Yesterday, we took a turn eastward from the coast of Kerala, when we travelled from Palakkad to Coimbatore. Today, we aimed our car northward and started climbing. From the warm grains of sand between our toes, we started feeling the pine needles in our fingers. From the roar of the breaking crests, we started hearing the psithurism of the mountain breeze. From the aroma of drying fish, we started smelling the fragrance of pine and eucalyptus. From wide horizons splashed with orange, we started seeing skylines broken by slanted foliage whose tops were lost in thoughtful mists. Nature's kaleidoscope moved by a subtle degree and life changed.
Our goal was Ooty, but since weekend rates in Ooty were very high, we chose a small resort at Gudalur, around 25 km ahead of Ooty. Also, everyone goes to Ooty via Coonoor, so we went to Ooty via Kotagiri. Was that a better choice? Let's find out.
Mettupalayam - the foot of the climb (11.00 am)
This town, which was 60 kms from our hotel, has two claims to fame. One was that it is the starting point of the Ooty Toy Train that plies to Ooty (pic from the net below). The other was that the possible routes to Ooty bifurcate from here (my sketch below). If Robert Frost was standing at M, I imagine he also would have chosen to go via the Kotagiri route. It was longer by 16 kms, but less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.
Hot chocolate at The Hobbit, Kotagiri (1.00 pm)
I love mountains. And driving on mountains is something that wakes up every cell in my body. As temperature drops and the wind starts cooling, my smile starts widening.
Right after M, as we turned towards Kotagiri, we had to register ourselves at some e-portal, as we were entering the Nilgiri hills, which is now declared a plastic-free zone (Reality was different, but the effort is to be lauded). Traffic dropped significantly as the climb started, since the route via Coonoor takes the heavier load. The road quality in the Nilgiris is just superb. Traffic discipline is also decent, almost angelic after my last stint on Kerala roads with their adrenaline-hopped drivers. But I would still rate drivers in North Bengal hills as even more disciplined.
There was a view point of the Catherine Waterfalls shown on the map, 5 kms from the main road at Kotagiri, so we went chasing it, like a collie who has been told "Fetch!". The last past was fenced off, however, so we could not get the view, but the approach road was a driver's dream - narrow, steep, with invisible turns, not knowing whether reversing up a slope would be required. I mean, if there's no challenge, driving would be like Tyson playing tag, right?
However, we stumbled upong a gem of a place called The Hobbit, which was a well decorated garden restaurant with a view of the tea gardens. We had some lovely hot chocolate and tea cake, feeling quite the Mad Hatter and Alice (I am mixing fairy tales here, I suspect).
Lunch at Mayur Chocolate Factory, Ooty Lake (2.00 pm)
We climbed further from 6400 ft to 7300 ft as we reached Ooty. The drive continued its beauty quotient, and a fine rain started to fall, dragging down the clouds onto the roads even further.
As we entered Ooty, traffic built up as expected, being Saturday, and we crawled towards Ooty Lake. We had decided not to do too many touristy spots today, since we wanted to reach Gudalur by 5.30 pm. We parked at the lake, peeked in, then made a beeline for a cafe across the road (Mayur Chocolate Factory) with a good view of the lake. Surprisingly, they made a very decent pizza and cheese maggi, though the former came faster than the latter, slaughtering their reputations.
Velu's Resort at Gudalur (5.30 pm)
Gudalur is only at 3500 ft, so the drive to Gudalur was a steady downhill roll, like the Indian batting order after losing 4 wickets for 44 runs.
Around 10 kms before Gudalur, we passed through a beautiful eucalyptus forest, with their light orange trunks glowing as if lit by the setting sun. The air was heady with the well-known fragrance. We spent some time just wandering around, soaking in the atmosphere.
Our place of stay in Gudalur was called Velu's Resort. There was no clear answer to the provenance of "Velu," but we were very happy with the place. A bit of a climb to our rooms, but the view from our balcony was fantastic. We ordered in some dinner (egg bhurji, mix vegetables and roti) from an adjoining restaurant, which was strange in taste in many dimensions, yet working out overall, like heavy metal.
Tomorrow we will continue to stay here and explore the surroundings.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray