I am walking around the Ooty race course as I am typing this, wondering how to start. The reason I write is primarily to quiet my mind and focus on something, but the prospect of the reader enjoying it and finding it refreshing or relatable in some sort of way also makes it worthwhile. I believe that the quality of an adventure blog is determined by how much it appeals to the reader and it can have that effect only if the readers can see themselves in that exact same situation. Alright then, let us begin !
Spontaneous plans are the best, aren’t they? Not only do they fill you with this sudden rush of excitement mixed with anxiousness and the ” If I actually did this ? Man! It would be epic!” feeling but even if they don’t succeed , you don’t give a damn because it was just a thought you paid a little more attention to , nothing more.
When I was brainstorming locations for my last trip in India , Ooty stood out. I’ve been to Ooty before but it lures me with this sense of calm that is very precious , the kind of thing you might experience after a long hot shower .
Although the journey on the overnight bus I booked started off with crawling through traffic and a duckload of honking , the onward journey was event-less except for piping hot tea at 4am in Mettupalayam. The walk from Ooty to Lovedale where I had booked a room (Zostel) was one of the most peaceful walks I have ever had. The teeth chattering cold coupled with the rain made my body shiver so hard that I actually found it a bit funny, something like when you sing in the shower , realise how bad your voice is but you start singing even louder anyway!
The first thing I did after I checked in, was go for a run. Running in the hills ( at least amongst city runners) is considered to be this  electrifying , blissful experience.
My experience though, was quite the opposite. Although there were beautiful views throughout the route and almost no traffic , the freezing weather , the rain and the altitude took its toll. The only way I could keep myself motivated was by greeting every local I met with a smile followed by a ” good morning ” and watching their faces light up . Something about making other people happy is so incredibly satisfying, don’t you think so?
Over the course of the trip I met many interesting people. An IT professional from Bangalore who wanted to kill the monotony of a 9-5 life , a lawyer from Kerala with infectious energy , a cake artist trying her hand at entrepreneurship , a French criminologist from Canada on vacation , a Spanish student fascinated by our culture , a Zostel veteran from Coimbatore, an old friend of mine from Bangalore were just some of them. I just loved each of their stories , their reasons for travelling , the passion they exuded when they were talking of something they love . Almost all of them were solo travellers . Meeting such vibrant , individualistic strangers gives you the kind of feeling you might get when you watch people coming out of the gate at an airport. It makes you realise how big the world is and how minuscule your problems actually are.
Being someone who likes to eat what the locals eat , the hotel ( the correct tamil pronunciation of which is “votle”) I went to for lunch was a cozy little shack tucked behind a tiny grocery shop. On getting to know the owner better, I found out that he was previously an ” always on the road ” truck driver who later settled in Lovedale with his family. The rasam-rice I had was so amazing that I immediately called my mom and pleaded the cook to tell her the recipe because I just knew I had to have it again (ping me if you want the recipe !) . The warmth and the kindness of the owner and his family is something I will cherish forever.
Overall my experience of Zostel was very good. The people you get to meet, the quiet location, the amazing view and the ridiculously cozy beds make it perfect for solo travellers. I definitely recommend it.
P.S Always greet people with a smile and a “Hello!” . You may make connections that last a heck of a long time or at least get to hear some very interesting stories . I speak from experience.
Let me know if you need help with anything !
A view of Life through my Kaleidoscope 