7th May 2009, 17:06
| #31 | |
| Senior - BHPian  | Quote:
| |
|
| |
|
8th May 2009, 13:59
| #32 | |
| Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 24
Thanked: 35 Times
| Quote:
and Skywalker...great looking snaps to go with your nice travelogue! But looking at your pictures, I noticed something which I couldn't resist asking you...Why have you masked the number plates of your car? I have also seen some of our fellow BHPians doing the same. Just curious to know and no other intentions, honestly!!! Regards, Sridhar | |
|
|
|
11th May 2009, 09:31
| #33 | ||||
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
| ||||
|
|
|
11th May 2009, 09:43
| #34 | |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 1,961
Thanked: 436 Times
| Quote:
 | |
|
|
|
11th May 2009, 10:01
| #35 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| Quote:
 | |
|
|
|
13th May 2009, 19:10
| #36 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 13:44
| #37 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| Back to Day 2... Sorry for the long a break – just reached back from another trip. Back to day 2…. Day 2 We decided we will not drive around in the city the next day after seeing the crazy traffic on day 1. Holidays are supposed to be enjoyed, not be spent agonizing in traffic jams. Tbhpian nnandi has given me a reference for a good driver and I call him. We talk Greek and Latin and that one didn’t work out, so urge the hotel to get a driver for me for a day. In comes Narayanaswami, our savior. It’s been some time I have taken a ride in an Amby, and it feels good.  Narayanaswami, our Knight with a cream Amby First stop's the toy train ride to Coonoor. Again nanadi's tip of booking online helped. We had booked the tickets in advance online and are saved from the mad rush of people queuing up for tickets at the railway station. We have breakfast in the railway canteen and the dosa's are small, but tasty. The train arrives at 9 AM and people are busy taking snaps until the train starts about 15 mins later.  Railway station or Photo station? Soon enough, the ride starts and its beautiful experience. It stops at a few stations for a short while and chugs on. Lovedale is one of the famous stops. There's a strange ritual happening - people jump out at every stop, start taking snaps like crazy and then jump back in and chug along! After watching this for two stops, we too do the follow suit like zombies. The train passes through some tunnels and its pitch dark. The exuberant crowd (mostly young folks) inside starts howling every time it happens. Now, this is serious fun! I revive my college days and keep the company.  The Hitchhiker?  A Beautiful Path Narayanwamy is ready in Coonor to pick us up. He's a good guide and keeps us entertained with anecdotes during the drive to Lambs Rock and Dolphins Nose. We are early and the place is relatively empty. Thank god for that. On the way he drops us into a large tea estate which he claims to be of the yesteryears Hindi actress, Mumtaz.  The estates of Mumtaz?  The climb to Lambs Rock Climbing to Dolphins nose, my wife chickens out, she's afraid of heights. Heck, I know now why they say it’s lonely at the top. Lots of monkey's here, some have sated themselves pretty comfortably on the seats at the top and don’t want us to disturb their peace. A few snarls later and admitting their resolve, we back off.  Dolphins Nose  "Made it, Ma! Top of the World!" The drive back to Ooty is again a great experience. Narayanaswamy takes us through the military training area (where Roja was shot) and takes time to explain lots of interesting tidbits. He's a good guide. Lots of carrot and potato fields on the way.  Carrots & Potato Fields. Carrots on far right. Post lunch in “Planters Punch - Glen something”. I am partial to Glen's - Glenfiddick, Glenmorangie, Glenlivet et al. But this Glen didn’t live up to expectations - Its expensive, and not that great. We hit Ooty Lake post lunch. Bad decision, its warm, crowded, and looks more like a weekend bazaar! We hang around for an hour and make a hasty exit.  One of the abandoned piers  Sunny Days Now we had had it with the crowd. We ask Narayanaswami to take us to a place where there's no crowd and he suggests a valley nearby. We take off there. It’s got some nice woods and some spooky tombstones. A good way to spend some time far from the madding crowd.  Enchanted Woods  I See Dead People! Time went fast and soon we need to hot back the hotel. We hit charring cross for some shopping and that takes a few hours. Spend the next half an hour in Cafe Coffee Day sipping refreshing strawberry tea and some date-n-walnut cake. Back to the Hotel and we spent the evening enjoying the climate, basking in the serenity and admiring the Ooty valley night view.  Night view of Ooty City from Sinclair’s Meadows |
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 14:04
| #38 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 14:12
| #39 | |||
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| Quote:
 Quote:
Quote:
| |||
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 14:17
| #40 |
| BHPian  | |
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 14:23
| #41 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| Quote:
No filters - all snaps on kit lens on 18-55. Crop, levels done in Nikon capture NX2. I am planning to go for a Nikkor 70-300 VR and a Sigma 10-20 in 2009. Planning to move to a D90 or better in 2010. Suggestions? Last edited by SkyWalker : 14th May 2009 at 14:29. | |
|
|
| |
|
14th May 2009, 14:39
| #42 | |
| BHPian | Quote:
| |
|
|
|
14th May 2009, 18:00
| #43 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,531
Thanked: 136 Times
| The 3rd Day Day 3 Much as I complain about the hotel food, the view made up for it, mostly. It’s nice to pull up the shades in early morning and sip black tea fixing your eyes into those green pastures.  Tea time! We checkout and 8 AM and head towards the Ooty city. Found another nice veggie hotel for food on the way. I stick to my staple dosa (cheese dosa this time - I earned those extra calories J ), and my wife, exasperated at my dosa craze, switches over to Poori and Subji. We are back on the road in 30 minutes and driving towards Pykara. First stop - the Pine forests.  Woods The drive is mind-blowing - roads are narrow and winding but a hoot to drive nonetheless. We cruise, taking the morning breeze in and warming us up to the picturesque routes ahead. Next stop - 9th mile aka "Shooting Medu"  Shooting Medu It’s a drawn out climb to the top, but the landscape is worth it. 9th mile wasn’t as crowded as the rest of Ooty. It also helped that we reached there early and beat the crowd to it. We squander around, admiring the view. Meet a bunch of IT from Bangalore guys, and one photography enthusiast among them has lots of questions on Nikon DSLRs and lenses. I humor him; he thinks I am an expert. He was also kind enough to take some snaps of us.  9th mile - vast green meadows and valleys  Us!  In keeping with the location name, the shooting point is scenic and you can capture some nice snaps you can treasure. And now, on we went to the last scheduled stop of Ooty, Pykara. Pykara Lake has a diversion from the main road and 1 Km stretch is pathetic at best. It’s disappointing that such a popular tourist spot don’t get maintained well. The lake is beautiful. We took pedal boat and had a nice 30 mins round of the lake. A romantic way to end a trip marked for our 7th anniversary.  The Boat Ride And so ends the trip - we decide to head back to Bangalore via the scenic Gudalur route. Another great drive, the chill in air is is gradually decreasing and once you hit Bandipur, its gone altogether. Coming up next – Ooty - A Reappraisal. |
|
|
|
18th May 2009, 11:03
| #44 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 181
Thanked: 34 Times
| Quote:
| |
|
|
|
18th May 2009, 11:20
| #45 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
|
|
 |
Most Viewed