[bejoy]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Yes good point and thanks for pointing it out. This was a miss from my side. Somehow never struck me that this train had reservations.Learning for next time and for anyone who plans to visit. The reservation is for 'First Class', but it is only Rs 90 per ticket.

Sorry I mentioned FC, but in fact we took reservation for 2S and there is a reserved coach for that. The fare is ₹25 (incl reservation charges).

EDIT: The station names are UDAGAMANDALAM (UAM) (for Ooty) and COONOOR (ONR)

[pduttaghy]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Thank you. Read from your intro that you are in the Tea Business. Since these areas in the Western Ghat range in the South (ooty, coonoor, Munnar, Valparai, Coorg, Wayanad) are filled with tea gardens and estates, guess it would be not only a holiday trip but an opportunity to connect with the businesses here.

I completely agree with you Rajeevraj Sir. It will be a trip with adventure as well as agenda. I am discussing with a few friends to make a road trip to Southern India. If everything works out fine, we should be able to make the trip within the next six months. Keeping fingers crossed.

[execve]

What a lovely writeup - crisp and with excellent pictures! Thanks for sharing.
The GeeDee car museum is now on my wishlist .

How did the DSG perform on the ghats while descending ? Did you switch to manual to utilize the engine braking better - or all the way in Drive / Sport ?

Also rated 5-stars!

[arun_josie]

Very nice write-up along with some superb pics. The mettupalayam road looks yummy

I have been to coimbatore many times, but never heard of 'GeeDee Vintage Car Museum'. Now adding this to my must see list.

[kannan666]

Nice travelogue Rajeev, beautiful narration and pictures to go with it, thanks for sharing !

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by execve

How did the DSG perform on the ghats while descending ? Did you switch to manual to utilize the engine braking better - or all the way in Drive / Sport ?

Thank you. Was pretty much in S mode through out the ghats. Did not use the manual mode.

One thing I noticed, that it never shifted beyond S2 in the descent even when the speeds went up a bit.

Engine braking is not as great as one would expect even in 2. I assume it maybe because of the free revving nature of the engine and/or the ratios. For really steep descents, I guess one would need to be in Manual mode in gear 1.

[gadadhar]

Well written with excellent snaps to spice it up. Never heard about the Willington lake and has added it to the must to visit in next trip, Ooty lake is too crowded for anybody's liking these days

[pramodpk]

Thanks for the detailed and informative travelogue. Some wonderful pictures too. Really appreciate your patience for writing such a detailed travelogue.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

There was also a dream of staying in 'The Residency' Hotel (A 4 Star Hotel in Coimbatore) from the college days (When it looked wow and unattainable)

Can completely understand this feeling.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

I have been to coimbatore many times, but never heard of 'GeeDee Vintage Car Museum'. Now adding this to my must see list.

Thanks Arun. Geedee is definitely worth visiting. It is pretty new in the current form-Maybe 4-5 months.

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Well written with excellent snaps to spice it up. Never heard about the Willington lake and has added it to the must to visit in next trip, Ooty lake is too crowded for anybody's liking these days

Thanks. Wellington lake is worth a visit, not as expansive or beautiful as ooty or Pykara. But less crowded (at least for now)

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Thanks for the detailed and informative travelogue. Some wonderful pictures too. Really appreciate your patience for writing such a detailed travelogue.

Thanks Pramod. This trip gave a confidence that a long holiday with good amount of driving is doable for both me and the family. Next target is to do something like what you did (Or at least half of it ).

[Prodigy07]

Excellent travelogue there Rajeev

I stayed for 4 nights at Sunvalley Homestay (Coonoor) in May 2015. Yes, their hospitality definitely deserves a special mention.

Also, they have a new property at Ketti valley too!

I was little apprehensive if my Ertiga with Body kit would be able to tackle the bad roads towards the Homestay. But my vehicle handled it with ease.