Postcard from Ooty

Ooty... how I wanted to love you.

I was so excited to go to Ooty - a real, honest to goodness hill station. Mountains, trees, fresh air, tea plantations, I could hardly wait. We hired a car to take us up the long, steep and winding mountain road to Ooty. Our driver was a madman passing cars on every turn, but despite this fact the drive was fantastic. We passed through acres and acres of lush, green tea growing on impossibly steep terraces, and the views of neighboring mountains, valleys, and towns were stunning.

When we rolled into town I was still excited. It was cool - sweater weather for sure. The air smelled wonderfully of eucalyptus and the view of town from our hostel was lovely. The room? Well it would have been charming had it not been for the lack of heat and the smell of mildew emanating from the beds. Trying to stay positive about the situation, I decided it would be like camping. And off we went to explore what would turn out to be a disappointing, dirty, stinky little town.

Tempted by our guidebook we ate what I considered to be over hyped and overpriced pizza for lunch. Then headed to the botanical gardens for what started out as a lovely afternoon. However, shortly after our arrival rain moved in quite suddenly and ended the serenity. As we left the gardens the rain subsided enough to allow us to explore the Nepalese bazaar, which ended up being stall after stall of the same stuff. However, we did find some GREAT woolen shawls for a steal and stocked up from a beautiful Nepalese woman.

The rest of the sites we visited that day were disappointing and the cold gray weather began to wear on us. We returned to the hostel and built a fire and spent the best part of the day warm and relaxed, enjoying one anothers company.

Day two turned out to be much more fun. We hired a guide to take us on a full day trek through tea plantations, remote villages and up a mountain. It was really beautiful despite the fog and the occasional shower.

Our guide turned out to be quite friendly and knowledgeable and taught us all about the growing and harvesting tea as well as the people who depended on it for their livelihoods. He also shared the history of the region and educated us in local flora and fauna. We passed through a small village where we enjoyed a delicious hot meal in a tiny, dark, unmarked restaurant with a dirt floor. As we headed out of the village to ascend the mountain our guide pointed out a cow that was afraid of white people. Which sounds ridiculous, but he really did appear spooked as he watched us pass. The mountain we hiked supposedly had a superb view, which unfortunately, we were able to glimpse in for mere seconds before the fog enveloped the landscape again. Our guide told us we were unlucky to miss this view but later reminded us - for the second time - that we were truly "blessed" to have two sons.

I was happy to warm myself by the fire that evening, but couldn't wait to move on to warmer climates.