Colonial blues of the Nilgiri

That big blob is nestled in the Nilgiris. Ooty has an irresistible charm of its own and the power to create a vibrant assault on all your senses. From Bangalore, we drove for 6 hours to Ooty. Originally known as Udhagamandalam or Ootacamund, was once a summer capital of the British. Amalgamation of distinctive flowers, routes folded under nature’s fruits, animals that are so rare that i don't even remember their names and the best people watching.

Ooty raises a cry that screams ‘wild child’, this breed is bound to wander through the wilderness and along with bellowing meadows of Pastor Valley, base for our trek to Mukurthi national park. The reserve is a splendid plethora of flora and fauna. Although, as much as we appreciated the beauty of it we were more excited to get a shot or two of the famous Nilgiri Tahr or any other endangered species. We navigated around intense wilderness of the forest to the vast stretches of the greenlands blended so perfectly with the groves of trees and sholas that nothing seemed more at rest enough to put me into trance. The tropical weather sure did give us a run for our jackets and a cup of tea.

This trail, as planned led us to our next destination that was the quaint Porthimund Lake. A placid reservoir and its mystical backdrop obscured further view highlighting the mystery of its flow. Its quintessentially pastoral depiction reminded me of some of Austen’s Victorian settings painted so ambitiously in her stories.

Near the Mukurthi national park as it flows from its peak until the perimeter of the plateau, the Pykara falls are otherworldly. Crystal in nature and they portray scintillating vibes. The climax produced a transcending effect as we played ‘’the end’’ by The Doors on our way back.