Postcards from Ooty.

The Toy Train, Ketti. Like the train, the station’s also a miniature of sorts with one bench, one room and one flowering creeper kissing its rooftop. 

I spent last weekend in Wellington, twenty minutes away from central Ooty. And it has without effort replaced Kodaikanal as the greenest, most charming hill stations in my book. Sure, main Ooty is commercial and a large population of tourists is concentrated there (especially couples with paws all over each other. Ugh!), but move away a little bit and it’s an entirely different world. Because it’s nestled among the Nilgiri range of hills, there’s lush plant life everywhere. Colourful houses dot the hills like a fine garnish over a carpet of varying greens, flanked by abundant rows of cabbages, carrots and tea plantations. Picture perfect in every way, it’s mostly clean, quiet and the ideal place to get away from city life to enjoy a quiet, inactive holiday.

I stayed at the army guest house, thanks to my mother’s friend from work, whose son is a Major recently posted in Ooty. She was kind enough to invite us on the trip, and i’m so glad i decided to go because I’ve seen such beauty there that it sort of overwhelms me.

And that’s all I have to say. I’ll let the picture postcards do all the talking from here on.

Cosmos against the sky, army mess, Wellington. Ooty itself is a really green place (as you’ll see from the rest of the picture post cards), but the fauna within the army area is maintained with much love and attention.

Oriental Magpie Robin, army mess, Wellington. The army property is huge and full of bushes and wild flora. On Sunday morning, I decided to do a bit of exploring on my own and stumbled upon many, many birds. This was one of them.

Dandelions by the road, Wellington. Having never seen one before in my life (or maybe never having really noticed one till I heard Madcon’s namesake song), I pretty much went insane at the sight of these fragile beauties on the roadside. I had to take a picture, and of course, live up to the legends of the dandelions. So i made a wish and blew out the flowers like a birthday candle, watching the wind carry away the delicate little fragments that were my dreams and desires.

Mobile operator-sponsored homes, Ooty. It isn’t an uncommon sight to see homes built on the hillocks, but it is an eye-stopper to see rows of red and yellow houses next to each other. In an epic non-urban battle, Idea and Vodacom have gone neck-and-neck in branding these homes. I believe they actually paid the owners of the homes to do it. Now that’s an idea that follows you wherever you go!

Aged 54 Hillman Minx, Willow Hill Hotel, Ooty. There it stood, the stalwart black beauty, holding pride of place. Everyone who entered the gates of the hotel blatantly ogled, while those seated in the greenhouse-converted-dining area were taken back to the old, old days with grace.

Morning Glory on a tree, army mess, Wellington. For me, this image paints a picture in my head of an old man  – all wrinkly and counting the days to his end. And there’s this vibrant youngling, full of life and endearing, who renews hope in the old man and brings him some happiness in his oldage.

Botanical Gardens, Ooty. Like there isn’t enough greenery in Ooty already, they’ve also got acres of land just for it. Nevertheless, a place with many opportunities for photography.

Wild flower, army mess, Wellington. These pint-sized blooms are everywhere, mushrooming in clusters and especially beautiful when dew-drenched in the early morning hours. 

Moutain rappeling, on the way to Lovedale. Enough said.

The Willow Hill Hotel, Ooty. It’s an old colonial bungalow dating back to the 1800s. You’ll see many framed old photographs from its life as a home and its reincarnated form as a hotel. There’s even a framed tariff card from the 1900s that shows the costs of renting a single room as six rupees. The food is just as fantastic as the views.

The Oriental White-eye, army mess, Wellington. This bird’s a tough one to photograph. It’s small enough to fit into the palm of one’s hand and zips across bushes at lightning speed. I managed to get it only thanks to my 70-300mm zoom lens.

A view of Nilgiri Hills. On the second day, we went on a picnic near a dam – i’m not sure what the name is. A few army guys were angling in the water and even managed to catch a few fish. Meanwhile, some of us went exploring, following trails well-worn by jungle cats and other wild animals till we reached a perch and this view greeted us on the other side.

Cabbage fields, Ooty. This one was right next to the Wax Museum (go there only if you want to be encouraging of the efforts of average wax sculptors) and was ripe for the picking. Fortunately, we went at a time when most crops were being harvested. We even saw carrots being washed in a very cool-looking manufacturing-line kind of machine, but i wasn’t able to take good pictures of it. The spots of yellow you see between the cabbage are weeds.

Fern Hill Hotel, Ooty. An opulent Wodeyar palace converted into an equally opulent hotel, this property is at least five times more vast than what you see in the picture. With its red facade and exquisite craftsmanship, it’s quite a sight to behold. If you’re contemplating spending a night there, though, make sure you have at least 20,000 in your wallet. And that doesn’t include the meals. This one’s definitely on my luxury hotel lust list.

Gravestone at C.S.I Thomas Church, Ooty. There are many colonial churches dating back to the British Raj, and the same goes for the graves too. In the sea of crosses, this one stood out and I just had to capture it. As an aside, do you ever get the feeling that you’re invading the private space of the dead when you walk across a cemetery? I know I do, but there’s such peace there that I cannot help but go.

Angry Rooster, Ooty. My mother’s friend’s daughter and I took off on a walk to nowhere in paricular and stumbled across a cluster of homes overlooking railway tracks on one side, a quaint Christian graveyard on another and a temple on the third side. This rooster was tied to a rope and gave me such piercing stares when i tried taking its picture that I felt my life slipping away from me momentarily.

Pink Daisies, commercial street, Ooty. If the movie Bees were based in India, then this is where the flowers during the climax of the movie would have come from. Ooty is full of blooms no matter where you look. And a row of these fresh daisies is just what one needs to rest sore eyes on while shopping for tons of chocolates.

Otter in the wotter, near Ooty. A stagnant pool of water near the dam is home to at least four playful little Otters. We observed these guys forever, and they weren’t still for a moment. Constantly diving, swimming, taking a breather on the rock nearby and always ready to hide at the hint of the slightest sound or movement. Taken with the 70-300mm zoom lens and cropped vertically.

A cemetery life, C.S.I Thomas Church, Ooty. Look at how pretty the place looks with all the greenery! Proof that there is life after death.

Common Kingfisher, Ooty. This one was another really difficult bird to photograph. It kept flitting from one point to another, occasionally swooping into the waters of the dam to plonk a fish in its mouth. Eventually I figured out its favourite spots and managed to get some shots.

Tea plantation, Ooty. Always, always reminds me of Bollywood. I’ve never seen a tea plant in bloom, and this time I managed to see it and smell it. No, it doesn’t smell like tea.

Getting there: Ooty’s easily accessible by road and train. KSRTC buses ply to Ooty in the nights and i would highly recommend them because they go through the Bandipur forest in the night and there are many nocturnal delights to witness. Besides, government buses are the only ones allowed into the forest at night, don’t ask why. By car, Ooty’s a 6-7 hour drive from Bangalore.

Go if: You love nature, are a wildlife enthusiast, love photography, an avid bird watcher, need some peace and quiet, love hills and mountains, like exploring on your own. Oh, and also go if you love chocolates.

Posted in Travel - IndiaTagged Bandipur blue kingfisher C.S.I Thomas Church nature Nilgiri hills Ooty oriental white-eye otters pied flycatcher Sterling Fern Hill tea estates things to do toy train weekend getaway Wellington wildlife Willow Hill Hotel