Ooty

Left just after midday, checkout time, yesterday. The morning spent viewing the Mysore Palace. There were other places to see but the magnificence of the palace was enough.

The road flat and the scenery comparatively boring, the traffic and horns were testing as usual.

As I am riding I am getting the urge to get some Bollywood action.

Anyway the hotel was hard to find its dot from Bookings.com was woefully out of place, but I did meet this family, had tea then they set me on the right track.

The hotel was sleazy, couldn’t quite tell if they had left the sheets on since the last person. But the room overall was reasonably clean. I slept fitfully. But the resturants next door was good enough. I had 2 helpings.

I woke early and left at about 07.30. Quick cake and a tea. The family yesterday had waxed lyrical about Bandipur Reserve and how beautiful it was, when I got there I was faced with 🤚. At this point I find it is a tiger reserve and I either need to ride round, way too far, so it was a truck ride. I waited, and waited. Eventually a guy in a pickup came up the guard asked him if he could take me. But there are 2 routes to Ooty and he wasn’t going my way. So I waited some more, eventually a guy came up and offered to take me at a price,

I negotiated, but I am shit and so I paid and got the ride. We saw a mongoose? Elephants and monkeys, no tigers grrrrrr!

Dropping me off in Gudalur. I scoffed a bun and some coffee. The only way is up from now on. The gradient not too steep but 50 or so kms rising just over 1000meters so enough to test.

Once again stunning scenery. I am now in tea country.

Estates with tea pickers. Women with tied up sheets full of tea walking down the road.

A georgeous eucalyptus forrest, the trunks arrow straight pointing to the sky.

Useful advisement to men through some of the town’s.

And finally a sign I had arrived.

The search for the hotel was tough, once again vodaphone let me down with their coverage.

I was frazzled when I arrived, so I booked a second night immediately. This hotel is the polar opposite to last night, the people cannot do enough to help. Although we are at 2000meters and it does get cold at night.