#memorylane #mountainlove

I was still working in my office at 5 pm on a Friday evening, when I received a call from my younger sister telling our train tickets hadn't gotten confirmed yet. I had spontaneously booked two tickets to Ooty about 10 days back, planning a trip to Avalanche, just us 2 girls. Then by 6 pm, I received an SMS on my mobile telling our tickets had gotten confirmed and our train, the Nilgiri Express to Mettupalayam was scheduled to start from Chennai Central at 8.55 pm.

With less than 3 hours to go home, pack our stuffs and reach the station, I knew it was gonna be tight. I immediately left office and instructed my sister to start packing by the time I reach home, which takes a good 45 to 50 minutes. We then started to Central station at around 7.30 pm, took the metro rail route and reached Central station at around 8.30 pm. We hadn't also packed dinner and had to buy noodles and Dosa from a food outlet at the railway station. We boarded the train around 8.50 pm, so close to the departure time of 8.55, and there started our unexpected weekend journey to Ooty.

IN PIC - Us taking the metro enroute Central railway station.

Bike ride to Pykara

To say this day took even more unexpected turns would be a gross understatement. I had asked one of my newfound traveler friends about possible bike renting in Ooty and he had just sent me the details of the person managing rented bikes in there. This was around 5 am on the morning of 19th October 2019 and we were eagerly waiting for the train to reach our destination.

The train finally reached its destination around 6.30 am and Mettupalayam greeted us with all it's mist and cool weather, the temperature being anywhere around 20 to 23 degrees. The Nilgiri hills were visible from the railway station itself and mesmerised us with just one look at it. We then took share cabs available from Mettupalayam station along with few other girls. During the ride uphill, I booked a room at Paradise Perfect, just enough for the two of us. It took around 3 hours to reach the hotel and was told breakfast wasn't available, so we just opted for coffee. The temperature was just right, neither too sunny nor too chilly, maybe around 17 to 18°C. We rested for a while and then got ready to start the day's sightseeing. I had, by then, contacted the bike guy who asked us to meet at a place nearby, where we went by walk, which was a good 1.5 km from the hotel. We then started towards Pykara falls by a scooty around 12.30 pm and were feeling a little hungry by then, having had nothing since the previous night. This being our first ride by ourselves uphill, was enthralling and enchanting and energizing.

After a few kms,we stopped at a tea shop and had hot chai with mirchi bajjis to fill our tummies and the weather was becoming chillier as we went higher uphill. Our next stop at Wenlock Downs on the way to Pykara falls, a stop midway that we never even knew existed. We then got up there and clicked a few pics, all of which came out so well and the weather was only too perfect for it. The hills ahead had a tinge of sunshine on them seeping in through the clouds and the rest of the hills masked by the clouds' shadows, which was a treat to the eye. We rested for about an hour and then resumed our journey to Pykara falls.

The weather was becoming chillier and it even started to drizzle a little, making us worried if we would ever reach the falls without getting wet, as we didn't have any rainwear handy. Our luck played it's part again and the drizzling stopped after a little while. It was around 2.30 pm when we reached Pykara falls only to know it was closed for access and we had to stop with just viewing the water flowing downhill from behind the rails.

Though off limits, we had our best hours of the day, even month here and the sheer joy of just watching those waters run it's course peacefully made us feel at peace. The weather too wasn't sunny, given the time of the year and we couldn't have picked a better place to visit. We clicked a few pics here and made it to where we had parked the bike after having a cup of hot badam milk.

We had planned our next day to Avalanche but got info from a friend that the place was closed for a month due to heavy rains. So we had to suffice with just mainstream Ooty, but we should say we were definitely not disappointed. It was around 3.30 pm by the time we started downhill from Pykara and bought some fresh carrots and radishes that were being sold on the way. These were so brightly coloured that I immediately went back to the ones that are being sold in our "city", that is mostly dull and colourless compared to this fresh produce.

It was around 4.30 PM by the time we reached mainland Ooty and we were already famished by then since we had had only chai and milk since the previous night and finally zeroed in on an A2B restaurant for an evening snack. We ordered rava dosa and sambar vada for an evening snack and started towards boat house around 5 PM. By the time we reached there, it had again started drizzling and we thought of going back to the hotel room and call it a day.

Again out of sheer dumb luck, the rains vanished and we took a double size boat and pedalled for about 45 minutes till my knee was sore and could no longer do it. We were able to see some grownup deer on the other side of the lake and that was it for the day, and we were so tired from all the activity, travel and bike ride.

Our next stop was at a chocolate shop where we purchased few chocolates and some fine Ooty tea. We then made our way back to returning the vehicle and from there took an auto to our hotel room. It was around 7.45 PM by the time we came back to our room and it was a quiet and cozy one. The temperature was anywhere around 12 to 13°C and we were literally shivering from the cold water on our feet. We then ordered some mushroom fried rice and rotis for dinner and decided to call it a day.

I had started posting pictures in WhatsApp about the day and that's when one of my friends rang me saying he was at Ooty too. He had come there with a gang of 5 including himself and he asked me what my plans were for the next day and I said we had nothing in particular, except Doddabetta and Catherine falls. We then booked a cab for the next day's trip costing 300 per person from 10 am till 5 pm. We then slept sometime around 10 PM and I should say it was one of the best I'd ever had at a place outside home.

IN PIC -

1. View of the Nilgiri hills from Mettupalayam railway station.

2 and 4. Pykara falls

3. Wenlock downs

5. Pykara dam

More in store

We had hit off the second and final day of the trip with bread, jam and butter for breakfast and an even larger gang after checking out of our hotel room around 10 am. We first headed to Catherine falls as planned and the route towards there was bliss. Most of the road being misty, we bathed in the sheer beauty of those cloud and mist covered mountains and reached Catherina falls after about an hour and half. This place with it's tea garden and the steep view from the view point was heaven. With heavy, rain bearing clouds above our heads, all we could do was drink the beauty of nature at it's peak. We were also able to spot a bear family of 3 down the hill and the weather added to the already existing misty magic.

We then started off towards Kodanadu view point and enroute this place, we were able to view the massive tea garden properties of our late CM Mrs. JJ. Such a massive estate to maintain. We reached Kodanadu view point in about an hour and it was almost 2 PM by the time we reached here. We had again skipped lunch that day and spent a good one hour at this view point clicking pictures with the clouds behind us. All these pictures clicking made us so tired and hungry, that we went to hunt a chai shop that was stalled here. As luck would have it, there were steaming hot mirchi and raw banana bajjis that were being prepared right then. Every one of us had atleast 3 or 4 of these and then turned our attention to the honey cakes that were calling out to us to gorge kn them.

Finally after all of us ate to our hearts' content, we started towards Doddabetta peaks that was the last place in our itinerary. We reached Doddabetta around 4.30 pm and the first thing we did after getting out of the car was get some hot roasted and steamed lentils to munch on. We then made it to the view point after walking for about 15 minutes and it was quite a bit sunny here than the rest of the places. We spent another hour here and started back to mainland Ooty in the same car we had booked after purchasing some chocolates again on the way. Chocolate rush, you see!!

The last leg of our trip ended with us booking an Ola till Coimbatore railway station as we had booked our return trains from there.

By the time we started downhill, it was around 6 pm and the skies were getting dark and scary as if it would pour down. Half an hour onto the road and it had already started drizzling. Further one half hour and it had literally started raining cats and dogs and our Ola driver was barely able to see the road ahead even with the wipers on. I was riding shotgun and it was a bit scary to watch the car go through all those hairpin bends with so much rain pouring directly on us. Our train, Cheran Express, was slated to start from Coimbatore at 10.40 PM and we were already sceptical if we would make it on time to catch our train. With the rain getting harder and harder with every passing minute, we could only think of reaching downhill safely. We were then already planning to inform our offices if we would be taking an off the next day, being a Monday.

Around 9.00 PM, we were safe on the streets of Coimbatore and now started the real craziness. All the main roads were flooded with such the rainwater and we were told by the driver that such rains were happening there almost after 5 to 6 years. Ill luck finally, we thought. The driver could barely keep the car afloat and there was so much water waiting to enter the car if the level rose a little more. At last, we reached the station around 10 PM and profusely thanked the driver for having made it possible downhill and that too safely. We then had dinner at a nearby restaurant and all we were left with was 10 minutes to come back to the station from the hotel to get on our train.

We then rushed to our train with just 3 minutes left for the train to start and ill luck once again, our berths weren't confirmed and we got only 2 seats to ourselves (RAC) to spend the night sleeping. 2 minutes into the train and we were already feeling nonchalant thinking about the mundane and routine life waiting for us to hold us tightly in its arms. The night went without much sleep and we reached Chennai Central around 6.30 am we again took the metro back home, only to start back to our offices, the same day. That feeling you can recognise, yes, that's the one. That sinking feeling of monotony. Of stagnation. Of dullness. Of routine. Of work.

This was how the unplanned weekend trip came to le fin, but it was definitely worth it. This is one of the trips that will forever be close to me as it turned out more beautiful than we had expected it to be. What we had planned and what we had experienced were entirely different things, but one thing common about it was that Nature never failed to amaze us.

An adage here, let's make responsible travel a priority.

IN PIC -

1. Catherine falls

2. The gang

3. Clouds behind us at Kodanadu view point

4. Doddabetta view point

5. Mr. Pepper all snuggled up under the sunny sky

#MountainLove #memorylane