Hill Stations: from Kodaikanal to Coonoor : Rigorous Travel Includes…
After the last three months of South Indian hot tropical weather we were excited to lift ourselves up into the mountains and experience some cool breezes, diverse fauna and long sweeping mountain vistas.
The “hill stations” of India were built mainly by the occupying English who needed a break from the heat of the lower plains. Hill stations are basically mountain retreat areas that have grown into a mixture of colonial architecture dotted through with standard Indian villages. The hill stations are meant for hiking, relaxing and vacationing and are a great break from the heat and pollution of the cities. The first hill station we went to was Kodaikanal and it took us an overnight trip and a bit of the next day to get there. Kodaikanal is on the southern crest of the Palani hills, about 120 km from Madurai, at an altitude of 2100 meters (7,000 ft).
It is surrounded by wooded slopes, waterfalls and precipitous rocky outcrops. The main feature of the town is a large lake set in the middle and surrounded by a nice 5k paved path for walking. We spent an enjoyable four days there but it was a bit expensive (Rs. 300/night for lodging – or about $6.00) and quite touristy.
On one of our walks, Christine befriended a large family of Indians from nearby city. She held court with them at the park and later they made sure we were well taken care of – with plenty of flowers, hairdressings, and dosa for lunch!
It’s always a treat to be hosted by locals and this was an especially warming experience as we made our host’s day for the opportunity to practice her excellent English. It really touched our hearts to see how much our visit meant to her.
We were ready to check out the next hill station…and take a ride on the miniature toy train! But first not before welcoming the company of new travel partners, Pete and Serge who were arriving from Chennai.
The night before leaving Kodaikanal, we wanted to rough it a bit (and shore up our budget by skipping a night in a hotel) and so we found a nice spot on an abandoned ridge top property. We’d had a late dinner and it was dark by the time we finished our 30 minute ascent, but fortunately for us the moon was waxing full and there was plenty of light to set up our tent. As it was Saturday night we were also treated to blaring party music (techno, as always) and fireworks from across the valley. The night was windy but in the early morning dawn we had a nice view.
We had a miniature train to catch in Mettupalayam which took three bus rides to reach from Kodaikanal and an entire day’s worth of rigorous traveling.
Rigorous traveling in India includes:
1. Asking lots of directions from Indians of various language abilities and pronounciations several times for each destination.
2. Enduring unbelievably bumpy roads on buses with little to no squeaky shock absorption (listing from side-to-side and front to back), while speeding down winding mountain roads with varying brake, clutch, and engine sounds.
3. Putting up with high volume levels of constant horns (which eventually becomes a din, so subtle that you get used to it, which drains your brain of any and all sensibility after extended periods). This combined with #2 (see above) makes earplugs a must-have!
4. Climbing aboard buses to load and unload packs on the crowded government-run buses.
5. Getting thrilled when you make timely connections and the conductors understand you! (Truth be told, India is very good about making travel pretty seamless, and manageable. Buses run very regularly to many out-of-the-way places costing anywhere from Rs. 4 to Rs. 60 …. and the exchange is about Rs. 50 = $1.00).
6. Once on the bus doing the “Space Saving Polka” which includes putting your right foot in….your pack, and your left foot out….the window, and your right arm in…you neighbor’s face while you shake it all about. Get the idea? You do the polka and you turn yourself around and that’s what an 8 hour bus ride is all about!
We finally arrived to Mettupalayam. We were to travel up, up, up on the miniature train to the top where the next stop on our list was the hill station of Coonoor. At the height of 2,600m stands Udhagamandalam (Ooty) The Queen of Hill Stations. The ‘Nilgiris toy train’ connect Ooty to Mettupalayam, at the foot of the Nilgiris. The construction of this line was a big challenge as the terrain is rather tricky. The first plans for the new mountain railway were drawn up in 1854 with the idea of having a steady connection from Mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills. But it was a good 45 years later before the first train chugged up the track.
Christine and Pete say hello from the train – the doors opened on both sides which was cool!
This railway is widely regarded as a marvel of engineering and the train itself is a charming blue and cream with wooden coaches and large windows. It is hauled up hills by stream engines, designed and built by the Swiss Locomotive Works, only twelve of such locomotive engines survive today. The views were breathtaking. Extensive rice fields surround the first stretch between Mettupalayam and Kallar, and soon after is an impressive 21km section through some truly rocky terrain. The track passes over 26 viaducts, and twist and bends through 13 tunnels.
After a steep climb, the train enters Coonoor, the little hill station known for its tea plantations.
More exciting things about traveling in India:
7. Taking turns at “Negotiating” lodging arrangements, whether it’s scouting out locations and conditions or haggling about price at check-in and/or check-out.
8. Settling into a nice YWCA guesthouse in overlooking a beautiful mountain town of Coonoor in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu.
We all felt like we really lucked out with this guest house (on recommendation from our friend Ian at Sadhana Forest). The four of us were, in the start of the week, the only guests in the very large former plantation house. Surrounded by tea plantations still it is a lush and beautiful, very quiet retreat with much charm. We all stayed there for about a week and enjoyed it very very much.
Here’s Pete having a read in the reading room. We had a lot of time to read, write and lie about in hammocks. When we weren’t engaged in such rigorous activities we walked around the city and outlying areas.
After a while our trip began calling us forward and it was time to move towards the desert. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip across the bottom of India and seeing the lovely Western Ghats.
seeingspain
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Christine, wheres the next post already! im getting antsy waiting for more tales of your adventures
February 24th, 2017 at 7:25 am
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