After packing a quick bag with nothing but the essentials (that included a jacket that took up most of the backpack...) I was picked up by the Rotarian Suresh and the other exchange student from New York, Rianna. We then went and picked up another Rotary family and all hit the road- headed off for another weekend adventure, and to another hill station called "Valparai" that is located in the Western Ghats (mountain range), but is the opposite direction from Ooty. The drive took around three and a half hours- we first drove through a few small cities and towns (Suresh is a crazy and incredible driver. I was seriously amazed that we managed NOT to hit any of the people, cars, carts, bikes, etc. that were literally centimeters from our car...). Then we started the climb up the mountain, up the forty "hair pin bends" that took us all the way to the top and left us with a view of the valley below. The dam, the towns we had driven through, and the rocky sharp cliffs that surrounded us.
Near the end of the journey up, we stopped at a small shack on the side of the road that was nestled in right next to a small waterfall and hills of tea plants. We all got out and had some lemon tea, served in small paper blue cups that had the logo and the name "Waterfall" printed on the side. Then we continued on. As we went the scenery around us got more and more beautiful, we were driving through hill after hill completely covered in the small green bushes planted in rows that were tea plants. We reached our destination, a clubhouse, just as the sun was beginning to set behind the green hills, the light shining warmly over us for the last part of the day. The clubhouse was awesome! It was recently built with outdoor hallways and everything new! There was a ping pong table (people call it "tt" here for table tennis), a badminton net, a pool table, a kitchen, bar, and even sitting rooms! Rianna and I toured around for a bit before having tea (again- it's so good we can't resist!) and then playing TT. When we finished our game, the party was just getting started in the bar where all of the businessmen and their wives were sitting and chatting. Rianna and I went in and joined in the conversations, telling stories and hearing stories (that were WAY more interesting than ours...) about elephants walking through backyards, and even one about a woman opening her curtains and being face-to-face with the trunk of a massive female. The woman said that her window had been "kissed by an elephant."
3 comments:
Wow - Opening your curtains to find an open elephants mouth must have been an amazing view. That's a great story to tell about India!
Wow from me, too. I've heard stories from people who live in the woods in Oregon or Montana or Minnesota, opening their curtains and being face to face with a bear, which is pretty darned exciting. But, an ELEPHANT! They're so HUGE! (I'd'a wet my pants, for sure, in startlement.)
You're way ahead of me now in this India travel business. At first, you just got to go to places I'd been, or places I've been intending to go.
Now, with Valparai, you've been to a really cool place I haven't even heard of! You've definitely one-upped me! :D
I've certainly been on hair-pinny roads in the Western Ghats, however, including some with ridiculously long, wordy signs telling drivers to slow down.
Fortunately, our drivers never took their eyes off the road for long enough to read the silly signs. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting here, alive and telling about it. Ack!
I love those tea estates — to me, they look like the hills are covered with green chenille bedspreads. (I grew up in an era of chenille bedspreads.) (Uh, yeah, that was quite a while ago...)
And I love those little roadside tea stalls, too. And anywhere (or anyone) else who serves nice hot tea. ;-)
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