Doddaballapura Tourism & Travel Guide

After what seemed like an eternity, our two bikes reached Ooty. Some people stood by the side of the road next to a fire they started. We instantly stopped our bikes next to the fire and huddled up to heat our hands. Nearly half an hour later, everyone else began to arrive one by one. We flagged them down to ask them directions to the stay. I was freezing and I didn't even want dinner. I just wanted 10 warm blankets around me!Finally, 20 minutes later, we reached our stay. My friend's Fazer refused to start as he rightly predicted. He later told me that he had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with his bike for it to start and get him to the stay.I left my bikes on the bike and headed up to get into bed. I got my friend's massive blanket from Kolukkumalai and dragged a few more rugs to cover me. I stole another friend's sweater and jumped into bed. After nearly an hour, it was nearing midnight and we had reached on New Year's Eve.My friends bugged me to get out of bed and join them at the massive bonfire they'd started downstairs. We had a whole house to ourselves for this stay. I wrapped the blanket around me and went downstairs to the gate. A huge fire had been started and I didn't need the blanket. The night sky was lit up by several similar fires in neighbouring areas. Loud music and firecrackers bursting echoed through the air mixed with people laughing and singing along. We all sat and tried to eat some biryani around the fire but we were too sleepy and tired to do anything. Some of the riders sat with their drinks while I sat around talking to everyone and taking photos.

Soon, midnight struck and we cheered, wishing everyone a happy new year. It had been a fun way to end the year. As I walked away from the fire, I knew that I would freeze if I didn't get to bed. I ran upstairs, jumped into bed, and dozed off. Somewhere in the middle of the night, I woke up feeling cold and realized that someone had taken one of the three blankets off me. I woke my friend up and bugged him to get the blanket back.Sleepily, he walked in the freezing cold of the room and saw that five guys were huddling under my blanket from the cold. I instantly felt bad about it and let them keep it. I had two more blankets with me anyway. The worst part about this stay was that the walls were like the walls of a freezer: the cold was emanating from it.After a cold sleep, we all woke up the next morning to a cloudy and chilly day. It was still terribly cold but the sunlight made things a shade better. I badly wanted fries and a burger. I instantly headed out with a friend after packing my bags while the other got ready. By the time we were done eating, the rest joined us and we rode for hours through Bandipur forest. The challenge was to get past the Bandipur checkpost before 530PM or they close the route.We made it just in time and at this point, we had to take different routes. I had to head through Mysore road while the others were going to take an alternative route to get to their part of Bangalore.We all reached late at night. While I was exhausted and glad to be home, the winter ride had been an experience of a lifetime, something that I will repeat in the coming months.

The next day, our cab came to pick us up at 10 and we made way to see Ooty lake. To be honest, you can give this place a miss. The place has been made into a commercial area, and has been given a look and feel of a small amusement park. Families can be seen enjoying a boat ride in the lake, there is also a haunted house and outside near the parking you can see some guys offering horse rides. We snapped some photos and quickly made our way to the next sight.

This is among the few places I visited before I fell in love with travelling. Ooty is a 255km drive from Bengaluru. Bengaluru itself is a beautiful place and you don't need too much reasons to visit. What adds to the experience is this hill station. One can travel from their personal car or hire a car. Other than car, buses are also easily available.

18:30 - We reached Ooty and the drive along with the view was enthralling.I must say that it is quite commercialized.

13. Ooty (Nilgiris)Udhagamandalam (also Ootacamund) is abbreviated as Udhagai or Ooty. It is located 80 km north of Coimbatore and is the capital of the Nilgiris district.

As there were no 1-bedroom apartments available for the next day, we were allotted a couple of hotel units (it's essentially room + bathroom). We explored the area a bit in the morning before the amazing continental breakfast at Ascot. We reached the clubhouse after a bit of a climb and discovered a number of hidden gems there, including a 6-player Carrom board. The pencil sketches made by the previous guests were really interesting - it was almost homely.

The journey to Ooty was by far the most memorable road trip I have had yet. And the fact that we rented a vehicle (and not hired one with a driver) made the experience so much better. From cruising on the well maintained roads to trying to find an inexistent road and retracing our path by about 4-5km, we experienced it all. We discovered during this experience that the people in the small towns here feel really happy to help others out - never before had I seen anybody so enthusiastic about guiding us towards our destination, be it a lady carrying vegetables home or a pan-shop entrepreneur! Our ascent to Ooty finally began at about 5.45pm after we finally found a small restaurant where we stopped for tea. I dreaded the ghat section because I was really prone to carsickness as a teen - however this time was something different. We rolled down the windows and took in the freshest air possible, sang along with the songs on the phone, cracked jokes, enjoyed the beautiful scenery outside, observed the fluffy clouds, looked out for monkeys, and finally witnessed the sun take the rest of the day off. The most interesting part of this journey was seeing the buses travel up and down the slope - for a bus, the speed at which the drivers drove was just insane, and the way they navigated at the blind turns was nothing less than a work of art. By the time we reached the Club Mahindra Derby Green Resort, it was dark. We missed a couple of turns and ended up adding an additional half hour to the duration of our journey.I always look forward to staying at Club Mahindra - I love every bit of the experience, especially their hospitality (they go to extra lengths to ensure that our stay is comfortable) and the amazing food. On arrival we were greeted with hot towels, honey herbal tea, and sandalwood paste. The slightly-sweet hot tea complemented the chilly Ooty evening, and the untimely rain helped in quickening our journey from the reception to the 1-bedroom apartment (which also had a kitchenette!). The bandh interestingly proved to be beneficial for us - our room got upgraded owing to the fact that one of the guests cancelled at the last moment! We had a hearty dinner at restaurant Ascot. We were spoilt for choice when it came to dinner, as there was every cuisine we could possibly want. With minds full of eventful experiences, and tummies full of amazing food, we finally retired to our mini-apartment for the evening.

Adorned in Colonial charm, Ooty is a delightful hill town cradled in the beautiful Nilgiri Hills. The charm of the hill station lies in its laid-back luxurious grace, a surreal destination to rejuvenate in a picturesque setting and the perfect place to visit in May in India. With enthralling sights of the Doddabetta peak and the Tiger hill, Ooty is mesmerizingly graced by waterfalls and lakes. Pretty cottage dot the back alleys, and tea plantations on hill slopes add to its scenic beauty, along with terraced botanical gardens and flower cultivation.How to get there: Well-connected by roads. Coimbatore is the nearest airport and Mettupalyam is the nearest railway station.

After travelling such a long distance we finally reached Ooty . Crossed a small market area , few hotels and then went uphill . After crossing tea factory it appeared as if we have entered forest area. I became skeptical about the place but my thought changed completely after reaching the the resort - Sinclairs Retreat . Glimpse of the city from this place was so enticing . Entire city appeared like little sparkling stars in the sky.