty station to Conoor. I spent more than two hours because the network signal was continuously going on and off in my Reliance network and when it was on, it was ridiculously slow. Finally I managed to book and though it was wait listed immediately it got confirmed. We were ready for the train journey next day.
We left the car in the hotel and took an auto to the Railway station. There was a long Q in the counter since we had made the reservation we were waiting and I was constantly checking my Android app for the PNR updation. Finally 45 mts before the departure the coach and seat number was confirmed. We were let in the platform half an hour before the departure. The train journey was good and we had good valley views. We had the window seats. For my father it was first Mountain Railway journey. I had taken the Darjeeling train journey earlier. NMR has a diesel loco unlike the Darjeeling train which has a steam loco.
It took more than an hour to cover the 20 km distance.
Once in Coonor station we took an auto to the SIMs park. Sims park is filled mostly with trees with little garden in the end. But again it is worth visiting. We did not visit other tourist spots. It was back to hotel by bus\auto, lunch, rest and preparing for the next leg of the tour.
We left the car in the hotel and took an auto to the Railway station. There was a long Q in the counter since we had made the reservation we were waiting and I was constantly checking my Android app for the PNR updation. Finally 45 mts before the departure the coach and seat number was confirmed. We were let in the platform half an hour before the departure. The train journey was good and we had good valley views. We had the window seats. For my father it was first Mountain Railway journey. I had taken the Darjeeling train journey earlier. NMR has a diesel loco unlike the Darjeeling train which has a steam loco.
It took more than an hour to cover the 20 km distance.
Once in Coonor station we took an auto to the SIMs park. Sims park is filled mostly with trees with little garden in the end. But again it is worth visiting. We did not visit other tourist spots. It was back to hotel by bus\auto, lunch, rest and preparing for the next leg of the tour.