Ooty

A weekend retold in pictures.

Five of us - me, Craig, Dave, Warren, and Florian - decided to go to Ooty for the weekend, despite being unable to book return train tickets (back to Vellore).  We figured we'd ask around about other transportation options once we got there.

After a sleeper train which was uneventful except for the fact that we were too giddy to sleep for the first few hours and instead stayed up talking, we arrived in Mettupalayam.  This man - coffeecoffeecoffee man - was a hero.

Surprisingly, we were able to snag tickets on the toy train up the mountain.  Since it ran on steam, it had to make frequent stops to refill its water tank.

The stops gave us a chance to get out, stretch our legs, enjoy the views...and take ridiculous pictures with overzealous fellow passengers.

Some stops had more entertainment than we expected.

The ride up the mountain was slow (46 km in 4 hours), but the views were worth it.  Plus, we considered it all just another part of the adventure.

Once we made it to Ooty, we did all the necessary touristy activities, like paddleboating.

We also had a good time visiting the tea factory and museum.  This was after inadvertently ripping off an autorickshaw driver and before nearly getting stranded at the factory.  As always - just another part of the adventure.

Ooty itself is quite pretty.  Back in the 1800s, the government would relocate here from Madras during the summer to beat the heat.

We also went on a half-day trek nearby.  As we walked over the misty, deserted hills, one of the guys started whistling music from Lord of the Rings.  Well, I suppose it looks a bit like the movies...

We walked through a maze of tea bushes, being as careful as we could not to slip in the mud.

At the end of the trek, we ate snacks in a small village before catching the bus back to Ooty, where we would hire a cab to take us back to Vellore.

The cab ride was quite the adventure.  Immediately after making it down the long, winding road around the mountain, we were stuck in a traffic jam for 90+ minutes.  We even convinced our driver to get out of the car and take a picture.

The traffic jam did give us a beautiful view of the sunset over the hills.

After several hours of playing cards and inhaling fumes, the cab got a flat.  We used the spare until our driver could find a "puncture" shop, a difficult feat at 11:30 p.m.

Eventually we made it back to Vellore, 13 hours after leaving Ooty.  That was one long cab ride.  All part of the adventure.  We all agree - it was a fantastic weekend!