1:40 ki blog...Ooty ke naam!

एक चालीस की blog...

Surprisingly I'm awake way past this time almost everyday these days. It has become my biological clock that just doesn't let my system shut down any earlier. I realize that it has been quite a while since I've written anything here...lack of time...in the office and out of it there's a lengthy list of the daily chores to be done...that by the time I'm done crossing out the last item on it, I'm exhausted and its time to call it a day.

Moreover, its a pain to have to sit in front of a computer again at home when all that I've done for the last 10hrs at work is precisely that!

Anyways, found some time and energy to spare today...and am going to write about the first thing that comes to my mind in this flow...

The last couple of weeks and weekends have been really hectic - the former work-wise and the latter on the personal front. Of the umpteen number of places I've been to, the most memorable has been the ride to Ooty last weekend.

The longest/highest/steepest/most nerve racking/gut wrenching/breath taking/horribly sun burning yet THE MOST enjoyable bike ride of my life till date....hold on, breathe easy....i obviously wasn't riding! (wat were you thinking!?!)...all these adjectives are my observations strictly as a pillion :-)

As has been observed time and again, only last minute plans have worked out and was no different in this case. We had decided to go ahead with the weekend plan (to any place) with how many ever people we interested. Most of the plans get cancelled because we try to accommodate our plans into a common "free weekend"...which is practically non-existent! This time, since we were in good number, we decided to carry out the long-pending plan of a trip to Ooty.

The logistics were to be arranged next. The guys had already been to Ooty a couple of months back...by bike...it was ONE adventurous trip where the 5 were luck to come back alive :-) They decided that THAT adventure was NOT enough and felt the need to relive it. Hence the decision to RIDE to the hill station. The challenge was to secure one more bike (7ppl-had 3 bikes in hand-needed one more). Got it friday night, all bikes tinkered here n there and made fit to carry load...

Assembled @ the Vontikoppal "adda" at 5a.m. We were ALL supposed to be there at that time, but some people conviniently snoozed their alarms, ignored 2 wake-up calls and slept on... :-) After a nice hot cup of tea to rid us of the last remnants of sleep, we hit the roads by 6-6.15a.m.

Morning Tea

Rise and Shine!

The early morning ride was simply awesome as this was the first time i got to see sunrise in Mysore. We took our own sweet time on the road...stopped again for breakfast. The ride through the forests was enjoyable. It was a really pretty sight. As usual we were greeted by a cute elephant family, of which the youngest decided to clean its nose on the first hand offered o it! Nevertheless, we also got to see a couple of deers & chipmunks as well.

The jumbo family & the unfortunate incident :-)

Great Roads

After crossing the forest, the road was pretty bad for a few kilometers. The inevitable twists n turns had set in along with the uncomfortable pressure drop inducing that *pop*ing in our ears :-) The much dreaded hair pin bends (36 in all) were traversed in succession...it was the FIRST time that I could appreciate the steepness, altitude and the danger of these U's....gets missed in bigger vehicles.

Stopping for rest/refreshments/photo shoots at regular intervals, boy were we relieved when we crossed the very last hair pin bend...1/36 and Welcome to Ooty were an oasis in the desert...

OASIS

Our first task on entering the city was to find a decent place to stay in...the added constraint of 2 girls made the search a little more challeging. After 30minutes of dust, exhaust, cement and blistering heat, we found a good place to rest our tired limbs (yes! being a pillion, sitting behind doing nothing is also extremely tiring!!)
After depositing our luggage, we prowled on for lunch and the attraction for the day - Doddabetta Peak.

Our Hotel

The place had no charm of the winters, but was breath-taking nevertheless. Misty or not, nothing could stop the photo shoot :-) Thee was on fire with the cam in hand...after spending about an hour on the peak, we decided to go visit the Rose gardens.

DoddaBetta - BigHill

On the way we bought my favorite item - the bubble blower...blowing those streams of bubbles into the sunlight, watching them glitter, flutter and then pop into a mist is a splendid sight! That is precisely how we entertained ourselves in the rose garden as it had nothing much to offer to us.

Another game the guys (read Sridhar) decided to play was Tie the ShoeLaces...Thee and i were the only 2 who had the necessary props (shoes/laces), hence, we were the chosen targets. After fighting for a few minutes, decided to give in to his whim...

We (esp. the riders) were beat and so decided to call it a day. went back to our cottage, freshened up (got horribly burnt - got neither sunscreen for the heat nor moisturizer for the night's cold) and watched TV for a while before getting the cards out...i learnt a new game - 5 (i think thats what its called) - and we ended up playing this one on and on and on and on and on......broke for dinner....resumed and continued till we were all delirious with sleep...

We were woken up the next day as early as 7am...பக்தி பரவசமான ஒரு channel போட்டு எழுப்பி விட்டான் ஸ்ரீதர் - that பக்தி பாடல் was கந்தர் சஷ்டி கவசம்...it really worked, though....we were all out of bed in no time :-) after our baths, morning tea, photo sessions and check out, we headed for the attractions of the day - 6th mile, 9th mile, Pykara lake...all the while continously munching one thing or another.

The 'N' miles are all shooting spots...a lot of films/songs sequences have apparently been shot at these amazing locales. After the வித விதமான photography on the 6th mile, we decided to move 3 miles down :-)

"Log"ged on the 6th mile

The masti that ensued @ the 9th mile was one of the very best! The sight that greets you as you climb up the hill is a complete contrast to the awaiting scenary on the other end. Lush green forest, bright-as-sunshine flowers, the mountainous backdrop...a sight to behold... reminded me of the title track of the movie - "Sound of Music"

"The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears"

The boys were on a roll in the 9th mile...well, literally!!!

Adra raama adra raama adra raama!!!

The triple roll

The RACE - வெற்றி நமதே

The road to Pykara was simply superb - bike ride, such good road, surprisingly pleasant temperature, the company and music....couldn't have asked for anything more! :-)

After Pykara, we decided it was time to head back home if we were to make it before sunset. it was already 3pm. We made excellent time back down - with limited no. of stopovers...we only broke for tea once - where we checked our weights (nope...don't even think about it...NOT going to reveal the figures) and got to play on the swing - another top scorer on my list of favorites!!!

By the time we reached home (read as Vontikoppal adda), it was 7.30pm and the stress of the 2-day ride was beginning to tell...we decided to make dinner at home - kept it simple and sweet. While dinner was getting prepared, we played one more round of that card game (yea, had become addicted to it), settled expenses and uploaded pics...after sumptuous dinner, bid goooodbyes and headed home and straight to bed.

It was a great weekend, albeit a beauty spoiler :-)