Taking a Chill PillToshu's exams are done and my allergic asthma in the dry summer heat of Bangalore was getting worse by the day...whatever.. it gave us the push to get out, called 'Zest' and booked the last available room (lucky!) and set off for Ooty with a minor stopover at Mysore...this trip is purely to laze and unwind.
Day 1 - Bangalore - Mysore - 19/04/11
Left home at 6.15am, it was a cool morning, very cloudy and gave my Mangalsutra which had snapped the previous night to Amma to get it repaired on the way and set off. Some lovely old songs on the FM and the chatter of Toshu and Ranga kept us happy till we reached the quintessential stop at Kadambam after Chennapatna for some
hot Pongal and the Menthe Gojju, which is to die for. Toshu as alway the contrarian had his dosa and vada. A hot cup of beautiful filter kaapi hit the spot and off we went on our way. Reached Mysore at 10am and checked in at the new Fortune JP Palce Hotel, Nazarbad. had the cold coffee I made at 
home and brought along. Lovely hotel, beautiful view of the Chamundi hills from the room with a church and mosque jointly in the foreground - a picture of communal amity. The rooms are well appointed and beautifully furnished, the putting of the third bed in the room did not cramp the space in the room which I liked. Had a good nap post lunch, a refreshing swim in the evening, and with the clouds threatening to burst, we stayed in and watched a good match in the room. The dinner at the 'Orchid' Restaurant at the hotel was to 
die for, one of the rare cases where I liked every single dish in the buffet and was spoilt for choice. A good night's sleep (though the AC refused to be controlled despite everyone's best attempts) and we huddled into extra blankets, yet the sleep was good, maybe we needed one so badly. No trace of any asthmatic discomfort. Yay!!
Day 2 - 20/04/2011 - Mysore - Ooty
Woke up by 7.30am and went down for another superlative break
fast. This hotel will go a long way if they churn out such tasty food...it was finger licking good. Full marks to Chef Ashok. After feeling sated (food really is very important...it seems! esp to a beaming Toshu!) we set off to Ooty. It was already warm at 9am and we took the busy chaotic road through Nanjangud and reached Bandipur where we passed through without sighting a thing, cursing the Karnataka officials for not painting the speed breakers which can come upon you quite suddenly. Moved on to the Tamil Nadu side Mudumalai Reserve and immediately saw a group of 
black faced langurs, chattering away!, a few exotic birds of which I am 
unfortunately not too well versed with. Unfortunately no big cats, to which Ranga quipped "What do you expect? Them to come and pose for you?" Well, not exactly, but even a fleeting far off glimpse would have been enough! Not to be though...we meandered through slowly, enjoying the sound of the crickets and the other ' foresty' sounds. It was simply so relaxing. The silent green really is soothing. The ghats as usual amazed me when I thought of British Engineers toiling with locals to create such fine roads taming virgin lands with nary a modern convenience or technology! Hats off to man's skill and persistence and thank Goodness for these gritty guys, we get to enjoy the hills. But steep the hills are and we saw nearly every brand of SUV stopped on several of its 36 hair pin bends, 
trying to cool the heated engines, though the smaller cars were having it smoother provided they were not fully loaded...well our trusted buddy Santro did well and we reached uphill with not even a whiff of any trouble.
Reached Zest 'Danish Villa' at 12.15pm. This place is on the road next to St.Stephen's Church
opposite the Collector's Office, close to St. Hilda's School. An old 179 year old Villa on 2.33 acres of land where a Danish family resided and with the Mahindras since 1947, it was as recently as 10 years ago refurbished to accomodate 15 rooms and a small kids play area. This is apparently the place where Anand Mahindra stayed while studying at the Lawrence School, Lovedale and it was apparently his idea to convert it into a boutique resort. The view from the resort is breathtaking aand though it is barely a kilometer or so from the bustling Charing Cross, it is extremely quiet and serene. Rooms are done in earthy wood and are warm and cosy. 
Beds on raised wooden platforms add to the warmth. Modern toilets along with other amenities like LCD TV, DVD player, a tea/coffee maker make the stay a comfortable one. Though a few more lights in the rooms will make them brighter and less somber. Esp as the skies were so grey and laden with moisture and rains were imminent. We immediately had a quick lunch of home made goodies and went out to sit and admire the sweeping views of the blue hills. The angry skies erupted shortly and we were driven in to a warm bed with heater on. Slept like babies! Woke up at 5, had a hot cuppa, changed and ventured out into the freshly washed outdoors which gleamed, had some hot buns at a bakery and bought some caps to cover our ears, 
at Charing Cross, purchased some curds and milk close by in a small tuck shop next to Mohan's, went driving around, admiring and enjoying the cold breeze. Temperature was 12deg and falling! Returned home for a simple meal while Toshu went to the restaurant to enjoy a full buffet, which was a major peeve for Ranga and me, as we eat very sparingly and a buffet meal priced at Rs.450/- + tax pp is wasted on us and the resort was not serving any a la carte which was silly as they had a full occupancy and am sure they would have had takers. Watched 'Dexter' and went to sleep. Cold induces a deep sleep and we wer zzzzzzzz in no time!
Day 3 - 21/04/2011 - Ooty
Rain had pounded Ooty the whole night and in the morning the town sprouted a look of having been spring-cleaned! A bright sun valiantly broke through the clouds and shone down on us and we happily set out for a drive down to the point where
clouds kiss our feet and form as many various shapes as our imagination, went to the Botanical Gardens where there were more people than trees, sadly, so gave it a miss, then we bought some lovely bags (thanks to a generous and sweet hubby!) and some home made chocolates and reached Club Mahindra Derby Green Resort as the clouds were once again looking ominous. Met Cyril, had a long chat with him and had our lunch there and barely managed to scamper back by 3pm before the heavens opened up. Cold and grey...it was beautiful! After the dry Bangalore heat, it was heaven. Ooty being at an altitude of 7500ft., enjoys a cool weather throughout the year and some seriously cold winters! Sat on the window seat with a book by John Grisham 'Playing for Pizza' and enjoyed reading it looking at the rain beating down against the window with a cup of hot Nilgairis 'chai' in hand, life doesn't get much better! Both the men in my life were oblivious to 
anything and in deep slumber. Woke them up at 5pm, and having fortified them with hot tea and biscuits, drove down to get some hot soup which is manna in cold weather, for dinner. A simple meal of soup, dal aur chawal had with heater on, shawl/jacket on, feet slippered and caps on heads we snuggled close and watched "Las Vegas' and 'Dexter' and then Toshu and I ventured out late at night to sit and watch the town's lights far below us. What a view! Chatting and laughing, we had a lovely time. Returned to sleep the deep sleep which is getting quite addictive!
Day 4 - 22/04/2011 - Ooty - Mysore - Bangalore
Had some hot noodles for breakfast as we wanted to leave at 9am and Ooty is just about waking up from slumber then, and we did not want to miss the advantage of driving down the steep Nilgiris when the skies were clear and the sun out.
The ghats whizzed past and burning rubber on the hairpin bends we took about 45min to climb 
down the hill. The drive back through Mudumalai was more eventful with our spotting a few cow elephants with a cutesy baby elephant, a spotted deer complete with antlers (see pix) Reached Mysore around 12.15pm, and since we were not too hungry drove through and stopped at Srirangapatna opp KR Mills for a hot chai. The temperature was now hot and in the 30s, a stark contrast to what it was a couple of hours ago! Wah...mera Bharat! Stopped at the new Maddur Tiffany's at 1.30pm for a bite which took one full hour as there was only one waiter running around and reached Bangalore at 3.30pm. Reached home after saying 'hi' to appa - amma over a cup of hot coffee, at 4.35pm when the rains came beating down in earnest.
A nice break, where my asthma for four days was a no-show and I took in lungfuls of clean 'Eucalyptus' infused fragrant air, slept well and returned with a rested feeling. Just what we needed - a Chill Pill - literally and figuratively!
Left home at 6.15am, it was a cool morning, very cloudy and gave my Mangalsutra which had snapped the previous night to Amma to get it repaired on the way and set off. Some lovely old songs on the FM and the chatter of Toshu and Ranga kept us happy till we reached the quintessential stop at Kadambam after Chennapatna for some
hot Pongal and the Menthe Gojju, which is to die for. Toshu as alway the contrarian had his dosa and vada. A hot cup of beautiful filter kaapi hit the spot and off we went on our way. Reached Mysore at 10am and checked in at the new Fortune JP Palce Hotel, Nazarbad. had the cold coffee I made at 
home and brought along. Lovely hotel, beautiful view of the Chamundi hills from the room with a church and mosque jointly in the foreground - a picture of communal amity. The rooms are well appointed and beautifully furnished, the putting of the third bed in the room did not cramp the space in the room which I liked. Had a good nap post lunch, a refreshing swim in the evening, and with the clouds threatening to burst, we stayed in and watched a good match in the room. The dinner at the 'Orchid' Restaurant at the hotel was to 
die for, one of the rare cases where I liked every single dish in the buffet and was spoilt for choice. A good night's sleep (though the AC refused to be controlled despite everyone's best attempts) and we huddled into extra blankets, yet the sleep was good, maybe we needed one so badly. No trace of any asthmatic discomfort. Yay!!Day 2 - 20/04/2011 - Mysore - Ooty
Woke up by 7.30am and went down for another superlative break
fast. This hotel will go a long way if they churn out such tasty food...it was finger licking good. Full marks to Chef Ashok. After feeling sated (food really is very important...it seems! esp to a beaming Toshu!) we set off to Ooty. It was already warm at 9am and we took the busy chaotic road through Nanjangud and reached Bandipur where we passed through without sighting a thing, cursing the Karnataka officials for not painting the speed breakers which can come upon you quite suddenly. Moved on to the Tamil Nadu side Mudumalai Reserve and immediately saw a group of 
black faced langurs, chattering away!, a few exotic birds of which I am 
unfortunately not too well versed with. Unfortunately no big cats, to which Ranga quipped "What do you expect? Them to come and pose for you?" Well, not exactly, but even a fleeting far off glimpse would have been enough! Not to be though...we meandered through slowly, enjoying the sound of the crickets and the other ' foresty' sounds. It was simply so relaxing. The silent green really is soothing. The ghats as usual amazed me when I thought of British Engineers toiling with locals to create such fine roads taming virgin lands with nary a modern convenience or technology! Hats off to man's skill and persistence and thank Goodness for these gritty guys, we get to enjoy the hills. But steep the hills are and we saw nearly every brand of SUV stopped on several of its 36 hair pin bends, 
trying to cool the heated engines, though the smaller cars were having it smoother provided they were not fully loaded...well our trusted buddy Santro did well and we reached uphill with not even a whiff of any trouble.Reached Zest 'Danish Villa' at 12.15pm. This place is on the road next to St.Stephen's Church
opposite the Collector's Office, close to St. Hilda's School. An old 179 year old Villa on 2.33 acres of land where a Danish family resided and with the Mahindras since 1947, it was as recently as 10 years ago refurbished to accomodate 15 rooms and a small kids play area. This is apparently the place where Anand Mahindra stayed while studying at the Lawrence School, Lovedale and it was apparently his idea to convert it into a boutique resort. The view from the resort is breathtaking aand though it is barely a kilometer or so from the bustling Charing Cross, it is extremely quiet and serene. Rooms are done in earthy wood and are warm and cosy. 
Beds on raised wooden platforms add to the warmth. Modern toilets along with other amenities like LCD TV, DVD player, a tea/coffee maker make the stay a comfortable one. Though a few more lights in the rooms will make them brighter and less somber. Esp as the skies were so grey and laden with moisture and rains were imminent. We immediately had a quick lunch of home made goodies and went out to sit and admire the sweeping views of the blue hills. The angry skies erupted shortly and we were driven in to a warm bed with heater on. Slept like babies! Woke up at 5, had a hot cuppa, changed and ventured out into the freshly washed outdoors which gleamed, had some hot buns at a bakery and bought some caps to cover our ears, 
at Charing Cross, purchased some curds and milk close by in a small tuck shop next to Mohan's, went driving around, admiring and enjoying the cold breeze. Temperature was 12deg and falling! Returned home for a simple meal while Toshu went to the restaurant to enjoy a full buffet, which was a major peeve for Ranga and me, as we eat very sparingly and a buffet meal priced at Rs.450/- + tax pp is wasted on us and the resort was not serving any a la carte which was silly as they had a full occupancy and am sure they would have had takers. Watched 'Dexter' and went to sleep. Cold induces a deep sleep and we wer zzzzzzzz in no time!Day 3 - 21/04/2011 - Ooty
Rain had pounded Ooty the whole night and in the morning the town sprouted a look of having been spring-cleaned! A bright sun valiantly broke through the clouds and shone down on us and we happily set out for a drive down to the point where
clouds kiss our feet and form as many various shapes as our imagination, went to the Botanical Gardens where there were more people than trees, sadly, so gave it a miss, then we bought some lovely bags (thanks to a generous and sweet hubby!) and some home made chocolates and reached Club Mahindra Derby Green Resort as the clouds were once again looking ominous. Met Cyril, had a long chat with him and had our lunch there and barely managed to scamper back by 3pm before the heavens opened up. Cold and grey...it was beautiful! After the dry Bangalore heat, it was heaven. Ooty being at an altitude of 7500ft., enjoys a cool weather throughout the year and some seriously cold winters! Sat on the window seat with a book by John Grisham 'Playing for Pizza' and enjoyed reading it looking at the rain beating down against the window with a cup of hot Nilgairis 'chai' in hand, life doesn't get much better! Both the men in my life were oblivious to 
anything and in deep slumber. Woke them up at 5pm, and having fortified them with hot tea and biscuits, drove down to get some hot soup which is manna in cold weather, for dinner. A simple meal of soup, dal aur chawal had with heater on, shawl/jacket on, feet slippered and caps on heads we snuggled close and watched "Las Vegas' and 'Dexter' and then Toshu and I ventured out late at night to sit and watch the town's lights far below us. What a view! Chatting and laughing, we had a lovely time. Returned to sleep the deep sleep which is getting quite addictive!Day 4 - 22/04/2011 - Ooty - Mysore - Bangalore
Had some hot noodles for breakfast as we wanted to leave at 9am and Ooty is just about waking up from slumber then, and we did not want to miss the advantage of driving down the steep Nilgiris when the skies were clear and the sun out.
The ghats whizzed past and burning rubber on the hairpin bends we took about 45min to climb 
down the hill. The drive back through Mudumalai was more eventful with our spotting a few cow elephants with a cutesy baby elephant, a spotted deer complete with antlers (see pix) Reached Mysore around 12.15pm, and since we were not too hungry drove through and stopped at Srirangapatna opp KR Mills for a hot chai. The temperature was now hot and in the 30s, a stark contrast to what it was a couple of hours ago! Wah...mera Bharat! Stopped at the new Maddur Tiffany's at 1.30pm for a bite which took one full hour as there was only one waiter running around and reached Bangalore at 3.30pm. Reached home after saying 'hi' to appa - amma over a cup of hot coffee, at 4.35pm when the rains came beating down in earnest.A nice break, where my asthma for four days was a no-show and I took in lungfuls of clean 'Eucalyptus' infused fragrant air, slept well and returned with a rested feeling. Just what we needed - a Chill Pill - literally and figuratively!
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