Southern India - 14 February 2012 (5)

Ooty

Info on Doddabetta Lookout Point

Ooty in Haze from Doddabetta

We dumped our stuff and set off down the hill to check out the restaurant at the Priti Palace Hotel.  The others ate there, but I walked off and found a bakery.  I bought a slice of pineapple cake for just Rs8.  It was delicious as it tasted of real pineapple.  Then I went to the internet a couple of doors down, where I checked my emails for Rs15.  Then I took a tuk tuk back to the hotel for Rs40 and gave him Rs10 tip.

Ooty form Doddabetta Lookout Point

Tea Factory Sign

We set out at 1400 to go to the lookput point on Doddabetta, the highest peak in south India.  The views of Ooty below us were slightly disappointing because it was all a bit hazy.  I heard some beautiful singing and tracked down a red-whiskered bulbul in full view on a tall tree.  I treated myself to a chocolate covered ice cream on a stick for Rs30.  It was very nice, with a true chocolate flavour.

Why I Drink Tea?

Chopping the Tea Leaves

Walking back to the bus, we passed some stalls and I bought a small haematite necklace.  Jen bought a peacock hair clip.  They were both surprisingly cheap.

Next stop was a tea factory.  As we walked towards it, the air smelt like a nice cup of tea.  We read the boards which covered the history of tea drinking and making teabags (Mr Sullivan, after whom our hotel was named, played an important part) and then went round the factory below to see the leaves being shredded, dried, filtered and packaged.  Actually, I saw it twice as I jumped the gun a bit and lost the group at one point.  At the end of the tour, we were offered a cup of white tea – so I declined – and were able to buy some of the produce.  I bought three tins of different sorts of tea as a birthday present for my friend Charles.

Tea Leaves in Production

Lady who Sold Me Some Tea

Then we had to give the adjacent chocolate factory a miss as it was time to head for the botanical gardens.  After driving down to the entrance, Lukose got the tickets and left us with instructions on how to find the hotel.  A few of us dashed to the free loos and then found the others had gone off, so we were a small party: Diane, Guilland, Andrew, Bella, Steve and me.

Bella and Diane with New Young Friends

Young Men in Botanical Gardens

Andrew wanted to see the Tana village, so we wandered up, beyond the rose garden and the sunken garden until we reached the back fence.  The sign posts for the village had disappeared, so we headed back down.  We had to cross a very muddy bit and I slipped while Andrew was helping me, so we both got a bit mucky.

Elephant in Botanical Gardens

Ooty Botanical Gardens

We were stopped a few times by groups of young people wanting us to take their photos or wanting to take photos of us and then met up with Steve beside a statue of an elephant.  He had set off left when the unhelpful signs to the village had said to go right, but hadn’t found it either.  We were stopped again for more photos and then reached the Conservatory.  This had a walk-through route and was mainly given over to busy lizzies, which we thought rather strange as they grow well outside in the UK, so shouldn’t need cover in Ooty, even if it was slightly cooler at altitude.  Guilland especially was disappointed when we reached the Fern House as it was shut.  Meanwhile, Diane, Bella and Steve had made friends with a group of school children and were busy posing for photos.  Finally we mustered our small group and walked back to the entrance.

Fern House, Ooty Botanical Gardens

Diane, Bella and Steve with New Friends

Here we found just one tuk tuk.  Steve wanted to walk back anyway, so the driver offered to take all the rest of us back to the hotel for Rs100.  The five of us squeezed in and off we set.  As we climbed the hill to the hotel, the engine sounded decidedly laboured with the weight, but we made it without breaking down.

Back in the hotel, I spent time sorting things out in the room and, at 1930, Jen and I joined the others who were in the bar.  The waiter brought us some home-made crisps which were very good and decidedly moreish.

Eventually, we went to eat.  There was a buffet again.  It was quite nice, though not the best of the trip.  There were some western options, but most of us stuck to Indian food for the main course.  Jen got carried away and had two large plates of desserts.  She was particularly fond of gulab jamuns and was never happier than when they were on the menu or in the buffet.  I confined myself to a chocolate pudding, which tasted a lot better than it looked.

We had to go to reception to pay the bill.  Mine was Rs629 for the buffet plus fresh lime soda.  Then we went up to the room for another early night.