The cherished memories of our travels to different destinations in India and abroad are embedded in my mind / thoughts. I love to live in old as well as my recent travel memories and turning the pages of my travel album recollecting the wonderful days spent in those destinations.
In this post I am penning down my memories of our visit to Ooty - the Queen of Hill Stations and one of the most romantic hills stations in down South India.
In September 2007 myself and my husband had been to Ooty. We took the evening flight from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. From Bengaluru we took a luxury bus to Ooty. It was a night journey by bus on the Ghat Roads. We reached Ooty in the early hours and straightaway went to the hotel where booked a deluxe room.
It was a chill yet pleasant morning. We enjoyed the scenic beauty of the place with a steaming hot cup of Nilgiris filter coffee which was too refreshing in the chill weather. We then finished our morning chores and walked to the lake in the pleasant morning.
Ooty is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in India and it needs not description. In almost all the tourist spots we could see newly wedded couples deeply engrossed in their own world. Those scenes all around reminded me the famous Hindi song 'dil deewana bin sajna ke maanena' by Bhagyasree in Maine Pyar Kiya movie.
Mother Nature is at her best in this beautiful hill station which nestles at a height of about 2250 m above the MSL (mean sea level) in the Nilgiris Hills (alka Blue Mountains). The hill station is located at a distance of about 105 Km from Coimbatore in Tamilnadu.
Ooty is one of the most visited hill stations in India. It is also known as Udagamandalum and it is the headquarters of the Nilgiris District in Tamil Nadu. This hill station is very popular for its scenic beauty with cool and serene atmosphere. The cloud-clad mountains, the rich tea and coffee plantation, lush green vegetation, rich flora and fauna add to the natural beauty of the place and of course. The beautiful surroundings arouses romantic feeling. The cool climate of the place along with its scenic beauty makes Ooty one of the most popular hill stations that attracts a large number of tourists both local and international tourist.
We walked all the way to the Ooty lake and strolled for a while enjoying the scenic beauty of the location. Initially we took a 20-30 minute Motor Boat ride which took us round the lake for half an hour. There were many boat both motor and pedal sailing in the lake water. The cool breeze added from the lake waters was too good and for a while I forgot the world behind.
After the ride, we again went on a Pedal Boat ride for 20 minutes. Though we were give life jackets to wear, yet I was a bit scared while pedaling. After a thrilling pedal boat ride we strolled for a while. There are rows of restaurants and shops selling local stuff and also from other states. I bought one Kashmiri sari at this place and then we had some light food in the restaurant.
Ooty lake is one of the top tourists attractions of the place where tourists can be seen enjoying boat rides in the lake and also fishing in the lake. Children enjoy a horse ride along the lake side while shopping sprees get indulged in shopping. Foodies relish the typical South Indian spicy foods in the restaurants. Local road side vendors sell fresh carrots and you can see the tourists munching sweet raw carrots.
We too enjoyed munching few raw carrots and then from here we took the public transport to the Govt Rose Garden. On the way, the bus halted at a spot and I quickly took the clicks of our ancestors which were seen on the way on the roadside.
On reaching the rose garden we strolled for a while inside. Entry was free. From this place we had an awesome mountain view.
During our visit to the garden there were only few rose beds with colorful flowers.
Actually this rose garden is an awesome place but is not much attracted by the tourists may be due to seasonal blooming of rose flowers.
It was evening and the weather turned chill. On our way back to the hotel we enjoyed hot sips of Nilgiri chai (tea) along with crunchy locally made Indian bread. We were back to our hotel room and had a good night sleep as our minds.
The next day morning we went to the Botanical Garden - one of the top tourist attractions of Ooty. On entering inside the garden, I was much attracted with the view of the vast stretch of meadows with trees at few places. I remembered watching this garden in many movies both Tollywood (Telugu movies) and Bollywood movies.
Botanical Garden is maintained by the Horticulture Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Every year a Flower Show is held in the month of May which is worth visiting. The lush green garden with varieties of trees and colorful flowers add to the beauty of the place which makes it a perfect place for enjoying with family.
This is the best place for relaxation and for a peace of mind particularly for those who are badly in need of a break from their hectic life.
There are beautiful figurines at few places in the garden. Most of the tourists spend the whole day in the lawns while children run and play in the lawns. We too spent the whole day in the lap of Mother Nature admiring her beauty and returned to our hotel room in the evening.
There are few other interesting tourist spots near Ooty which include the famous Madumali Wildlife Sanctuary and Doddabetta the highest peak in Nilgiris. Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary shares the border with the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka. The sanctuary is famous for Indian elephants, tigers, panthers, sambars, spotted deer, wild boar, porcupine and many more wild creatures.
Doddabetta is located at a distance of 10 Km from Ooty and lies in the joining point of Eastern and Western Ghats. Tourists who visit Ooty also make a trip to Coonoor and Kodaikanal - the other two popular hill stations in Tamil Nadu. Mother Nature is enriched with beauty at these two places. These incredible places are rich in pure air, tranquil and peaceful surroundings.
We could not visit these two places (hope to visit soon) as the next day morning we proceed to Mysuru (Mysore) for a short stay.
It's more than a decade we had been to this beautiful hill station yet the memories in fresh.
In this post I am penning down my memories of our visit to Ooty - the Queen of Hill Stations and one of the most romantic hills stations in down South India.
In September 2007 myself and my husband had been to Ooty. We took the evening flight from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. From Bengaluru we took a luxury bus to Ooty. It was a night journey by bus on the Ghat Roads. We reached Ooty in the early hours and straightaway went to the hotel where booked a deluxe room.
It was a chill yet pleasant morning. We enjoyed the scenic beauty of the place with a steaming hot cup of Nilgiris filter coffee which was too refreshing in the chill weather. We then finished our morning chores and walked to the lake in the pleasant morning.
Ooty is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in India and it needs not description. In almost all the tourist spots we could see newly wedded couples deeply engrossed in their own world. Those scenes all around reminded me the famous Hindi song 'dil deewana bin sajna ke maanena' by Bhagyasree in Maine Pyar Kiya movie.
Mother Nature is at her best in this beautiful hill station which nestles at a height of about 2250 m above the MSL (mean sea level) in the Nilgiris Hills (alka Blue Mountains). The hill station is located at a distance of about 105 Km from Coimbatore in Tamilnadu.
After the ride, we again went on a Pedal Boat ride for 20 minutes. Though we were give life jackets to wear, yet I was a bit scared while pedaling. After a thrilling pedal boat ride we strolled for a while. There are rows of restaurants and shops selling local stuff and also from other states. I bought one Kashmiri sari at this place and then we had some light food in the restaurant.
Ooty lake is one of the top tourists attractions of the place where tourists can be seen enjoying boat rides in the lake and also fishing in the lake. Children enjoy a horse ride along the lake side while shopping sprees get indulged in shopping. Foodies relish the typical South Indian spicy foods in the restaurants. Local road side vendors sell fresh carrots and you can see the tourists munching sweet raw carrots.
It was evening and the weather turned chill. On our way back to the hotel we enjoyed hot sips of Nilgiri chai (tea) along with crunchy locally made Indian bread. We were back to our hotel room and had a good night sleep as our minds.
The next day morning we went to the Botanical Garden - one of the top tourist attractions of Ooty. On entering inside the garden, I was much attracted with the view of the vast stretch of meadows with trees at few places. I remembered watching this garden in many movies both Tollywood (Telugu movies) and Bollywood movies.
There are few other interesting tourist spots near Ooty which include the famous Madumali Wildlife Sanctuary and Doddabetta the highest peak in Nilgiris. Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary shares the border with the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka. The sanctuary is famous for Indian elephants, tigers, panthers, sambars, spotted deer, wild boar, porcupine and many more wild creatures.
Doddabetta is located at a distance of 10 Km from Ooty and lies in the joining point of Eastern and Western Ghats. Tourists who visit Ooty also make a trip to Coonoor and Kodaikanal - the other two popular hill stations in Tamil Nadu. Mother Nature is enriched with beauty at these two places. These incredible places are rich in pure air, tranquil and peaceful surroundings.
We could not visit these two places (hope to visit soon) as the next day morning we proceed to Mysuru (Mysore) for a short stay.
It's more than a decade we had been to this beautiful hill station yet the memories in fresh.