Kalasipalayam to Mettupalayam

 Starting from Bangalore, I ended up near Ooty, passing through Mettupalayam on the way. Actually, we did not get to Ooty, settling down at Coonoor after visiting friends in Kotagiri. The Nilgiri hills are a fascinating blend of scenery, wildlife, tea gardens and a lot more.

So the long-awaited holiday (due to COVID primarily), was completely enjoyable, and did result in some new friends being made, young and not so young. And of course, photographs in the ghats, in the rains, waterfalls, and tea gardens. Some of them are here-

A dam near Pollachi, close to the Tamilnadu-Kerala border.

Below, a farm house where we spent a night.

Delicious food at unassuming joints known as "Messes"(like the one above), and scenery to die for..

Rains added to the charm, and tea gardens were a visual delight.

Almost got to drive this mini tractor! And visiting Bisons were a sight to behold.

Peacocks too (above). Food, near Pollachi with interesting signboards. (below)

A typical hill station view (above) and the road leading up to it.

Lemon Apple Resort

There is this resort in Coonoor. Except a swimming pool, it's got everything you need for a holiday. You can book on makemytrip and booking.com too. Good location, about a km. from Sim's Park in Coonoor, beautifully done up rooms, a garden sit-out, a sit-in inside, and a couple who will cook to order (that's extra). Some pics that I took there last week. More on this link. http://lemonappleresort.com/

 The drive to get there-this is via Kotagiri to Coonoor. Also approachable from the other side.

No wi-fi, but a Golf academy and a tea estate at a stone's throw. You can learn Golf and take walks. And drink Nilgiris tea grown right there. Evidence- A pic of the tea-tree.

Pics from the Nilgiris

 Roadies on the Coonoor-Kotagiri road.

 Ravi, Me, Suresh, Prabhakar and Ramesh from l to r.

 Swinging away.

 The Golf musketeers at Ooty Gymkhana.

 My hour of glory. Hole-in-one at no.5, Wellington Golf Club

 Conqueror's flag.

Views to die for.

Cooing in Coonoor

An old joke about cooing in Coonoor and wooing in (W)Ooty is what triggered the title. But our purpose this time was not one of the above. It was simply chilling. There were five of us, classmates from MBA days at Bangalore, who formed the chillar party, or the chilling brigade. Starting out in Bangalore, we headed out to Ooty, enroute to Coonoor, which was to be our abode. Discovering that the Ooty Gymkhana Golf Club was on the way, three of us decided to play there. We had a great time, and proceeded to Coonoor in the evening. Temperatures were actually quite pleasant, contrary to what we thought they would be.

Walks, talks, card games, and eating out at various places is what we indulged ourselves in, with a bit of Single Malt to keep us company. We also managed to get a sketch of ours done by an artist in one of the restaurants we had gone to (we HAD formally learnt management, after all).

On day 2, we played golf at the beautiful Wellington Golf Club near Coonoor. As we wound our way across the course, I had a Hole-in-one on the no. 5 hole, which is a steep upward hit. Unbelievable! Many people go through a lifetime of golf without getting one, chances of making one being statistically very slim. After this, of course, we had to celebrate, and we did-at the Taj Gateway, overlooking the valley.

                                                         Picking up after the Hole-in-one, above.

All in all, it was a great combination-both Tee and Tea in the tea country of Nilgiris, and I look forward to 2017 being different, and NEW.