Ooty. The mist. The fog. The hills. The greenery. What a gorgeous place to grow up. I’m literally jealous of my mom. She lived here during the initial 12 years of her life amidst the wildflowers of this place.
Ooty or Ootacamund ,anglicized name for Udhagamandalam (The name Udhagamandalam is derived from the Toda word “othakal-mund” which means “house in mountains”) is one pretty place I’ve been to. Not just because that this place has many memories associated with it, but this hill station had its own charm on me. The crazy steep hair pin curves along the way and those long stretch of never ending tea plantations are a sight to behold. Ooty is a place known for tourism and its well behaved hosts. Below are some of my favorite things to do/ visit in ooty:
The Botanical Garden
It’s a vast and serene place to sit under complete silence and get comfortable with a book under the long willow trees. There are flower markets where you get these ‘everlasting flowers’-so called because they don’t wither and stay fresh for months after being plucked. There are colorful plants and blossoms everywhere and a constant cool breeze to add to the mood.
The Ooty Train ride
Ooty train is one of the slowest trains in India. It is said that one can even walk side beside a moving train. It explores the heights of the ooty hills and tunnels that open to mouth widening flaura and a few of fauna. I spotted deer, wild boar and bison and other wild animals. It was a joyful journey. The train is not very long. Each compartment has seats facing each other. Since I had gone with my family, we all sat together in a single bogey.
Savor Tamil cuisine
If you ever come to ooty, try their semi sweet biscuits called ‘Varkey’. They’re a good snack. Plus one can never leave Tamil Nadu without trying out their hot Thair vada, masala dosa, steaming ney roast, and their sood sood chai. Yes they do use a lot of ghee and butter in their dishes but they’re delicious as hell.
Visit the Breeks Memorial Anglo Indian School
Amma did her schooling at a marvelously constructed school and I’m crying now. The whole architecture looks so fine English and it’s was an honor to get inside and see the interior of the building. I plodded through the stairs, slowly moving my fingers over the glass window panes. The hinges have rusted but I was still astonished at the maintenance of the brick structure. Beautiful. We visited the Hall of Fame where my mum’s name was mentioned twice for the being the topper in 10th and 12th grade. Damn! She’s my motivation to go higher in life.
A walk through the Ooty Market
The famous ooty market is one place you cannot miss on a trip to Ootacamund. It’s super clean compared to the regular markets of India. They’re well maintained. You find many smiling portraits selling their goods under the yellow sheets. I found it artistic to have made this place into a well designed space with proper walking paths with junctions in between.
Boating at Kathadimattam lake
A very pleasant place to spend an evening. There’s children’s park for the kids and boating open for everyone. You get freshly made hot bhajjis and sweet corn masala and having them under the fog hits different. There’s also a shopping market nearby in case you would like buy souvenirs back home.
Doddabetta Peak
Let me warn you beware of the monkeys! They stole my bottle of juice and ran away into the woods, stoping midway to laugh at me. A small hike amidst the green makes you feel lighter. And I couldn’t see anything much from the view point due to high fog and the visibility was very low. I remember we spent a great deal of time to park our car at the gate. It took a damn lot of while.
So basically this sums up my journey to Ooty and it was a pleasant experience. The shift of weather from hot to cold and the taste of food makes you feel refreshed. Ooty is quite literally the queen of all hill stations.
Wandering Sasha 