Have you ever experienced golden sun rays on your face while the cold breeze tickled your body over a huge water source amidst tall pine trees surrounded by birds chirping and flying sky-high? Isn't it all sounding dreamy and lovable at the same time? Well, if you are a nature lover and if you ever end up in Ooty, never come back without having a boating experience at this lake!
The lake is pretty famous in India as it looks romantic, also the place spills all the typical honeymoon love phase vibes because wherever you look, you find a cosy couple embracing the aura of a hill station. I went with my pals but the feeling remained the same as we all shared friendly love. Do you know, initially I denied not stepping in those boats? But somehow my curious personality pushed me to experience. Strictly speaking, I was scared of ruining my outfit. But as it was the last spot that was left for the day, I signed up for it.
On the day of Ooty, after roaming the tea museum and tea factory, Doddabetta peak, and tea estate of Ooty, we all went boating at this Lovedale lake after picking up from our stay at Gostops as he took rest till we explored all those before mentioned places. And then we started for the lake in the evening just before the closing time but somehow we made it on time.
Soon after we went, I felt as if I was at a festival because there were too many tourists at that time. Some came for boating, some for shopping, and some for experiencing the beautiful sunset over the lake. Indeed, even I felt like going boating just because of the golden hour. And then one of my pals went to the ticket counter to buy boating tickets. We were six people. So we took two boats; one for a couple and the other for the remaining four of us including me. The prices varied according to the size of the boat, the number of people and also the type of the boat too.
The pricing levels are well managed as they have rowing boats, pedaling boats and even motor boats. We opted for cycling boats. There was a twist in purchasing the tickets as we had to deposit some money for the safety of the boats and jackets, they provide. Altogether it cost around 1500 total excluding the deposit amount.
We four got a red boat and coincidentally the jackets of various sizes were also red. But some of them were already ruined. So, you must opt for a good jacket before anything else as it involves safety and also prevents boating management's tantrums later. I took my sweet own time to choose my jacket, even though I didn't want to wear it with my white hoodie. It was mandatory anyways. We courted our boat and started exploring almost the whole of Ooty lake for an hour. Yes, the pricing includes the time too. So, make sure you set a reminder before getting into the boat. The more you row, the more you need to pay.
And then the real exploration started when we were a bit away from the boarding point where our boat was indeed in the middle of the lake. Gladly, I fell in love with the inexplicable scenic views of Ooty lake and especially the tall trees, the hills around and those white cranes that were everywhere. We took turns in terms of pedaling to make the boat float and go in respective directions towards all the nooks and corners of the lake. I was exhausted before getting into the boat and suddenly nature boosted my energy and I almost pedaled for a long time. Being with my pals, laughing over our silly conversations, witnessing every nature aspect around us amidst those chilling temperatures and warm sunset, the landscape of the look felt heavenly to our eyes except for one thing.
The water in the lake looked dirty green and one can easily find filth everywhere. I have seen all kinds of dirt, mostly plastic. One can't blame the boating management or tourist department wholly because the lake turned that way because of the visitors. I have seen people eating, drinking and throwing the wrappers or plastic bottles in the lake as if it's a huge dustbin waiting to catch their leftovers. I felt bad and disgusted but in India, people can't question stupidity. And travellers must understand the value of nature while exploring such water resources because it backfires one day for sure. That was one personal glitch for me witnessing how people were the actual reasons behind the filth.
Thankfully, the scenery around me diverted me from that dirt and people's dirty mindsets. Even though it was a bit difficult to click, somehow, we all managed to capture some exotic scenic views including ourselves too. That's the best part of taking a four-seater boat because everyone can take turns to click each other to cherish memories of the location. Even though we were very close to the closing timings, indeed it was the best time as we could witness the golden hour of a winter sunset in a hill station. The time was perfect indeed especially when the migrating birds were returning to their nests, the sun was setting slowly, mountains getting darker, trees casting shadows over the lake and most importantly the temperatures are decreasing gradually as it was already late evening.
Finally, it was time for us to get back to the boarding boat to get out of the lake and submit our boats and jackets. It was fun altogether and we all adults became kids at the lake wholeheartedly. After dropping off our jackets, my pal went back to the counter to submit the tickets and took the deposit money back. Gladly, there was no glitch in the payment part though.
The lake was peaceful but outside it was a different vibe with people roaming around. One can find almost all kinds of shops including clothing stores, accessories stores, chocolate stores, tea stores, eucalyptus oil stores, art stores, craft stores, nurseries, florists, small restaurants, eateries and almost everything. You name it, you get whatever you want at that place where many shops are hugely spread all over the exterior premises of the Ooty lake.
We all roamed for a while and then we felt exhausted to the core and hungry like crazy. That's when we thought of having nice food. So we called our driver who was with us since that morning. And after appreciating the whole location for a while, we all left.
That was one cool experience of boating in my lifetime. It's fun if you hang out with your friends, family or partners. So, if you ever visit this lake, try hitting the boating in the late evening during the golden hour because you get to feel the twilight vibe and also the best time for photography sessions too.
