Chennai Express - Ooty

28 May 2014

10 PM: After a nature hugging stay at Yercaud, we had now proceeded to Ooty, our main attraction of the trip. 

It was a 5 hrs drive. The roads once again didn't give us any reason to complain. Flanked by coconut trees, we reached the Ghats of Ooty. The hair pin bends were 14 this time. They led us through the Nilgiris - The Blue mountains or The Queen of Hills. Negotiated well and the journey pleasant, we finally made it to the outskirts of Ooty. Before reaching Ooty, we passed through a town called Coonoor. There is a toy train managed by the Nilgiri Railways that takes you from Coonoor to Ooty. Though we didn't experience a ride in it, it seemed similar to our Neral- Matheran train. 

Ooty, also known as Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam, was just like a small town cum hill station. There wasn't anything special about it. 15 minutes later, our opinion had changed. 

We had reached Derby Green, Club Mahindra.

It was heaven on earth. Our minds were blasted away by its beauty. Overlooking the race course,

this sprawling Mahindra property was teeming with a highly diversified flora. Perfectly maintained as always, this resort would definitely rank amongst the best. The hospitality was as usual top notch. Once the kids were out of the car, their target was the Fun Zone. 

It was lunch time. The buffet spread was  lavish to say the least. Rasam is a staple part of the South Indian meal. It's supposed to have good digestive value. We spent the remaining part of the day at the Fun Zone playing Carrom,

table tennis, basketball, and cricket. 

It had become quite gloomy and post sunset the temperatures seemed to have dipped quite sharply. 

Around the bonfire, the guests were entertained with some foot tapping music and musical games. A fire show by a staff member was simply breathtaking. 

It had started to drizzle and the temperatures further nosedived. We somehow finished our dinner and rushed to the warmth of our room. 

The dilemma now was whether to spend the next 2 days in the comfort of our resort and take part in the various activities organized by them or hop onto a car and move to the various guided tours in the Nilgiris. The selection was made by the kids and we had decided to stay put at the Green Derby.  

29 May 2014

9 PM: Whilst the kids were busy with their schedule in the morning playing balloon games, answering a quiz show, and hiking upto a tea plantation, we decided to roam around the market place and get a little shopping done. Home made chocolates and Eucalyptus oil were amongst the specialities at Ooty. 

A brief trip to the Ooty Lake

was mandatory. Fully commercialized, this lake is the major attraction at this hill station. 

An Ayurvedic massage and steam at our Spa was relaxing and refreshing. 

A carnival show

and a game of Housie ended the day's proceedings. 

Chennai Express: Yercaud

26 May 2014

9 pm: The morning breakfast was typically South Indian with Pongal, Onion Konda and Kesari amongst the never tasted varieties. 

A visit to the Pagoda point - a scenic view point was again meant for photo shoot only. It is also called Pyramid point. The name is derived from piles of random stones in a pagoda or pyramid formation made by the tribals.

A 30 minute boat ride on the Yercaud lake was a very pleasant experience. The sun had decided to stay behind the clouds which allowed us a stroll in the Deer park too.  Nothing much to rave about, this turned out to be just another photo shoot. 

The afternoon siesta, after a heavy lunch was highly refreshing and gave us the impetus for another walk in the evening at the Anna Park and Lake View Park.

A special mention needs to be made of the latter. It has been beautified with a variety of flowers that definitely merits a visit to this spot. However, it's a pity that the surroundings are highly unkempt and littering is rampant all around. 

"Quality of life depends on forest conservation". 

27 May 2014

7 PM: The morning was spent at the resort playing Carrom, table tennis and a game of cards.

A visit to the Shevaroy temple atop the Shevaroy hills, amidst a few rain drops, was a perfect way to begin the day's sightseeing. It is the highest point in Yercaud. It is believed that God Shevaroy protects the 70 villages in and around Yercaud.

The Lady's Seat was next. It overlooks the ghat road and gives a good view of the hair pin bends.

The Genetic heritage garden

houses a children's park and plenty of view points. This is one of those few places that has been well maintained and cleanliness paid attention to. The locals call it the "Rose garden".

This part of the country seems really cut off from the rest of India. The culture and traditions are vastly different. So also is the language barrier. Having travelled widely throughout the country, this tourist destination seems the least interested to enhance its reputation of being one. 

Chennai Express: Yercaud - an Intro

26 May 2014

8 am: After a stressful last few months, it is time to relax and move on. But, would that be possible? Only time will tell. 

We caught an early morning flight to Bangalore, which seemed like the best option to reach our Mahindra resort. After an unprecedented holiday rush at the Mumbai airport that made us wait for over an hour at the check-in, we finally boarded and took off on schedule. 

The Kempegowda Bengaluru airport, it's milieu and the surroundings are simply awesome. The exit road from the airport is breathtakingly landscaped. Just greens and greens around and maintained to a nicety. 

The drive to Yercaud took us close to 6 hrs. But time flew. Admiring the roads and surrounding greens with plenty of coconut and banana trees, the journey never seemed unending. 

A special mention has to be made of the last leg of 20 km from the city of Salem to our hill station.

The Salem- Yercaud Ghat road had just begun and my Google maps showed many winding roads to the top. There were 20 hair pin bends and all were numbered at the bend. No one felt motion sickness at any point of time during the drive. 

We reached Lake Forest Hotel, a Club Mahindra associate resort. It wasn't a typical Mahindra property. It had a rustic feel to it. Rooms were non AC. The weather becomes very pleasant after 4pm. There was no play zone and the kids were already talking about Ooty, which was next in the itinery. However it was a very Eco friendly place. All the wood used in this Hotel was recycled from old buildings and not an ounce of fresh wood purchased from the market. Not a single tree was cut to accommodate this hotel, they still grow in the corridors, bedrooms and bathrooms.

We went for an evening stroll in the market place. Yercaud is a very small town that needs to improve on its upkeep, if it wants to tap it's potential of a tourist destination. It's located in the Shevaroys range of Eastern Ghats at an altitude of 1500 mt. "Yeri" means Lake and "Kaadu" means Forest. 

We tried the Chilly Bhaji (bhajiya), the raw mango, the jackfruit and a very sweet coconut water. We had skipped our lunch and the tidbits were to tide over the crisis till dinner. 

The dinner didn't let us down. It seemed like a Mahindra buffet with a South Indian flavor to it.  The Rasam was the pick of the lot. The Southies seem to have a very spicy palate. But any change from the routine was highly welcome to us. 

It was time to crash on the bed. But the Mumbai-RR IPL qualifier was a deterrent. After watching the first few overs of the Mumbai innings, we decided it was a lost cause and hit the sack, only to realise today morning that we had missed a blinder of a match. 

Down Under: Sydney

Feb 22 0800 Hrs:

Our day out at the Blue mountains. We had booked a bus tour to this place. Parked our car at Epping and took a train to Central Stn. With a lot of road searching, finally reached at our coach terminus. 

We had a mix of all nationalities traveling with us. Surprisingly, no kids were on board. Only couples from Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Germany and a host of others. We found ourselves to be the odd one out. 

1000 Hrs:

After an hour's journey, we stopped for some refreshments. 

We were then taken through the Eucalyptus forest to the Wentworth Falls. The Eucalyptus trees are known for their medicinal properties. 

These are also used by meditators who roll the leaves of this tree into their nostrils and inhale the scent. 

Blue Gum tree

The Falls weren't something to rave about. The Weeping rock was a feature

Wentworth Falls

of the falls. 

1400 Hrs: 

After an
hour's break for lunch, the next on the itinerary was the major attraction of this trip.

"The Scenic World". It had 3 sections namely: 

Scenic Skyway 

Scenic Cableway

Scenic Railway - the steepest train

Scenic Walkway - a picturesque and green walk through the eucalyptus forest. 

The other major highlights of the Blue Mountains were the 3 Sisters Rocks and the Orphan Rock - both have folk tales behind their existence. 

3 Sisters Rock

3 Sisters being turned into stones by the witchcraft of their father when they were about to elope with the warriors of a neighboring tribe - sounds romantic and interesting, isn't it? 

1730 Hrs: 

A visit to the picturesque Lincoln's Rock and a fossilized kangaroo engraved on a rock, ended the bus leg of the tour. 

           

1900 Hrs: 

Transfer to the Boat cruise over the 

Opera House

Parramatta river. 

The Harbor bridge, Darling Harbor and

The Opera were the prominent sightings. 

2100 Hrs: 

It was back to home followed by a quick meal - a generous dose of Egg Curry, made by Raju and Mamta and then readying the bags for the departure the next morning. 

Sleep had been disturbed for the last 2-3 nights and today didn't seem like an exception. Anyways, would have to wake up early the next day for the return journey.  

Feb 23 1100 Hrs: 

Waiting at the lounge at Sydney Airport, after catching a train from Epping and switching over to the Airport bus at Central. 

A teary goodbye to Harshul with a promise to see him soon. 

Not enough words to describe this sojourn.

I would sum it up by this very popular Hindi song: 

दिल कहे रुक जा रे रुक जा

यहीं पे कहीं । 

जो बात इस जगह 

है कहीं पर नहीं । 

Down Under: Nelson Bay

Feb 19 0915 Hrs:

Ready to board the bus at Newcastle station that would take me to Nelson Bay. The plan is to spend the entire morning at Port Stephens, the dolphin capital of Australia. It is home to 70 bottlenose dolphins. 

Nelson Bay

1210 Hrs: 

Aboard a 1.5 hr dolphin cruise. We did sight a plenty of these mammals. Though I would feel the ones at Goa were more playful and active offering a more photogenic shoot. 

1615 Hrs:

A quick bite of Satay chicken at a Thai joint, a little trendy shopping for the lady, a short but heavy downpour and I was back on the coach towards home. 

2300 Hrs:

Good night and sweet dreams.  

Feb 20 1030 Hrs:

Did some cleaning and tidying job at home. It's been ages since I have done all this. 

1815 Hrs: 

After a heavy Lamb Madras lunch, we decided to have a swim at the beach. The swim motivated us to have another go at our apartment pool. It was bliss for the next 30 mins. 

Just as we were getting out of the pool, we noticed an alarm screaming at us. There was smoke everywhere and the odor of something burning. Not before long, an array of fire engines with the cops and an ambulance lay standing at our doorstep. Adorning a swimsuit and a towel in our hands we were standing on the pavement along with the rest, waiting for the firefighters to complete their task. "Everything alright?" I asked one of them in the native Australian accent. "Yes", came back the answer. 

2330 Hrs: 

The last night at Newcastle. The week has sped by very fast. It's time to hit the sack.  Good night. 

Feb 21 1300 Hrs:

Charlestown Square

The Charlestown Square is a huge shopping mall with decent deals in a few stores. Bought some stuff for the kids. 

Had a Spud - Roast meat at Bucking Bull. Spud is a dish stuffed with Coleslaw, cream, salads inside a full sized potato. 

Also called as Jacket potato in some other places, this meal sure fills your tummy. 

2245 Hrs: 

We left for Sydney after a quick dip in the pool. A 2 hrs journey from Newcastle, we halted at Taj restaurant for an Indian Vegetarian meal. After a hearty fill, followed by the Paan, we reached a friends' place to spend the next two nights in Sydney. 

Over for the day. 

Down Under: Newcastle

Feb 17

1200 Hrs:

Sleep deprived since 2 nights, I slept like a log today. Made some breakfast for myself and spent the next few hours just relaxing. 

1800 Hrs: 

A walk down the sea front on a pleasant and sunny evening was one of the most refreshing strolls I'd had in a long while. 

The special features included:

A dedicated dog beach for the canines to stroll. 

Taek wondo classes being conducted on the beach amidst the huge waves. 

2115 Hrs:

Listening to the old time classics from RD Burman and Kishoreda, the mind swifts silently and surely into deep slumber. 

Feb 18 1030 Hrs:

A quick tea in the morning, and we had to leave for Cessnock, the community health centre where my friend, Harshul works as a GP. An hour's drive from Newcastle, Cessnock is a rural area but

the standard of living and health seemed by no means inferior to the most urban city in our hometown. 

The basic difference in practice between  our traditional GPs back home and the Australian GP is too vast to be discussed. 

2100 Hrs: 

Spending 8 hrs at Harshul's Surgery had given a feel of how the health system functions in this country. 

A short drive in town and it was the end of an academic day. 

The thought of cheating doesn't even occur to these people, unlike us Indians. 

The prerequisite for obtaining a driving license is 120 hrs of training with or without a trainer. The points triple if it's done with a trainer. A log book is maintained for this and the required hours completed with all truthfulness in your own car with someone to guide alongside you. 

This is just one of the many examples that shows how much we need to elevate ourselves in our basic attitude before we attain the Westerner's concept of life - LIVE AND LET LIVE. 

Down Under: The NewCastle introduction

15 Feb 2014

IST 845 Hrs:

Readying for departure to Sydney through Singapore Airlines. 

CST International Airport, Mumbai

The swanky new T2 International Airport terminal lives up to all the hype. The walk through the Security and Immigration is literally a walk without barely any halt. It makes traveling such a pleasure. 

IST 1145 Hrs:

In flight en route Singapore. An hour behind schedule due to some delay in Immigrations at the T2 terminal - teething problems, I guess.
The breakfast done. The brain and body now longing for some sleep, it's now time to switch off the media players and get some well deserved rest. 

Singapore 2000 Hrs:

Changi Airport, Singapore

A brief halt at the Changi Airport, lunch at Burger King, and it's back to the onwards journey Down Under. 

Aus 16 Feb 0645Hrs:

The very thought of being connected mid-air to my people back at home was enthralling enough to motivate me to purchase the Onair wifi service. After a little socializing on the net, fatigue finally took a toll, and it was time for a nap. 

A good breakfast on board lifts the spirits of a jaded mind. It's nearing touchdown very soon. 

I can feel the excitement vanquishing the jet lag. It's an entry to a different part of the world. 

The last few days of uncertainties as regards the visa had taken a toll on the psyche. The trip remained in limbo. But the perseverance had paid off and I was now ready to venture into kangaroo land. 

0945 Hrs:

It seemed that the aircraft had landed in the midst of the Pacific ocean. Clearing the customs, I proceeded to the airport train station that would take

Intercity train

me to Newcastle via Central where my dear friend would be waiting to take me home. 

2100 hrs: 

Met Dr Dakshesh Vakil, a Gastroenterologist and
Dr Rajeev Ahuja, GP. Discussed about Australian and Indian differences in the system of practice of medicine. 

Homes in the suburbs are nothing short of sprawling bungalows built on acres of land. Simply majestic. And would you believe it! Pricing much less than our Mumbai property. 

LIFE HO TO AISI.....