8 January Ooty
The train fell behind schedule and pulled into the terminal
station of Mettupalayam just in time for us to fall in line for the unreserved cars
of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Ooty, also known as the ‘toy train’ although
the track is meter-gauge. Fortunately we got seats, facing backwards in the last
passenger car toward the steam locomotive that pushed the train uphill. On a beautiful
day with deep blue skies we slowly puffed off at 7:10 a.m. The railway opened in
1899 and made it to Ooty in 1908, providing summertime relief to overheated British
who moved the government here from Chennai in the hot months. The train takes nearly
five hours to cover the 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) to Ooty, passing through many
tunnels and over countless bridges as it climbs nearly 2,000 meters. At the first
stop the locomotive engaged its pinyon with the toothed middle rail (rack). Oil-fired
locomotives have replaced the old coal burning ones, which could be temperamental
and risked causing forest fires. Views of deep valleys and towering cliffs got better
and better as we climbed, sharing a window seat between the three of us. Dense jungle
covered most of the mountainsides, but tea plantations appeared as we neared Coonoor.
On the last stretch from Coonoor to Ooty a diesel locomotive took over. This section
had more development and fewer views.
One of our many
stops on the way, here filling the water tank
The engine required
a lot of maintenance!
The driver
has much to keep him busy.
Much of the line
has this third rail that engages a cog wheel on the locomotive.
My view, facing
backward to the locomotive
Mountains tower
over the valley.
Tea plantations
appear.
On arrival in Ooty we had a simple thali lunch at the railway station’s restaurant, then walked to Reflections Guesthouse, which we had booked through Airbnb. It turned out to be a good place to stay and the staff were very helpful. I had come through Ooty at the end of 1983 on my first visit to India, a bicycle ride from Chennai (then Madras) to New Delhi, and found the rambling town cold and damp. But now the place felt inviting under deep blue skies. After a rest I caught an autorickshaw ride across town to the Botanical Gardens, established in 1848 with cool-climate flora of the Nilgiri Mountains. I didn’t expect many flowers in the middle of the cold season, but a surprisingly large number of azaleas and other plants had colorful blooms. Small paths weaved across meadows, across the hillside, and up a little valley. Lots of locals had come out for a stroll or picnic. As the sun went down at the end of the day, temperatures became chilly. I met up with Glenda and Julie in town and we had South Indian vegetarian food at the big, bright, and noisy Adyar Ananda Bhavan.
9 January Ooty
It
had been a long time since I had a Western breakfast, but the guest house fixed
up a big one for me this morning with an omelet, toast, and cornflakes. On yet another
beautiful day, we wished to go for a walk in the hills. Serious treks in the jungle
of the Nilgiri Mountains require difficult-to-obtain permits, so we went to an area
outside the national parks. Our guide, arranged by our guest house, met up with
us and a French couple, then we got on a local bus for a ride to a sheep research
center northwest of town. We walked up a grassy valley then climbed to rolling ridges
with fine views of the highest summits of the Nilgiris to the southwest. Doddabetta
crowns the mountains at 2,637 meters and at least 24 peaks exceed 2,000 meters,
which was the elevation of our ridgetop viewpoint. Tribal people live here and tend
herds of buffalo, and we met a friendly group of women who invited us to stop for
tea, then showed us traditional garments, worn by both men and women. A long gentle descent led through a forest to tea plantations, where we followed
a quiet road to a village, then had a simple thali lunch. Afterward we climbed a
rocky hill for views of hills and villages to the south and hazy plains to the north.
Back at the village, we caught the same local bus for its return trip to Ooty, and
another South Indian dinner.
We started on this
road through the sheep research center.
Then climbed the
grassy hills for this view of the highest summits of the Nilgiris.
These tribal women
showed their garments.
And let the women
in our group wear them.
Vegetable gardens
behind their home
Way down the trail
we met their buffalo.
Tea plantation
village
Lunch time!
A tribal temple; only priests could go inside.
Our final
destination
And the view north from the top. Haze blankets the distant lowlands.
Trees provide a bit
of shade for the tea plants.
On to Kerala State: Into the Wilds of Parambikulam Tiger Sanctuary
Back to Beginning of South India Backpacking Dec. 2018-Jan. 2019