If you are in Ooty, any hotel is a good hotel to stay. Last summer when we were in Bandipur, we went for a drive to Masinagudi. Bandipur is a Wildlife sanctuary, a part of Nagarhole forest, in Karnataka. Masinagudi is a hill station in Tamil Nadu and it is below Ooty. Masinagudi is a fascinating place like its name. Ooty is just seventeen kilometres from there but at a much higher altitude. People in Bandipur said Ooty is a concrete jungle and did not recommend that we go up. We too were happy with our forest safari and drive to Masinagudi. Every popular place in the world gets concretised to provide modern facilities to the travellers in the name of development. So if you have been to Ooty ten years ago, am sure you will find it more congested. I noticed that every hotel managed to have a good view of the mountains.
Dodabetta is a viewing point. I thought, like all tourist viewing points, this will be one more place with a view. The driver was discouraging us from going there saying the roads are bad. For someone who has lived in Jharia and Dhanbad, all roads are good roads as they take you to your destination. Dodabetta is the highest peak and it is the place where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet. The Nilgiris are mountain ranges which form a part of the Western Ghats and have a distinct blue hue to it. Near the parking lot, vendors sell boiled Chhole, fried masala peanuts. They ass onions, tomatoes and lime and serve you. There are dustbins every 5metres for you to throw the garbage. Little ahead, woollen clothes are being sold. They are really warm and nice quality. Fixed price too. I bought two really nice woolen caps which I had seen and liked at H&M in Hongkong and had let it go because I will never need it. Ooty was really chilly at nights and all the woollies were put to good use. At the viewing point, there is a viewing gallery. The tea stall sells hot lemon tea which was so refreshing after the Masala Peanuts. Children loved the Chocobar ice cream. Hubby and me were sitting while the children played in the small playground with a view and slides. I saw a very distinguished Sardar couple. The lady had grey hair and all the poise as she indulged her grandchildren in yet another selfie. She met me on the steps of the viewing gallery and asked me if I was Pooja. I looked like her close friend from the hostel where she studied her Masters. They were room mates for seven years and she thought I was that friend. We chatted for a while about our hostel days. She blessed the children. And I left Dodabetta with a smile. We did not visit the Tea museum as we had visited the one in Coonoor and it was post 5 pm. The Ooty tea museum just outside Dodabetta is recommended.
Next day was Avalanchi. This was suggested by friends we made in Coonoor. They were from Bengaluru and on every visit to Ooty which is atleast 3-4 a year, they go to Avalanchi. Now, that was a real big tip to a tourist. Hotel staff at Ooty kept telling us to do the film shooting circuit where the car will take us to all the places movies are shot. We were stuck on Avalanchi. We knew it was isolated and not very touristy or popular, so we preferred taking the hotel local car and driver. After an hour s drive through the villages, schools and tea gardens, we took a pitstop at Emerald lake. Green waters surrounding the islands, tribal huts and tea gardens all together with the spectacular blue skies made a view to remember. Still further into the hills, where the hutments were dwindling. The driver showed us potato, beetroot and radish plantation. At Avalanchi, there is a Forest Reserve department. When we drive up through a dense forest, the road clears up and a few basic houses are constructed and the quintessential tea stall. A couple of women in neatly pinned up Sarees were doing embroidery in the winter sun. It was Toda embroidery done by the Toda tribe. I saw her needle move without any design drawn on the cloth, and yet all lines were straight and designs were emerging with red and black threads on cream cloth. Their practice in embroidery and the speed was so strong. To me it looked so casual, they way they were chatting and yet the fingers moved correctly. Art and talent need loads of practice to get mastery over it. She showed me a Toda stole which was at the cost of a small embroidered napkin available in the Ooty city by the so called NGOs, who claim to take care of the welfare of the Toda tribe. We wanted to go to inside the forest soon and I wanted to come back and shop. A missed opportunity.
The forest Mini bus took us, our driver and three youths. Most travellers were returning and none looked too happy about the excursion. The majestic Shola Forests came into view through the rickety roads. We stopped at a roadside waterfall to quench out thirst and experienced the mountain breeze. Could not identify the chirping of a single bird but all were musical. At Upper Bhawani.. the source of Bhawani river which starts as a small waterfall and falls into a deep gorge before gathering more water and becoming a full fledged river. At the tip, where from a small little stream, the river falls into the deep ravine is a small temple of Goddess Bhawani. Strict warning of not trying to bend to drink water from this waterfall as the depth is misleading is pasted. The temple has a full view of the valley and the mountains with starkly different vegetation. This view was so fulfilling that we were not keen to proceed further. The driver kept revving the engine till we all sat inside the bus. Another 45 minutes journey, got us to Avalanchi. Blue waters, brown stones, reminded me of a Lewis advertisement. The sun was scorching as it was setting, something like the flame being the strongest before it dies. The wind chill factor was there. It was so breathtaking and divine that we did Surya Namaskar and offered 'jal' to the Surya Dev or the Sun God. Thanks to Yoga, people know Surya Namaskar as a set of excercises. For me it was praying to the greatness of nature. Prayed for my ancestors who would have walked through the dense forests. I could see the water fall over the black rocks, brown rocks surrounding the meandering lake which is said to be created because of a dam, and greenery on some slopes. Not a soul except eight of us in that place. One college youth started playing in the ice cold lake, another wanted to click the splash of water as this one played. Third youth was a nature enthusiast who went atop the water fall in no time. We four as a family were left on our own. The driver gave us the space and was yet protective about us...none of the roles he was being paid for. After an hour or so, reality started catching up with me. I got present to the dusk, the darkness which would soon descend, we were far from the bus. All of us trekked back up to our bus. Each one content picking up flowers and twigs on the walk up. The bus had an awestruck feel to it. The youth who was in soaked clothes, did not mind the breeze. We spotted wild boars and deer. On coming back to the Forest Reserve base camp, an eerie silence greeted us. Everyone had gone home. The joy of not using the public washroom but the open skies and trees with the cacophony of birds returning to their nests.We got into out cars and bid good bye to the three youth, bus driver and cleaner. Saw two of the boys on the bike and dont know how the third nature lover travelled back.
The villages had their night lamps on. The Government bus service was bringing home people from
Ooty. The egg shop and the grocery store had a queue. People were catching up at the Paan waala shops. The temples were having the evening Arti and I could hear traditional classical music. The fancy IB schools with fancy lighting looked like those five star resorts with their concrete drive ins and manicured gardens. The fancy schools had destroyed all trees and they did not even have a tree lined driveway or boundary. There was a finishing school with an indoor heated swimming pool. Loud posters proclaiming, they do not take Day scholars. Never knew good schools had to be so hard hitting in their advertising. The driver pointed at the Toda settlements in between. I think after awesomeness of Avalanchi, he wanted to reassure us that Ooty is not all concrete as it is made out to be. It has a soul too.
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