Coonoor - Sojourn in Nilgiris

Tea Estates as far you can see and some Sunshine 

I took my head out to feel the fresh rain drops , the nippy mountain air , I have just woken up from a nap with some discomfort in my neck and the view just made me forget all the inches of my body that ached because of long sitting.

We were headed to Coonoor, a quaint non commercialized hills station in the Nilgiris in southern India. It is at a distance of 297 KMS from Bangalore and takes between 9-10 hours depending on the breaks you take.

The drive goes through Mysore road , bypassing Mysore directly leading to Bandipur National park before the hill drive starts  towards Ooty, the hill drive has 36 hairpin bends , good road , no mobile network and amazing view of the valley.
We started from Bangalore at 6 am with 1 long break for breakfast on the Mysore road( lot of highway joints) , other small break to fill up just before forest area starts and reached at 2pm

Tip: Start early ,be aware of the traffic you will experience in Ooty as you will need to cross it to reach Coonoor.

We have chosen Sunvalley Homestay because of the reviews on TripAdvisor , we booked 15 days in advance and got the last 2 rooms available. On their website it showed booked, we still sent a query and they got back with good news! This place is not a traditional home stay ! The rooms are big , clean and very well maintained. The entry point looks disappointing but the view from rooms are breathtaking! The staff was the most courteous we have ever seen, even after reaching way past lunch time they served us hot pipping food with so much love.

Tea pickers gathering leaves

You will meet the laziest dog Soni , bunch of rabbits, pigeons ,house sparrows which i believed was extinct.The place is done nicely with small touches of bird feed , lines of lilies , exotic flowers and a restaurant that offers mesmerizing views.

The rooms had big balconies which opened into the tea plantation estate.

At Sunvalley , with modest rooms and panoramic views 

Being on road for 9 hours left us tired and aching for bed ,while others got cozy to catch up some sleep i ventured out in the tea plantation for an hour long walk ( the advantage of dozing off in the car).
The sun had started to set , the entire area was washed by golden light ,birds returning to their nest and such calm, i could hear my each step and breath.
I sat in the middle of all shades of green to listen to my thoughts , there were none. The view had silent the mind and calmed the breath ,nature does this to you.

During the long walk in Tea estate, sunset is a great time to venture out 

You will wake up to chirping Mynas 

Magical Sunsets

Next day we decided to wake up at leisure and ventured out after having fulfilling south Indian breakfast. We dropped the idea of toy train because it gets heavily crowded, is very slow ( impatient people like me will jump off) and  need to queue up 6 am in the morning to get ticket( you may still not get the ticket).

We decided to have lunch at The Culnarium ,  a pretty restaurant on the way to Ooty that offers mix of Italian and french food ,the food was good but we had to wait for 1 hour to get a table.
we headed to Kotagiri, another small town in Nilgiris which is still untouched and has some breathtaking views, we depended on Google maps to reach Rangaswamy peak and pillar but got lost multiple times, the drive is scenic , you will spot small houses in the middle of nowhere , tea plantations , mighty mountains blooming with vegetation .

At Kotagiri you will spot multiple such residences in the middle of Tea Estate 

It was already day 3 and we regretted coming here for such a short duration, you can easily  spend 5 days if you are a nature lover. After a really early walk in the plantation , sumptuous breakfast we started for Bangalore with a plan to visit Tea factory . There was a major accident on the route which delayed us , again we dependent on google maps and got lost twice! Ooty was jammed as expected and the direction that google maps showed for the tea factory was a dead end so we cancelled the idea and headed directly to Luru!

Until we meet again 

Once you get out of Ooty its less crowded, the roads are free. Make sure to buy spices in Ooty itself as you will not find any shop on the way. Keep the windows open , stack up snacks and enjoy the view .

On the way back we ate at Glanton Manor which is right at the end of hill drive and beginning of Bandipur National Park they are famous for their biryani but we liked the food in general,

                                                              IMPORTANT TIPS

1. There are plenty of fuel stations so no need to stack up!

2. It gets really cold, in the day it goes up-to 18 degrees and night temperature can be as low as 16 degrees. Carry 1 thin and 1 thick jacket if you want to venture out in night

3. There are almost no shops to buy liquor, if you plan to drink Wine carry some!

4. Don't follow google maps all the time, its a good idea to ask locals if you know the language.

5. Its ok to not visit any tourist spots as they are really crowded, instead go for drive to Kotagiri and
take long walk in tea plantation

6. Book in advance if you want to stay at a good place!

7.Entry to Bandipur national park is restricted after 6 pm so plan the entry/exit accordingly.

8. Carry binoculars if you are fond of birding.

                                                                         

The only photo of 4 of us together - What a trip guys <3

Life in METRO

For past 1 week every time I get those 30 minutes on my usual train a flurry of thoughts rush through my head as i draft each and every sentence with utmost precision that would soon become a blog post (a blog that has been ignored for long)
I love those 30 minutes i get everyday , the phone network doesn't work, i chose not to carry my laptop and even among those strangers i feel at peace. As i rush up the elevator every morning i see the same old gentleman scanning the boys , a girl in her early twenties scans the females who sometimes stand on the other side and is replaced by a middle aged lady, these are the only constants in those 35 minutes i spend everyday on my journey from home to work.

During the peak hours the coaches are  jammed till the door and if you are somewhere back in the que its advisable to let the first train go or if those 5 minutes of wait for another train is unavoidable/unbearable  be prepared to be crushed against the glass ,probably get a stare or two for mistakenly stamping on somebody's  foot. But if you are a middle class Indian(just like me ) chances are you  already used to this.

This Struggle gets over as soon as the train arrives at MG road station , its like nobody travels beyond that point !!I usually get a place to sit as soon we cross this station except for the times when some moron decides to push me behind and grab that one place for which i have been standing for past 5 stops whereas he got in at the last one , well I give a cold look ( to which he is mostly oblivious ) and move on. The funny part is everyone around knows that he did was wrong except for himself. Now few of you may get question why i used HIM and not HER , well i never experienced this will girls , if aunties do this its ignored because they obviously need the seat more then me.

In these 30 Min's i also get to experience the diversity our country is so proud of , this variety includes locals(of course) , people from far off states of North India and north east India, locals but originally from a nearby state ,farmers and daily wagers , government employees , lawyers , school and college students , expats , noisy kids, big families, Travelers , loud smelly -no etiquette kinds , phone photography lovers, and last us the daily commuters. There are few faces i wave at just because i see them often ,more then i see my best friend or my mom.

My favorite kind of commuters are the oldies, they remind me of my parents and the fact that we all are just passengers in this journey called life . I dislike those bunch of college kids the most who tend to use Bro both as prefix and suffix for almost every sentence e.g  Bro, listen to this song bro, its kick ass bro - The Bro listens and responds " Bro, what a song Bro" I am going to add it to my play list , thanks bro".. I have heard this conversation so many times that now as soon i hear this word i start hunting for my earphones in that giant bag of mine.

Its amazing to think that i spend 10 hours every month with set of complete strangers and still most of us never try to engage in a conversation or two , all of us even though scanning through each others faces are so lost in our thoughts or in our phones that we forget how enriching a conversation may turn out to be( I am included in this list).So many times i get the urge to ask the person sitting next to me  " whats your story ?" but either the train reaches the destination or the thought never becomes an action.
I love seeing those new faces every single day and wonder how i have never seen 2 faces alike , a small temporary world gets created every single day and ends because everyone reached their destination , isn't it beautiful?
Even when you do not actually share your life with these people you do share a destination, certain hours and the bond of fellow commuter.


                                                                                  ****

Kodaikanal - A Road trip from Bengaluru

Road trips in India have their own charm , the slow transition from narrow crowded streets to 4 lane-empty roads can be surreal. This was our (read Ravi & Mine )4th road trip in south India but we were unsure as the distance was 465 kms one way with almost no experience in hill driving . Google research helped us find that the roads till kodaikanal is a 4 lane highway and much like Bengaluru-Chennai, hill driving is restricted to a stretch of 43 kms from chennai -Thenni highway via Kodai Ghat road to  Kodaikanal. We were already packing our bags:)

We have put together a 5 pointer guide for your trip to this quaint hill station:

1) LEAVE EARLY - Its best to leave early to avoid the traffic in city , it will help you not to rush on the way and give you window for short breaks. The distance of approximately 465 kms was covered in 9 hours including the breaks .We left from Bengaluru at 6 am though we have planned for 4.30 & reached Kodaikanal at 3pm , on the way we took 1 long break and 2 short tea breaks . There are not many options on the way to have food so pack the lunch if possible, neither any clean toilets so best to make use of that big tree & bushes you will see on your way.

The last stretch of 43 kms is an uphill ride with sharp hairpin bends , the roads are in very good condition but there is no street light , covering this stretch in daylight is advisable if you are a non seasoned hill driver.

2) Accommodation in Kodaikanal - I like to do my own research and prefer booking well in advance , we decided to stay near the famous Kodai lake and chose Sterling Resorts Kodai - By the Lake  Its a well maintained property with lots of greenery in and around, flowers blooming in full swing and plenty of indoor activities to keep kids and the kid in you alive.We were left disappointed as Goibibo described the room we booked to have a balcony with views but there was no such thing. We were informed by the hotel staff that only twin bedroom apartments had balconies.Also, The resort name states Kodai - By the lake , A Sterling resorts its further from the lake. around a km and one can see the lake only from their restaurant. Again a big disappointment if you are looking for lake view.

If you have the budget stay @ Carlton (Carlton -Kodaikanal), its a beautiful property just by the lake with stunning views from their gardens. We loved their buffet too as we feasted there for 2 of our meals!Other choice was Villa retreat (Villa Retreat), but thy were full for the dates. 

Plan in advance if you want to have a good luxurious stay.

"I can play this all day long"

3)If you can, Avoid Weekend: Weekend can be really crowded in Kodai as lots of locals prefer the lake and other touristy spots.Rest of the week you wont see a soul around ,you can go for long stroll around the lake without vendors making sure you take a horse ride.

4) MAGIC-SHROOM - This is one of the specialty of Kodai , you will find young boys on bikes zooming past you and saying - Shroom - Bro????If you are interested they will ask how many dozen you want. Don't be startled , Magic-shroom's magic starts only when consumed in large quantities such as a dozen .If you say yes , they will ask you to meet at one corner of the lake and hand over a crumpled paper ball filled with mushrooms. We were doing this for the first time so didn't know if the mushrooms were fresh or not , but we believed they were not as it did not move a hair on me! They are supposed to be eaten with honey or just by themselves ( only if your taste buds don't exist!)

This is not legal though!

"I found a new meditation spot"

Long Walks like these everyday - YES PLEASE

5)Things to do/Places to eat - There are plenty of touristy places to visit , such as Berijam lake, Coakers walk , Dolphin Nose. For Berijam lake you need permit from the forest department, plan accordingly and reach by 9am if you have gone by private vehicle. We were informed trek to Perumal peak has been banned & were left utterly disappointed,I did not find this anywhere while researching for this trip. On weekdays we loved taking a stroll by the lake ,with no one around all we could hear was chirping birds ,rustling leaves & our footsteps. We spent the afternoons lazing around, playing othello and reading through the afternoons.Relish your taste buds with different varieties of fresh fruits available such as Pears, apples, Rambutan. On your way to the lake Visit Tredis tea room for good Non- vegetarian food & hot cuppa .

"Our Own sweet spot in Pine Forest"

P.S : It can get really cold in Kodaikanal, the day temperature in June was 18-20 Degree Celsius and night was 12!! Carry enough woollens so that you can go for night strolls as well( I know , I just cant get enough of these). Don't forget umbrella , keep it handy , always.

The Moon-Shine

We were different , we were young.

She came across from nowhere
Through a message that was erred
Like a shot of lightening , brightening my whole world.

The dash of excitement
That adventure that everyday became
My world was new, it would never be the same.

She could put me in splits in a moment
And make me cry the next
I lost to her my everything, even I was perplexed!

Everyday has been a gift since
She has been so benign
Want to keep her twinkling , want to make her mine.

Her heart is difficult to grasp
Her thoughts impossible to attend
For women are like magic tricks; which, to admire,we should not understand.

And here I am waiting
And losing all hope
Have tried too hard everything; Her answer always being "Nope"

They say never give up trying
For persistent men have always won
And winning isn't everything, even trying has its fun!

And so I keep treading
Into the paths unknown
Her eyes my inspiration, winning her heart my throne.

                                                                          ***

Words unsaid

There are so many thoughts that if i start writing it wont be a blog post anymore.
I packed my bags yet again , said temporary goodbyes to the awesome people I spent most of my life in Bangalore with and landed in this beautiful and much hyped city of London.

This was not the first time , I have been here before and  still wanted to come back for various reasons like doing some thing more challenging  by moving to a foreign land , living on my own and exploring life to greater extent  and the obvious reason of earning some good money .
The things were different this time and I did not weigh it in advance , when you go for  short trips you have everything sorted but when you move your base from one city  to another its a different game altogether.
I had to live with an Indian couple with a toddler, I was so skeptical about  having a mini human in the house but apparently that was the only good thing in that house. Even though the place where i lived comes in London it had nothing fancy that would make me believe that I worked  and lived in London. The transition as they say is never easy, the work place was nothing I thought it to be, people worked for 9-10 straight hours and my office had no cafeteria! People had lunch on their desk while replying to the emails , These things may look like small but when one goes through it its painful 
I cursed the time when i used to pray for this .
The pollution free environment or fresh fruits did not lift my spirit up , it did not give me the warmth I got back in my country.
But as they say and as i believe time heals everything, I moved closer to work , excelled the art of multitasking -lunching while replying to emails , its been 4 months and  things have got better . Yes , life is easy , it is structured , there is no struggle for daily chores as you end up doing everything by yourself , its a routine but even routine becomes a problem when you don't have the right people to share it with .
The fact  that  I miss my country hasn't changed , even though people are humane here but I have been a victim of racism ,  have heard abuses from the locals without any fault of mine, but one incidence doesn't make this place a bad place. It can happen anywhere. So we suck it up and move on.
I know a lot of people who want to settle outside, I use to be one of those but after coming here  I thought for what? Money ? Better Life? beautiful Weekend Breaks? Luxury?
Yes maybe  that's a lot to loose for something I crave  now, my country , my people,  the country that gave me my identity , or maybe its no

A wise friend of mine never wanted to move outside , I wondered why but now I know.
6 more months here before I come back , till then i will make full use of the time by breathing in lead free air, pampering my taste buds with all the exotic fruits , experiencing  the most beautiful autumn and enjoying last days of being a bachelorette ;)

P.S - Wrote this post 6 months ago never to be published , I leave in 20 days :)

Life Without FB

We all Deactivate Our FB account at some point in time for some reason or other. I did it for the first time about a month ago the reason Being An exam I was appearing in a months time together with utter frustration that culminated from the Fact that I didn't have any updates of any form as My work life , the insane commute and weekend Studies left me with no time.
SO I decided instead of wasting  time there and brooding over the sad facts I have the power to deactivate it and Make it little easy for myself , I  know people who have never had a fb account and were still alive and pretty normal .
 I go to the settings , answer the Reason why I wish to deactivate My account which was simple - I waste too much time here though I wish they had more realistic  Answer  which could read something like this  - I have no updates and I have better things to do in life then to  just check Peoples time-line and feel sad ,Nevertheless I deactivated.
A week went by and Yay I was still alive ,no signs of depression Either . During the week I did pick my phone in free time and searched for this App  which would give me a doze on Monotony of my life only to realize it didn't exist anymore , I still didn't feel my phone is all Useless now.

In the Process I have discovered Few things , pretty basic though:

1) It doesn't Kill you : Its just an app after all, it wont make an iota difference in your life , it just another Habit , A routine.

2)You ll have Enough Spare Time: Now that my exam is over and Still there is no Fb , I use that spare time to Well Read , sleep a little longer .We do waste a lot of time there and according to a study An Average Indian FB user Spends 4 Hours a Month on Fb alone!

3)You wont have access to  peoples Life you don't care/Know well as result You wont feel horrible even if your life is Simple monotonous journey without any promotions, travel, Engagements etc cetera.

On the Other hand :

1) You wont get to see many offers on the sites you might have been following otherwise

2) You will miss on quite a few birthdays, Anniversary's , new born  and Event Invites

3) And if this is your source of World News well then.. Good LuCk

And yes That would be all .

I am not against FB or any social Media PLatform ,After all we need to Move ahead and Accept these changes , its helpful in many aspects and mean not only harm. But We have forgotten where to draw the line, Its suppose to be a platform to interact with people But we started to compare our lives which is the reason of most of the troubles( it all applies to me as well )
They didn't know of  the impact it would make on an Individuals life , neither did we weigh the Consequences.

I would want to get back my account, few more days maybe. But it did teach me that I need to learn to Use it just as Platform for Interaction /little knowledge sharing and Nothing more,  that my life is as good and there is no point of sulking over Monotony which is short lived and Much  needed sometimes.

Whats your experience like Without FB?

Life is...

              I am putting together few lines that inspire me and puts a big smile now and then.
                                                       Hope it does the Same for you !!