Last Wednesday night, some of us rented a minibus and traveled to Ooty. Ooty is a hill station in Tamil Nadu, 2000 meters above sea level. When we arrived early the next day, we could finally breath in the fresh mountain air! It was around 16 degrees, a lot colder than Puducherry, so we had to go shopping for more appropriate clothing. But first we checked into a nice guesthouse and got some Indian breakfast in the city. We ordered a buffet consisting of a variety of items, some better than others. New flavor experiences!
In the afternoon we went boating in a lake, before visiting a tea farm. Nilgiri, the name of the district Ooty is in, is very famous for their tea. It was very delicious, practically straight from the surrounding tea plantations. In the evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from a popular viewpoint. The mountain landscape is just breathtaking, and you can hear by the sounds that you are surrounded by wild animals. We met quite a few monkeys throughout our trip!
On Friday we went for a longer hike, 10 km through lush tea plantations in the hillside. We stopped at Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin’s Nose to catch our breath and take in the views. Again we were speechless by the beauty of it. I have never seen so much tea in my entire life. After the trip we went to a small guesthouse a bit outside of Ooty. It was located far away from everything; all we could see around us were more mountains and tea plantations. The room we were accommodated in looked like the loft of a barn, and bathroom facilities were very simplistic. That together with the bonfire we made in the night truly gave us an authentic backpacker experience!
After spending Saturday morning relaxing in the peaceful hillsides, we started our trip back towards Puducherry. But on the halfway, we stopped in Mettampalayam to spend one night there. Now we were down from the mountains, and the city looked more like the other Indian cities we’ve been to before. A lot of shops, restaurants, busy streets; and all the fantastic chaos that is part of the Indian city life. Before heading back home, we spent some time exploring the city. Me and another student walked to a neighborhood, where curious locals welcomed us. We even got invited in for coffee in one of the houses! People here are so generous and welcoming. A great ending to an adventurous long weekend
Helene
