Where Are The Powells?: India

Trains, hills and palaces

We took our first train journey from Alleppey to Coimbatore, a trip lasting 6 1/2 hours. The actual train started 2 hours before our connection, crossed the country to the east coast then wended its way north, taking a total of 48 hours. Our allocated 'seats' were the top two bunks, but the nice family let us share their space.

These sleeper bunks, converted to daytime use, included fresh sheets, still in paper bags, pillows and blankets. We were pleasantly surprised by the constant flow of vendors selling a variety of food, drinks and other products. We bought 3 samosas and 3 battered mild chilli peppers for less than £1/€1. For those on longer journeys, they could order food from a restaurant near one of the passing stations and have it delivered to their seat. All very civilised and not at all like the movies.

Coimbatore was just an overnight stop so we could catch a bus to Ooty, one of the hill stations. As the bus wasn't full (only 3 of us) the company opted to transport us by taxi instead for an additional £4. Quite cheap considering it took 3 hours. As we drove higher, we passed many tea plantations on the terraced hillside, making good use of the cooler climate.

Ooty, aka Udhagamandalam is known as the "Queen of hill stations" and also has the nickname "snooty Ooty". It is one of the hill stations where the Maharaja's etc. used to live and govern during the summer months. It was about 10C cooler at 2,200m than where we had been and on the last evening, I actually wore my cotton jumper.

We visited the Government botanical gardens which were established in 1848 and covers 22 hectares/54 acres. They were getting ready for their annual flower show, with many structures filled with oasis, waiting for the plants. Unfortunately we left a few days before but at least we got to see the gardens.

When we stopped to sit in the shade, this is when we became minor celebrities. Many families and children stopped to talk and have their photos taken with us. As I said in my previous post, many people don't travel outside of their own country so seeing a white face in a non-tourist place is a novelty. At the start of our trip I had to do a Google search as to why locals wanted our photos. It's nothing sinister, they just want proof that they made friends with a tourist and we didn't see any other non-Indian people during the entire time we were in Ooty.

The next day we visited the Government Rose Garden which opened in 1995. The rose show had been the previous weekend but some of the exhibits were still standing. A few afternoons of heavy downpours had taken its toll on some of the rose bushes, but the gardens were still impressive with over 20,000 species over 4 hectares/10 acres.

From Ooty we took a coach down to Mysore, a journey of over 5 hours. We drove through a couple of nature reserves and saw many herds of spotted deer, buffaloes, monkeys, peacocks, warthogs and elephants, some with their handlers. The journey itself was quite interesting when the driver decided to pass cars, trucks, mopeds etc. on blind bends. Coming into the city we saw the palaces lit up which was quite spectacular.

Mysore palace and gardens were really impressive. The first palace inside the Old Fort was built in the 14th century, which was set ablaze and reconstructed multiple times. The building of the current structure commenced in 1897, after the Old Palace burnt down. Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal.