Ashish KumarWe all met first time in engineering college SJCIT Chickballapur(Bengaluru) back in September 2008 and have been close ever .Since then we never let the distance separate our friendship and always try to connect each other no matter in which ever demographic place of earth we are.
Back in 2011 ,on the occasion of Navratri we had 5 days of holiday in the our college. The Hostel got almost vacant by the evening as many Hostelite went to their homes to celebrate festival and few went to their relative home in Bengaluru . After the great discussion of finding the cost effective trip near Bengaluru with left over batchmate in Hostel we decided to visit Ooty .
You never know when the travel bug bites you! Finally Vivek Miital, Rohit Singh, Nitesh Saxena, Devrath , Ranjan , Monish ,Kumar Saurav and me agreed for trip . Soon we booked Innova at the cheapest rate as we were to spend money from our monthly pocket money received from our parent .
Ooty also known as Udhagamandalam is the Queen of hill stations. It is the one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. Nilgiris means Blue Mountains. It is a land of picturesque picnic spots which used to be popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days.
Everyone was excited for that adventurous trip . After we had dinner at our hostel mess we started our journey around 9 p.m. Soon we were on Bengaluru -Mysore Highway . Around midnight we reached Mysore and decided to had the glimpse of Mysore Palace from outside , As Mysore Palace is beautifully decorated and illuminated during Dussehra celebration.
After spending sometime outside Mysore Palace we enroute toward Mysore-Ooty highway. Its turns adventurous once it crosses Gundulpet. After that , starts the Bandipur Tiger Reserve maintained by the state of Karnataka which continues till the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.
We reached Bandipur Tiger Reserve within an 2hour after a drive from Mysore . No vehicle was allowed to cross the Bandipur Tiger Reserve during night due to security reason so we joined the vehicle queue in the road and waited till morning for gate to be opened .
After the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve, the road takes you through the misty, meandering paths over the hills, green coffee and tea plantations to the Queen of Hills in the Nilgiris. The last stretch of the road to Ooty offers the most breathtaking views. At times the route traverses through the dense pine forests allowing glimpses of sunlight through the trees or at other times it passes through the thick bamboo woods and 36 Hairpin bend road add adventure and thrilling to the trip .
Around 9 am we reached Ooty and after lot of mess we finally managed to get cheapest lodge . Once everyone got refreshed we head to Doddabetta Peak. It offers commanding views over the Nilgiri mountains and valleys through telescope present over there.
During the afternoon, we took a walk to the Botanical Garden. The stroll through the garden was a rejuvenating experience, walking through innumerable species of plants and flowers.
Later in the evening we went for the boat ride in Ooty lake .Boating is the main attraction in Ooty Lake. We had various choices like Motor boat, Pedal boat, etc.
After we had evening snacks at our lodge we went out for market visit and bought some homemade chocolates and sweaters . At 9.30 pm but to our surprise we found all the shops were shut down by then.We managed to get dinner at one small hotel, but the food was fresh, delicious and cheap.
Next Morning we planned out for the toy train from Ooty to Coonoor railway station but unfortunately we missed due to our delay . So we decide to go by road but due landslide that wasn’t possible so we palnned to visit Avalanche lake .It is mountain ranges covered with shoal forests, and the numerous sporadic waterfalls crawling down the slopes, and crystal clear fresh water create a picturesque backdrop .
We also visited Wenlock Downs 9th Mile Shooting Point .There several shots of the movie were shot in that location such as Raja Hindustani ,Raaz and many more.
Next place we visited was Pine forest and lake .The area is a steep slope downhill with numerous pine trees. Scenic area for photos and selfies. At the end of the slope is a beautiful lake with an amazing view. It was a slippery climb down and a very tedious climb back up.
Next day we started our journey back to hostel on the way we visited the amazing Paykara Falls .Plenty of rain birds were hovering over the water body which is surrounded by hills on both sides. The vast stretch of the waterfall could be visualised only when the mist cleared. After a hot cup of tea, we started our journey . While entering the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, believe me!! We sighted a Royal Bengal tiger in the shrubs looking at the busy thoroughfare, also we saw elephant , Deer etc.
Mast trip tha wo maza 😊😊
Lekin bhai thode naraaz chal rhe the trip me..Devrat Lal ko under me leke bhai ne monish aur humse muh fer lia tha..yaad hai bhai🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
bahut gutbaaji kiye the trip mai sab😂
Bhai maine toh miss kr diya tha….
Lakin Baad Mai almost ye sab place visit Kiya hun….
Bhai maine toh miss kr diya tha….
Lakin Baad Mai almost ye sab place visit Kiya hun….
So good memories… thanks
Good old memories…
Good old memories.
nice recollection.. 😊