[dreamdiesel]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Cool snaps.. Loved the night view from Kodanad view point and one before and after that.. keep going

Originally Posted by beejay

Looking forward to read more. Nice pictures, especially at Kodanad.

Thanks Guys!!! Sorry for the delay in getting Day 3 and 4 uploaded. I am off to Kodai and Madurai this weekend. Will finish this by Monday

Originally Posted by NIP

Nice writeup and photos. Thanks for sharing. We went to the exact same places one week after you, except for Kotagiri. whe we were there, the weather was colder and foggy, but thats how i love it !!

You bet!!!

Originally Posted by Rotorhead

The snap on the wellington bridge is the same bridge we used to take to get to our school and its always a challenge to cross the bridge when you suddenly hear the train whistle blow from the other hill. I have seen a lot of cattle hit in the very same bridge and flung down into the small river below. While on train while crossing this bridge if one looks out, you feel as if the train is literally floating in thin air since there are no side rails or anything that indicates there is a bridge underneath.

Travelling on the train on the bridge during fog must be scary...

[funda2max]

Nice travologue and awesome pictures! What is your FE on hilly roads?

[FreedomExpress]

really awesome pics!...how's the road condition now from mysore after the heavy rains have started...planning to take my alto to the hills..may be next weekend!

[kannan666]

What ? Kodai and Madurai just after having a ball at Ooty ? Lucky Guy ! BTW - Very nicely rendered travelogue and some really good snaps !

[vijaythacker]

wow, some cool snaps mate, that night view from kodanad is awesome, keep them coming.

[Rotorhead]

Originally Posted by dreamdiesel

Travelling on the train on the bridge during fog must be scary...

You bet , it defenitely is. Forget travelling by train, just walking across the bridge on a foggy day is sure to give you the creeps and again not just the fog, even walking across in the nights gives you an eerie feeling, since there is actually nothing to hang on to on the sides of the bridge, no railings nothing. There have been couple of near mishaps which have been avoided due to restriction on the speed of the train while taking this bridge. The trains generally sound their horn well in advance but sometimes these trolleys that the engineers use for regular track maintenance and repairs which appear suddenly appear out of nowhere. But since they are way too small, they can be stopped immediately. But defenitely a lot of cattle hits on this bridge, one of which i was unfortunate to watch. A cow was hit and thrown down below and the owner just refused to see it and it was taken by the slaughter house which co-incidentally happens to be under the bridge. Not sure if it is still functional but the building is still there. You can see it when you pass the bridge.

[Gandhi]

That's an awesome travelogue dude. Keep'em coming.

I have been to Ooty twice. I like Conoor much better than Ooty. And yes, I never miss taking NMR, it's a great experience.

[Dzire2Travel]

The view Point truly makes you feel like 'On the Top of the World'.I loved the combo of Green, brown and Blue hues in that Snap of yours.Such a Kaliedoscope, thanks for sharing this Dream, truly refreshing.My Dzire is just waiting to be taken to the Hills. Hope the Gorkhaland Agitation ends soon.

[sabsubs]

Beautiful snaps. What camera did you use to take snaps; the camera must be really good. I still remember that when I was young my dad took me to lambs rock and dolphins nose on his first bike, which was Enfield Explorer :-), I was studying in 5th standard then. After this I have regularly visited these two spots frequently. My home was very close to these two spots; it was just 10 km from my home. When I saw your pics, I got reminded of those good old days. Thanks for posting the pics.

[dreamdiesel]

Day 3 (27th June, 2009): Ooty

Get up lazily by 9:00AM. It’s a little sunny today. The night was pretty cold and windy. Not much to do today. Just the regular places to visit at Ooty. Read the newspaper, get ready and we are out of the room by 11:00AM. Head back to Charring Cross for breakfast. Hotel Durga (our regular breakfast joint at Ooty), seems to be jam-packed. A busload of tourists had just got in before us and didn’t feel like waiting with my tummy grumbling for food. Head over to Hotel Sarvanas on Commercial Street at Ooty. It’s at the junction, where the road from Hotel Tamil Nadu joins Commercial Street. Nice breakfast, better than Hotel Durga I should say.

We are out by noon and on our way towards Doddabetta peak. The last time I was here it was completely foggy and did not get see to see many views. The single lane road towards Doddabetta peak from the Ooty-Kotagiri road is in bad condition. Lots of traffic as being a weekend we slowly make our way up to the parking lot. Disappointed to see the place crowded. There was a traffic jam at the parking lot. I park the car and slowly walk towards the peak. The path from the parking lot to the peak has shops selling various things. After we buy tickets and reach the top, did not like the place much as it was pretty crowded. The view also was nothing compared to the Kodanad view point. I have been to Doddabetta many times, but all the time the place was covered with fog. I am sure to give Doddabetta a miss the next time I am in Ooty.


On the way to Doddabetta Peak


View from Doddabetta Peak


View from Doddabetta Peak


Telescope house at Doddabetta Peak

Spend about 30 minutes taking some pictures and we head back to the parking lot. Buy some scented oils at the shop near the parking lot. We leave the place pretty much disappointed. Slowly make our way down the bad roads and decide to head towards the Rose garden at Ooty. The best time to visit Rose Garden is during the month of May when the roses are in full bloom. Buy tickets and we spent a good 30 minutes looking at various roses. At this time of the year is almost end of season for roses and most of the roses were withering away. We are out of the Rose Garden by 3:00PM and head to one of my favorite restaurants for vegetarian food at Ooty, the restaurant at Nahar Hotel near Charring Cross. This place is getting crowded and crowded every time I visit. Last time I was here had to wait 30 minutes to get a table. This time did not have to wait as I walked in only by 3:00PM.


Roses at Ooty Rose Garden


Roses at Ooty Rose Garden


Roses at Ooty Rose Garden

After a heavy lunch we are out of the place in an hour’s time and head back to our hotel, rest for some time. No idea where to go next. Decide to go boating at Pykara Lake as my wife has never been to this place before. Take the awesome road out of Ooty towards Gudalur. Pass the 9th Mile and about 22 kms from Ooty is Pykara Lake. I am there by 5:15PM and watchman near the deviations stops me saying boating is closed. All this while I though boating close at Pykara only by 6:00PM. Disappointed, we take the road back to Ooty. As we were going to Pykara I had come across a junction towards Glenmorgan. We decided to explore this route as we had lots of time. Was not sure what was at Glenmorgan. Nevertheless took this narrow route. We travelled for about 10 kilometers on this desolate road. The road was narrow throughout and I did not encounter a single human being on this stretch. It was kind of scary to travel further. Decided to head back towards Ooty. Want to research more on this place and then go back there again next time I am at Ooty. Joined the main road towards Ooty and we stopped at the 9th Mile. This place was not crowded at all and we decided to climb up the hill. The climb up was tiring, but the view from the top was worth the climb. You can see green meadows all across and was indeed beautiful. We decided to take a short horse riding trip around this place. Bargained hard and stuck a deal for Rs.200 for a 15 minute ride around the place for 2 horses. Was scary initially riding the horse with sloping hills all along. But was a good experience which I felt was really worth the money I paid. The guy took us to a tree where some famous Bollywood movie clip was shot. Took some snaps, and were back. Spent some more time at the top after the horse riding trip and got back down as it was getting dark. We had some nice roasted spicy Maize before we headed back to Ooty.


Narrow road towards Glenmorgan


At 9th Mile


View from 9th Mile


View from 9th Mile


View from 9th Mile


View from 9th Mile

Back in Ooty, we decided to visit the Wax museum which my wife really likes. Spent about 20 minutes there looking at the various wax statues and then went to King Star bakery at Commercial Street and bought lots of Ooty chocolates for friends and family back home. We had a nice dinner at Dhaba Express on Ooty-Coonoor road and back to the hotel by 10:30PM. Watch news for some time and off to sleep by midnight.

Continued....

[dreamdiesel]

Day 4 (28th June, 2009): Ooty – Mysore – Bangalore

It’s our last day of the trip at Ooty. Really don’t feel like getting up from the warm bed. It’s been a relaxing 4 day vacation. I slowly coax myself to get up from the bed. I am sure I will be back again this year. Maybe buy a small piece of land somewhere in Coonoor or Kotagiri for a small cottage. Not sure how practical the idea is going to be. Anyways, we are ready and check out of the hotel by 10:00AM. Load the entire luggage into the car and bid goodbye to the hotel. Off to Commercial Street and have breakfast at Hotel Sarvanas.

Out of Ooty town by 11:00AM and take the Gudalur route back to Bangalore. I really love driving on this stretch of road till Gudalur. The road is awesomely done and very scenic. Push the car around corners and it corners as if on rails. There was a small traffic jam on the narrow bridge before Pykara falls. It’s a private Bus and a Safari holding up the traffic for almost 20 minutes as both not willing to give way to the other. Finally the Safari driver decided to reverse his vehicle and give way to the private bus. With the roads clear we make our way down the hills.


On the way to Gudalur


View from Needle point rock


Awesome roads


Canopy


Awesome Ooty-Gudalur stretch

Cross Gudalur and then enter Mudumalai and we spot some elephants and deer’s. Cross the check post and into Karnataka. Steady speed of 50KMPH inside the forests and cross Gundalpet by 1:30PM. Stop at the Café Coffee day for some cold coffee. In an hours time we are entering Mysore City. Decide to have lunch at Hotel RRR at Gandhi Square. It’s awesome Andhra style food. We had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table. After a tasty and filling lunch, hit the road back to Bangalore by 3:30PM. Steady speed of 90-100KMPH on the Bangalore- Mysore highway, we are back in Bangalore by 5:30PM and home by 6:00PM.


Roads in Mudumalai



Lone tusker at Mudumalai


Langoor at Bandipur



Deers at Bandipur

A really refreshing road trip to Ooty it was. The car has crossed 20000kms and will be getting it serviced in a week’s time before another road trip to Madurai and Kodaikanal. I actually did track the FE on this trip. But I am sure it must have returned approx. 19KMPL. Hope you guys enjoyed the travelogue. Watch out for the Madurai – Kodaikanal travelogue soon.

Regards,
Godwin

[judhin]

WOW, Great Pic and a wonderful place

[dreamdiesel]

Originally Posted by funda2max

Nice travologue and awesome pictures! What is your FE on hilly roads?

Thank you. I actually did not keep a track of the FE during this trip. But just a month back on a similar trip to Ooty got an FE of around 19.5kmpl

Originally Posted by FreedomExpress

really awesome pics!...how's the road condition now from mysore after the heavy rains have started...planning to take my alto to the hills..may be next weekend!

Thanks FreedomExpress. The roads should be good. Just the 10km stretch after Gundalpet will be bad. Enjoy the trip.

Originally Posted by kannan666

What ? Kodai and Madurai just after having a ball at Ooty ? Lucky Guy ! BTW - Very nicely rendered travelogue and some really good snaps !

Yes sir. Kodai and Madurai just after Ooty Trip. Will post a travelogue on Kodai/Madurai soon.

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

wow, some cool snaps mate, that night view from kodanad is awesome, keep them coming.

Thanks Vijay.

Originally Posted by Rotorhead

You bet , it defenitely is. Forget travelling by train, just walking across the bridge on a foggy day is sure to give you the creeps and again not just the fog, even walking across in the nights gives you an eerie feeling, since there is actually nothing to hang on to on the sides of the bridge, no railings nothing. There have been couple of near mishaps which have been avoided due to restriction on the speed of the train while taking this bridge. The trains generally sound their horn well in advance but sometimes these trolleys that the engineers use for regular track maintenance and repairs which appear suddenly appear out of nowhere. But since they are way too small, they can be stopped immediately. But defenitely a lot of cattle hits on this bridge, one of which i was unfortunate to watch. A cow was hit and thrown down below and the owner just refused to see it and it was taken by the slaughter house which co-incidentally happens to be under the bridge. Not sure if it is still functional but the building is still there. You can see it when you pass the bridge.

Hmm..scary stuff there. Will watch out for the building next time I am there.

Originally Posted by Gandhi

That's an awesome travelogue dude. Keep'em coming.

I have been to Ooty twice. I like Conoor much better than Ooty. And yes, I never miss taking NMR, it's a great experience.

Thanks Gandhi. I loved the NMR experience.

Originally Posted by Dzire2Travel

The view Point truly makes you feel like 'On the Top of the World'.I loved the combo of Green, brown and Blue hues in that Snap of yours.Such a Kaliedoscope, thanks for sharing this Dream, truly refreshing.My Dzire is just waiting to be taken to the Hills. Hope the Gorkhaland Agitation ends soon.

Thank you. I actually have that pic as my desktop wallpaper. Take your car to hills. You are sure to love the drive.

Originally Posted by sabsubs

Beautiful snaps. What camera did you use to take snaps; the camera must be really good. I still remember that when I was young my dad took me to lambs rock and dolphins nose on his first bike, which was Enfield Explorer :-), I was studying in 5th standard then. After this I have regularly visited these two spots frequently. My home was very close to these two spots; it was just 10 km from my home. When I saw your pics, I got reminded of those good old days. Thanks for posting the pics.

Thank you sabsubs. I am using a 3 year old Sony DSC-W5. Its a simple point and shoot camera. You are really lucky to have stayed at such a beautiful place.

[kaushik_s]

Nice travelogue and lovely photographs dude. Even we went exploring the Glenmorgan route in our last visit. And it was some 8-9 km of desolate road, we should've gone further but time was not there to explore. I heard that there is some power generation station there, not sure though. Someone from that area can confirm it. And next time head towards Avalanche too, unspoilt area mostly but not so good roads.

[vijaythacker]

just a question was it easy to drive on those roads i mean hill area on DdiS engine without any hiccups?