On our way we stopped at a local chocolate factory, something Ooty & Coonoor were famous for, beside tea-estates. Smelling rich of eucalyptus barks, they showed us how they were making the chocolates and their tea. We grabbed a few packets to bring back with us.
Lamb’s rock was another viewpoint that offered a great view to the valleys and was also a place where a few blockbuster movies were shot. The day hadn’t turned sunny yet, so the outer view was lost on us. But it also had something else to offer – unlike Dolphin’s nose, this one was deep inside a forest. We walked through the man-made road within the somewhat-dense forest, giving us a lovely feeling.
There was not much else to see here, beside more such random viewpoints. So we decided to take advantage of the famous heritage train in Coonoor. Our driver dropped us at the picturesque Coonoor station we had seen a brief glimpse of while coming, and promised the drop our car back at the hotel. We got our unbelievably low-rate tickets and climbed aboard one of the beautifully designed bogies. The complete 46km route started from Mettupalyam and ended at Ooty, but we didn’t have that much time in hand. So we decided to satisfy ourselves with the 19km route from Coonoor to Ooty instead.
It was a lovely, gradually warmer and scenic 80 minutes journey. The compartment for unreserved passengers had multiple disconnected rows of seats, giving the privacy to a group travelling together, unlike the regular seating arrangements. The big airy windows gave us enough space to peek out and enjoy the view of exotic eucalyptus forests. The route was full with pleasing views and quaint little stations, such as the “Lovedale” – absolutely romantic! The train also went through a few tunnels that the passengers waited eagerly for, giving us an innocent thrill.
Once we were at Ooty, things started looking more like a city. We walked through the shopping lanes, casually looking out for things we could buy. Bhavna did find them eventually. We bought some warm clothes & shoes in attractive prices. It was almost lunch time, so we paused our shopping spree and got into a café near the town centre. After lunch, we did a final round of shopping in s souvenir shop.
We returned to Coonoor by a state bus. After some rest, we came out to the town centre again in the evening. It was our last night here, as we would check out the next morning. The place properly reflected what Coonoor was – a mixed cultured peaceful town, with people from all over the country. Although situated in Tamil Nadu, the city didn’t have a flair particular to southern India, or northern India for that matter.
Our lunch wasn’t great, so we looked for another nice dinner joint. We found a pizzeria at the west end of the town – a joint that seemed to be preferred by a lot of tourists, both Indian & foreign. The owners, also the hosts, interacted with all their customers, making the experience personal. We got ourselves a pan pizza and a sandwich. After dinner, we went back to hotel and sat on the wooden benches in the lawn… enjoying the night.
The next morning, we left the hotel at around 10am. A long way to go back… and on top of that, I had a certain place in mind to stop at on the way – Pykara Lake. We had seen a lot of tourists near the area on our way to Coonoor the other day, along with multiple appealing signs of Pykara boathouse throughout a 10 km stretch. As you may have already read, we are both water signs and are naturally drawn towards it, in spite of not knowing swimming, me more than her. I love a little boating if the place is right. But the main Ooty Lake looked crowded and over-commercialized. So, Pykara had been on my mind for some time.
The lake was 23km further ahead from Ooty, through the pretty pine forest. We were back at the curvy hilly road and I was enjoying the drive to the fullest. I had only been driving a year and this was the most fun drive I ever had. The boathouse wasn’t on the main road, but 1 km inside. We took the uphill entry road and entered the dense forest.
At the far end of the narrow semi-broken road, was a big boathouse. Although the place was in the interior, it seemed to have attracted a large group of tourists. There was a queue of people trying to reserve the group boats. There were no small boats available but thankfully a group invited us to join the big boat they were renting.
The lake was huge… and so inviting (cover image at the top)! As our boat started, the view of its far shores around the forest made me wish that the boat would drop us there. Its soothing green water kept my eyes glued on them. The deeper we went inside the lake, the more of its hidden parts revealed themselves. The lake was bigger than we could gauge, but most of its parts weren’t part of the tour. I wished the ride would never end and I could sit right in the middle of the lake, enjoying the water all around me. But all rides must end.
Once the 20 minute boat ride was over, we hit the road again. The trip was almost over. The only place we stopped on the way was for a late lunch, at a highway restaurant after Mysore.
This being a Sunday evening, the road back to Bangalore was full of returning cars. It took us longer than expected to reach home. Once we did, we dropped right on our bed… nursing our exhaustion… and recounting all the lovely moments spent during our perfect anniversary trip.