Queen of hill stations – Ooty aka Udhagamandalam, one of the best attractions in Nilgiris-the Blue Mountains. Untarnished beauty of nature, the only hill station in southern part of India having toy train as one of the mode to reach. This queen was discovered by British during early 1800s, also changed the name Ooty. They were, however, not the first inhabitants of this land as tribes called Toda, Irula, Bagada, Kurumba had been living there long before even the British came. But the credit for modernizing Udhagamandalam and making it accessible goes to the British who constructed the first railway line.
A train journey from Mettupalay to Ooty by toy would just be fun. Especially if one manages to get 1st class ticket, to get a clear back view. From Bangalore one can reach by road via Maddur, Mysore, Gundulpet. The road condition is good but deteriorates during monsoon.
Well, I am not going to describe Ooty now. I have visited Ooty a number of times & going to share the places ‘not to be missed’ completely depending on my experiences.
The entire visit could be divided into Pykara [they call it filmy chakkar], Wild day, Ooty-Coonor visit.
Filmy chakkar: covers Golf link, Pine forest, Pykara water falls, Paye mund & Rose garden. Several Indian movies have been shot around, so does indicate the name.
Golf link-next to gymkhana club [memorize ‘dhiktana’ song from HAHK] one of the best course in the country.
Pine Forest: Remember first scene of Roja, where the terrorist was captured by military team, the virtual Kashmir was created here [did this virtual concept inspire Faisal to create virtual gift shop on MS]. Spread across acres of land.’Akele hai toh gam hai’ from QSQT - song was shot in of the forests. One needs to cross this area while going from Bangalore to Ooty.
Pykara water falls: Small one, but fun to visit especially when it is drizzling. Need to walk about 2-3 km from the main road to reach the falls.
Paye mund, also known as 9th miles. Toda village is visible form here. Raja Hindustani, Bombay are few to name, which were shot here.
Pykara lake is must to visit for boating [have uploaded snap in my album under title ‘deep’]. Everytime I visited Ooty, had opted for boating here. This lake is much big n clean than Ooty lake.
Rose Garden-well better to call it just a garden. I have visited the place around year n hardly had I got to see any roses there. Ask someone n get to hear this is not the season.
Wild day: Love this one most, can spoil one’s mood if not planned properly. Most of the tour operators don’t arrange the forest [Mudumalai] visit tickets in advance & during peak season or other holidays tourists end up waiting for hours. 2.5-3 hrs journey from Ooty [also comes on the way from Bangalore], with scenic beauty n zigzag roads. There is a separate road for private vehicles-which is less crowded, clean n shorter too. If one is lucky enough, will get to spot various wild lives.
Ooty-Coonoor visit: Covers Doddabetta peak, Sim’s park, Dolphin Nose.
Highest peak of Nilgiris, Doddabetta – wonderful attraction, offering a beautiful view of the Nilgiri ranges.
Coonoor- full of lush tea gardens. Looks like green carpet spread over hills. Best way to enjoy Coonoor is to take go by toy train [around 1 hour journey] & then hire a private vehicle to freak around.
Remember ‘Dil diwana. bin sajna’ from MPK, yes I am talking about the Ooty Lake, a charming artificial lake [become little dirty of-late]. They have a small railway track round the lake. Its cool to ride this train n make lot-a halla-gulla with kids [most passengers are kids here]
Must not miss: shopping at Ooty.
Silver & ethnic items: the big shop at main market place, things are over priced though. But they do have a good collection. Kashmir house at Charring cross.
Eating outlet: Hot bread & Virtue [local people pronounce it as ‘Veertue’] are must for bakery products
Hyderabad Biriyani for yumm biriyani & kababs. Side walk [part of hotel Nahar], an ideal place for an idle afternoon or place to visit with friends any time. They do serve assorted salads, fresh baked pizza n fresh juice. Savarma at a restaurant [forgot the name of the place], just opposite hotel Nahar. Café coffee day, near botanical garden.
Book stalls: Higgin Botham’s outlet is there at the market place, also number of places available-offering 23-30% discounts.
Lovely plants: both floral & ornamental plants are available at various places, but I do usually pick up from a place behind Sagar Tea.
Tea & various oils: All places are good. Various type-a tea leaves like lemon tea [I prefer this one], masala chai, classic leaf etc. Olive oil, eucalyptus oil, various oil for pain relief are magical.
Last but not the least: home made chocolate. Fruit n nut, rum n raisin, cashew feast are must to try. I completely go gaga over chocolate there.
Best to take 3-4 days break from city life. Ideal time to visit [purely as per my experience] April-Jun & Oct-Dec. Feb is not ideal as it is hot during the day time.