Trip to Ooty

I am not wasting my holidays in sleeping anymore :)...got 2 days off for christmas...so thought of going to some nice place....its winter...so we planned for some costal area...but last trip was to pondicherry...so we changed it to some hill station. The task of deciding about ooty was tough as we knew that the temprature will be low..and we bangaloreans..will find it difficult. Anyways..thats the adventure...to do something which is hard to do...finally we ( a group of 5 friends) started for ooty from bangalore at 10.00 p.m. We preferred night journey so that we can utilize the day time for ooty. we crossed mysore and Bandipur..which a national sanctuary...saw elephants..deer in the night..was wondering why were they awake in the midnight ;) .

The Journey was little tough...its a ghat section..so too many curves...morning at 5.30 a.m we saw the mist in the mountains...felt that we are in the clouds itself...clicked some snaps...finally at 7 we reached ooty...hunted for a hotel..cud not book it in advance as on the net all the hotels were booked...luckily we found a nice hotel.

After taking a rest for 2 hours..we started exploring ooty. It was a christmas morning so first place we went was a church :) then we hired a guide..as we did not know much about the spots...the guide showed as various places..like dolphin nose..catherine falls..coonoor etc...
we came back in the night and started explorning the market of ooty to see wats special...got disappointed as nothing much of ooty is famous..only Tea and choclates. had so many things to eat there...we were trying all the stuff watever was coming our way...ohh..it was painful later ;)

Then at 10.00 in the nite we thought of going back to hotel...ooty was totaly empty...evry few ppl on the street...no night life there...we wanted to freak but then it was too cold..tempratute must be somewhere around 5 degrees..though am not sure..but thats my guess...we were not able to walk due to the numbness in the feet...somehow we reached the hotel. we all had our dinner and other friend left for their rooms. i started talking to pilu (my cute classmate) on various thing... we were talking and talking... and it was 4.00 in the morning. finally we slept...and i got up at 6.00 crying & saying that its too cold i cant sleep here...pilu started laughing..she said babe 1 more hour to go...we were waiting for the sun to throw some heat...finally i was sitting next to window..in the hope of sun :) and it came...Next day we went to coonor and black thunder..and while coming back saw pykara falls and lake.
we reached bangalore at 6.00 on the morning

Trip was good overall. while coming back got the news of the tragedy of the tsunami waves in south india. We were safe...though we were in the same state..but seems like god made us cancelled our plan as initially we planned for costal areas.

We had plans for Alleppy kerala for new year but today we have to cancel the tickets after looking at the disaster. Lets see where we will go for new year...yet to decide.

About Ooty

Located in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 2240m, Ooty, (short for Ootacamund) renamed as Udhagamandalam, is the 'Queen of Hill Stations'. Nature has been generous with this region which is by far the most beautiful in the state. Apart from coffee and tea plantations, trees like conifers, eucalyptus, pine and wattle dot the hillside and its environs. The entire plateau is full of splendid green downs and lofty hills of extraordinary scenic beauty and is endowed with a salubrious climate similar to the English summer.

Places to See -

Botanical Gardens - established in 1848, this sprawling 50-acre garden includes a variety of orchids, ornamental and medicinal plants and trees as well as Italian and Japanese sections. There is also a fossilized tree trunk believed to be 20 million years old. At the eastern end of the garden is a Toda mund (hut/village) where Toda people display aspects of their traditional culture. The Annual Summer Festival held here during the month of May is an added attraction wherein flower shows and cultural programs are organised. Adventure spots like trekking also form part of the festival

St. Stephen's Church - located on the hill in Club Road, this church was built in 1829, consecrated in 1830 and is the oldest in the Nilgiris. Its huge wooden beams come from the palace of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatnam. The attached cemetery contains graves of many an Ooty pioneer including John Sulivan, the founder of Ooty.

Race Course : The Ooty races, held during April-may-June every year, attract thousand of tourists and race-goers.

View Points & Peaks - among the many view points around Ooty are Elk Hill, Green Valley View and Snowden Peak but the most prominent is the Dodabetta Peak, which is the highest point in the district at a height of 2623m. On a clear day one can see as far as the plains of Coimbatore and the Mysore plateau.

Around Ooty

Coonoor - is located about 19km from Ooty down the mountain railway line at an altitude of 1850m. It is a small town with an equable climate that has made it popular as a hill resort in its own right with tea estates dotting the slopes. The main attraction is the Sim's Park, a small well-maintained botanical garden that has several varieties of plants not to be found in other hill stations. There are exciting walks for hikers. The Dolphin's Nose view point, about 10km from the town exposes a vast panorama, which encompasses Catherine Falls. Lamb's Rock is another place for stunning views. Other picnic spots around are Lady Canning's Seat, Law's Falls, Ralliah Dam and Droog.

Black Thunder- Asia's No. 1 Water Theme Park - Black Thunder, is set at the foothills of the gigantic Nilgris and 50 kms from Ooty. It is a thrilling and adventures water theme park at Mettupalayam. The water theme park is spread over 65 acres of land with green hills as backdrop and full of coconut and arecanut trees is a pleasant atmosphere. This park has adventurous water games and land games

Pykara - Situated at a distance of 19 kms. from Ooty, the river has a dam and a power plant. The great charm of the place is its perfect serenity, sparkling atmosphere and enchanting surroundings. The falls, about 6km from the bridge on the main road, are best in July. There is a forest Rest House and a boat House with Restaurant is at Pykara. Boats are available for hire in Pykara dam.

Trip was good overall. While coming back got the news of the tragedy of the tsunami waves in south india. We were safe...though we were in the same state..but seems like god made us cancelled our plan as initially we planned for costal areas. We had plans for Alleppy kerala for new year but today we have to cancel the tickets after looking at the disaster. Lets see where we will go for new year...yet to decide.