Hi,
It was nice trip to ooty, I enjoyed it a lot .I am not a good person to explain my trip in writing. but, I am trying my bit.............
It was the day I waited for.4th april 2008(Friday).I got up early and all my things were packed on 3rd night itself. We started from my house at 9:00am and I drove to airport. There I dropped my wife and daughter, they were going to Chennai (My in-laws place) by Kingfisher.I started from there and drove through Marathalli – outer ring road – sarjapura road – chandapura at hosur road and reached my factory at attibele industrial area. I finished my work and had lunch and then discussed with my manager and then I was ready for my trip at 3:15p.m.
I got my things and My bull checked and started at 3:30p.m – drove to electronic city and took NICE road at 3:50p.m and reached mysore road at 4:30p.m there was some road jam near bannerugatta road junction. I reached chennapatna at 5:00, and mysore at 6:00p.m.There was the hokenakal procession going on the mysore road and so we have been diverted on the rightside road.I proceeded from mysore towards oooty. outskirts of nanjankudu I tanked up with HP – Speed and then through gudelpet I entered the bandhipur forest. The road from Gudelpet till Bandhipur forest was horribly bad. But , Thanx to my Bull, It took me smoothly. I entered the forest, switched off the music system , the air conditioner and drove slowly into the forest. Nearing the Mudhumalai forest I saw a baby elephant on the road, I drove slowly and saw the mother elephant standing in the side. I was alone and afraid but took courage and drove steadily and crossed it by getting a bit down from the road. Then in the next turn, I saw a Bison and I moved on. Reached Masinakudi at 8:15p.m and the check post was open. I drove and reached the 36 hairpin bend Ghat road .There was no traffic and I started driving in full form.It was a great feeling and freshness and My Bull was excellent except for a light body rollover. But, I am used to TATA vechiles from Sierra days and I enjoyed commanding my Bull. I reached ooty at 8:55p.m and checked in my doctor friend’s guest room on 3rd floor of his hospital. I gave him a call to say I have come , by he came to my room to pick me up for dinner.It was his daughters birthday and she is 7. We went to Taj Savoys for dinner and had a great spread of food and back to room at 11:30p.m. I was so tired and went to sleep immediately.
Bull on the way to OOTY:
[img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/6130/1bullonwaytoootycz7.jpg]
On 5th morning I got up at 8:00a.m. It was a quiet and a plesant morning. Got ready and went for breakfast to my friends house. Had a great breakfast ( appam and kuruma).Then I told him and started towards kodanadu viewpoint at 10:45a.m. My friend went for his hospital. I drove through kothagiti and then through the kodanadu tea estate and reached kodanadu viewpoint which is 45km from ooty.
On the way to Kodanadu view point:
[img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/808/2waytokodanaduviewpointlm7.jpg] [img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/7524/3waytokodanaduviewpointea6.jpg]
Reached Kodanadu viewpoint. It was great valley with rivers/lakes/falls........by the time I realized to take picture, The whole valley was covered by mist.
Viewpoint:
[img=http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/7924/4viewpointmx3.jpg] [img=http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/8283/5viewpoitnyo3.jpg]
The place was risky too. The government has put fence too for the safety of the public.......But what to do,people love to take risk.
On the edge:
[img=http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/1647/6ontheedgebi8.jpg] [img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/2080/ontheedge1xu4.jpg]
Oops Life Yaar:
[img=http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/7797/7oopslifeyaarza4.jpg]
Then I had a Tea at a small shop there and started towards ooty. I reached ooty at 1:15p.m. I was hungry and I went to coffee day for lunch it was a nice place.
Coffee day, ooty :
[img=http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/6519/9coffeedayootypq0.jpg]
Lunch at coffee day:
Chicken pizza
Chocolate fantasy
Leamon demon – black tea
[img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5343/10lunchatcoffeedayzi8.jpg]
I finished my lunch and back to my room. my friend was waiting for me. It was 3:00p.m and we started to his estate in Emerald. It was nice drive through tea estates and big lakes. We went there and his estate was beautiful and there is no word to explain. It starts from top of a hill and touch a big lake. from his estate we can see a dam. It was a great place to be.
Estate from top of the hill:
[img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/3823/13qv4.jpg] [img=http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/9144/img0100xv3.jpg]
Dam view from estate:
[img=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3339/14yr7.jpg]
From water to the top- My Bull on top:
[img=http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/6080/15safariontopfohillnf7.jpg]
Bull on top of hill:
[img=http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/329/img0098rk0.jpg] [img=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/766/16ty5.jpg] [img=http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2507/17xc8.jpg] [img=http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3799/img1zi5.jpg] [img=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5900/18yf5.jpg]
Then with heavy heart, I left the place and we reached ooty by6:30p.m.I came to my room took a hot water bath and was on my way to Kashi Viswanatha swamy temple at kanthal, ooty. It was quiet and old temple. Its also called as thulsi mutt. I got back to room by 9:00p.m. My friend was waiting for me and we went for dinner to his friends hotel KING’S CLIFF. It’s an ancestral mansion converted into a charming hotel offering a panoramic view of the hills around the town while remaining withdrawn from the hustle and bustle of life down below. We had a quiet corner table and both of us unwound ourself with Royal Challenge and cherished our memories and time we spent during our college days in coimbatore. We finished our dinner at 12:00a.m and reached our place by 12:45a.m after a short drive. Then, I went to bed peacefully and had a sound sleep.
6th morning was a quiet one, My friend suggested me a master check up and I agreed for it. So, went to his hospital at 9:30a.m gave the blood and urin sample. Then the lab person gave me good amount of glucose water and asked me to come at 11:30a.m. I relaxed in the room watching T.V and again went at 11:30a.m and gave the blood sample. I came back to the room and refreshed my self and went for a walk in charring cross and came back at 1:30p.m and lunch was ready in my friend’s house. We had chicken biriyani and chicken roast, then some rasam and rice and curd. The food was great.
Me and my friend planned for a drive at 3:00p.m and took My Bull.We wanted to take the western catchment / porthi mund / parsons valley. These are restricted area..........We went through the way and were cherishing our days we used to drive in these places during nights.
Way in to the forest:
[img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1673/img0112xc0.jpg] [img=http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/5946/img0113on6.jpg]
We took the parsons valley road and went through the forest. It was great and we took a deviation towards the porthi mund. While going in the road there was a wild buffalo standing in the road, people call it thoda buffalo. On seeing us it went inside the forest.
Wild Buffalo:
[img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9145/img0114gx2.jpg] [img=http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/9670/img0115zs6.jpg]
Our way :
[img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3255/img0116cd7.jpg] [img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9201/img0117vb2.jpg] [img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5595/img0118lo4.jpg] [img=http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7482/img0119gm6.jpg] [img=http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6739/img0120qj4.jpg]
Then we took the way towards the porthi mund road and reached the western catchment gate/check post. Time was short and we started back.
MY BULL:
[img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/909/img0121hi1.jpg]
Way inside the forest:
[img=http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1246/img0122xp4.jpg]
while coming back, we took the emerald/powerhouse road. We were driving inside the forest and lost our way. There was no one to help us except some monkeys and wild hen. We tried different routs and ended up in dead ends and some how we got the road back.
Bull in forest:
[img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9757/img0123th0.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7531/img0124wf9.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1783/img0125hp6.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4629/img0126bm7.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5087/img0127ev9.jpg] [img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/3587/img0128og3.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5206/img0131fu0.jpg] [img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/517/img0132km7.jpg] [img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5198/img0133dv5.jpg] [img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/4452/img0134ea0.jpg]
There is a power house and photography is restricted, The water flows from top of the hill through huge pipes into the powerhouse where power is generated and goes into the lake.
[img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5710/img0136wy7.jpg] [img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5735/img0137cn8.jpg]
We reached emerald at last where my friends estate was there through red hills.
[img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/3904/img0138vm8.jpg] [img=http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9645/img0139py6.jpg]
men catching fish in lake:
[img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7141/img0144vl4.jpg]
emerald bridge:
[img=http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/3729/img0146cq8.jpg]
It was a great ride and finally we reached ooty by 7:30p.m. and we planned to go out for dinner with his family. We got ready again at 9:00p.m and we went to Holiday Inn Gem park,ooty. There we had a warm welcome and went to the Chinese restaurant. The food was great. We finished our dinner and back to room by 12:00a.m.It was a great day.
7th morning, I got up and my friend has fixed an appointment for me at the Holiday inn Gem park health club for a massage. I went there at 9:30 and had my massage for 1 hour and had a great bath there and came back to the room. Went for a walk and bought some ooty chocolate for my wife and daughter. Came back to my room, packed up and was ready to start back home by 12:15p.m.
My friend came to send me off. Told him and started towards Bangalore. I filled the tank again with Hp speed at ooty and took the kallati ghat route.The route was great and My Bull was once again at its best.
[img=http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8453/img0147id3.jpg] [img=http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/223/img0149jx6.jpg] [img=http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9585/img0151oq3.jpg]
I reached masinakudi at 1:15p.m and mudhumalai.The forest was closed indefinetly for summer and the guard were alone there.Took a break there and started towards Bangalore.Had a nice slow drive in the forest. Saw some monkeys and deers.
[img=http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/6933/img0153ru0.jpg] [img=http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/8043/img0152gq7.jpg] [img=http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/8928/img0154ya6.jpg] [img=http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5066/img0156kt7.jpg] [img=http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/8293/img0157vy3.jpg] [img=http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3868/img0159yg9.jpg] [img=http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/2589/img0162oi9.jpg] [img=http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/7082/img0163mm9.jpg]
Then I came out of the forest and stopped at jungle lodge&resort for lunch.
[img=http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5965/bjunglelodgebi6.jpg]
Then I drove towards Bangalore and at the outskirts of nanjenkodu, I was tailing a safari. At one junction, a 2 wheeler guy with a person on the back suddenly came in and the safari before me hit his bike and he came right infront of my BULL. But I braked and My Bull obeyed my command and I stopped still.But,the safari before me got afraid and drove very fastly.I slowly moved to the side and went on. By then lot of people helped the 2 guys get up and took them to the side. I prayed god nothing should happen to those guys and started moving fast and just want to tail the safari.I tailed them till Mysore and the person driving it got afraid on seeing me tailing him and drove very fast.I tailed him and finally he went inside mysore and I was to take the Bangalore road. I drove towards Bangalore and took a break at coffeeday and reached Bangalore,took the nice road and touched hosur road and reached home at 6:00p.m.
By then my wife also reached airport and my driver picked her up and she was back home at 7:30p.m.I was a relaxing break for both of us and we enjoyed it.
I have covered total of 870km in this trip with my Bull delivering 10.4kmpl.further the expense from lodging to food, medical master check up, massage.....etc was taken care of by my friend and my expense is only diesel and some snacks.
I enjoyed my trip the best with my BULL.