Back after a long
break to writing , the past year has been busy with a lot of events happening
and the year also gave me the opportunity to undertake a few travels. I am
hoping to get back to writing sharing the experiences of food and travel with
you all hoping to make your trip and experience more memorable.
To get a short break
from the sweltering heat of Bangalore )yes you read it right Bangalore weather
has been really hot this time round) we planned a weekend getaway to the Queen
of the hills Ooty.
The Queen of hills
doesn’t provide many travel options to the travelers , you can drive by
yourself , take a bus ride or a train if you find the connectivity. We took a
sleeper bus ride. We were happy that the bus got late as we got the opportunity
to enjoy 2 hours of scenic bus ride through the hills , enjoying the coolness
of the wind and witnessing the sunrise. Also gave a glimpse of the daily life
of people walking about the street and seeing the area come to life after a
peaceful sleep.
Ooty provides you a
host of options to stay at which you can choose depending on the group you are
going with , purpose of the trip and the budget you are looking for.
We zeroed down on
Zostel , we had received positive feedback from a friend. The place is near to
us stand but if you are heavy on luggage take Auto from the bus stand.
The rooms are nice
and clean , the dormitory is good too. The staff is courteous and the manager
Zain is very warm. The place has a nice vibe as you will find youngsters in the
property. However there are a lot of flies which they can try to do something
about. Also the breakfast is avoidable unless you eat non-veg. There are no
places nearby but you can use Swiggy post 11 am (we did not order from it
though).
If you are a Foodie
like me you will definitely want to explore much of what Ooty has to offer. I
tried my best to cover as many places as possible in the short trip of 2 days
.would like to hear from you about your experience at any of these places or any
other place which has not been covered as a part of this blog post.
A south Indian
lovers paradise , Ooty Coffee house : A good place if you are looking for South
Indian breakfast. The place is like any other tiffin house , nothing fancy but
food is good. You can choose to have any south Indian tiffin dish and the place
wont pinch you in the pocket. You can always try the ever famous A2B.
Having a wife who is
always on the lookout for the café's in town there was not a chance to miss
Place to Be ,hidden in a residential locality with a nice and pleasant setting.
It’s a bungalow converted to a café and you can have a nice experience when sitting
in the Balcony. The place is nice and clean. The cold coffee is really good but
the small portion size left me wanting for more. The pizza is nice too and good
enough for 2 people. The place is reasonably priced with a meal for 2 priced
around 800-900.
When you want to do
things which every tourist would doo , Nahar Sidewalk Cafe: the ever famous
café at Nahar hotel must have played host to majority of guests visiting Ooty.
We tried the pizza, grilled sandwiches and coffee. I found the pizzas to be very
overpriced for the size and quality , It was like the typical home style pizza
which was over-priced. The grilled sandwich was very nice , I have not eaten a
mushroom sandwich with such a hearty filling, I would recommend that. The cold
coffee was really good , made just like we wanted it to be. Meal for 2 will be
around 900-100. At this price I would recommend Place to be
Darjeeling Momos :
We went to the place riding on so much hype created on multiple posts. May be it was our bad day but
the Momo's were too Doughy , the schezwan fried rice was just okay , nothing to
boast off. I would rate it a 2.5-3 out of 5. The place can be given a miss if you are having any alternates to try.
Savoring a bite of
history Willys Coffee Bar : Last but not the least , Willys , the institution
which has been there since long and boy we weren't disappointed. The host was
so warm and welcoming. The burgers were like your typical homestyle burger in one
of the freshest buns ever. The Ginger , honey lemon drink was just perfect and
brownies were not like the usual sweet ones but seemed to have more of cocoa.
The place is very decently priced. The ambiance is old school but if you are
looking for a good meal you cant miss this place.. Meal for 2 will cost you
300-400. I would rate it 4-4.5.
We missed out on
Shinkows as the kitchen was closed by the time we planned for a late lunch and
Purohit bhjanalay , if you are looking for a homestyle north Indian meal.
You have your usual
list of tourist places in Ooty too , we decided to go to pykara district to see
the lake (the long queue for the boat ride was a bit of a fight). The drive is nice but there is nothing more to boast off. I would
rather suggest to send time chilling with the group and soaking up in the coolness.
One thing which you
must see is the not to famous Toda temple of the Toda Tribe. Located at the
outskirts of the city , this place was so peaceful. It was a serene feeling.
If you plan well you
should definitely take the heritage train ride between Ooty and connoor. This
is something I have done earlier and would recommend a first time traveler to
plan for.
You can plan your
day trips by booking an auto for 1500 to cover all the places or a car for
1800. We chose Auto to enjoy the wind and the scenes. Me being an avid walker who likes to explore the place on foot we did cover a lot of places on foot
Autos are available
in plenty and seem to be the only mode of local transport unless you are
willing to walk or have your own vehicle. The Autos are priced on the higher
side by the government and not all the drivers ask for the specified rate. Some
will rob you off so negotiate well.
That’s a wrap on
this post , would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions on Ooty.
P.S : All photos are clicked by my wife who is passionate for photography. Insta :wayfarerlifegoals
