This summer, we spent a week in Connoor, at a homestay called Ekanth. There have been times when I used to wonder why people went to Ooty or Kodaikkanal so often. I wondered if they got bored seeing the same staple 'view points' and making the same sight seeing trips. But now, as I have probably become wiser (not older for sure) I do see what there is in soaking yourself in a place, even if it is a familiar place, just to relax and recharge yourself. I think its equivalent to the millions of trips that I have made to the Marina Beach, and yet never failed to enjoy it. I can see that there is something welcoming in a place that you know well and enjoy with all your senses. Coonoor is one such place, it is gentle, it is soothing and it is oh so cool during summer, a refreshing change from Chennai.
We reached Coonoor one afternoon, around 1pm after about 1.5 hours spent inside a car. When we stepped out, the cool air was like a blast from the Air conditioner. My head cleared up, felt lighter and I could take a deep breath of that air. I think we have been to this place, a homestay, about 4 times so far. Its a beautiful bunglow nestled amidts a garden or a grove of fruit trees and the silver oak trees. You pass through the narrow winding road from the town bus stop and in ten minutes, you are close to the tea estates, all green and sloping and there are these beautiful tall pine trees that look down on you. You can smell the different flowers and just feel the wet and cool earth beneath your feet. I do remember one name, the Morning Glory which was a lovely deep blue in colour and was peeping through all the trees along the roads as we came up to 'Ekanth'.
We have always made trips to Coonoor and Ooty during the offseason time, so as to avoid the peak tourist traffic. Well, this time, we were bang on the middle of it, the second week of May. And there is a reason why it is peak tourist season. It seems like flowers are bursting and blooming all over the valley, from Coonoor right upto Ooty. The Sims Park, the major attracting is filled with rows and rows of a variety of flowers. I thought double shade was an invention of Kancheepuram weavers for selling their silk sarees. But you can learn about the best combination of colours, by just looking at these flowers at Sims Park. The other thing I liked about the park was that it was huge. It is huge. Inspite of the crowd, you could always find a quiet spot inbetween the lawns and the garden and the small lake to have a picnic, let the kids run around and may be play a game of catch with a ball. Its not on one level, but meanders up and down so that you don't actually see how big the park is. There are nice little gazebos made at frequent intervals throughout the park where you could take shelter from rain or get some privacy.
There are a number of tea estates around Coonoor, that you could visit, take a walk around. If you know someone locally, they would be able to take you on a nice trek to some of these places. The Glendale Tea company, has opened a nice little shop called Oasis, which is basically to promote its own brand that is located in the middle of rolling hills of tea.
There is a small area called the Market in Coonoor that is interesting to see, just for the way the shops are arranged. Its a tight network of small shops, set up close to each other. There were rows of shops selling different kinds of things. There was a row selling clothes, toys, electronics, and interestingly, a row of tailoring shops too.
The other things that you could do from Coonoor is take a trip to Ooty by the toy train. Its a relaxed journey for an hour where you get to see the valley from different angles, see the old stations like Lovedale or Wellington and imagine what Ooty might have been about 100 years ago. Once you Ooty, you get overwhelmed and swept away by the crowd. You would end up doing all those things that tourists normally do, just because all traffic has to move in the same direction. But let me not go into the 'oh, it is so crowded and polluted story' and talk a little bit of what it still has to offer. There is a beautiful road called Commercial Street (yes it could be beautiful, if a few things were removed, like vehicular traffic) which was filled with interesting shops and mouth watering bakeries and chocolate shops. We stuffed ourselves with food at a few of these places. If only this stretch was made pedestrian it would do be a pleasure to walk around. I had no hopes of finding anything interesting, but there was an old Higginbothams book store, a lovely cafe called Sidewalk, owned by the Nahar Hotel. There was a Subway, a few restaurants and other shops selling trinkets or clothes. At the end, there was a nice fountain which remained hidden by the heavy traffic around it.
Every morning as we woke up to the chirping of birds, we just soaked ourselves in the lovely weather, drank endless cups of tea. Its not just the sights to see in a vacation, its often the feeling that you can cut yourself off from the hustle and bustle of your normal life and forget about looking at your watch or checking your messages. Just 4 days and we enjoyed every minute of it.
We reached Coonoor one afternoon, around 1pm after about 1.5 hours spent inside a car. When we stepped out, the cool air was like a blast from the Air conditioner. My head cleared up, felt lighter and I could take a deep breath of that air. I think we have been to this place, a homestay, about 4 times so far. Its a beautiful bunglow nestled amidts a garden or a grove of fruit trees and the silver oak trees. You pass through the narrow winding road from the town bus stop and in ten minutes, you are close to the tea estates, all green and sloping and there are these beautiful tall pine trees that look down on you. You can smell the different flowers and just feel the wet and cool earth beneath your feet. I do remember one name, the Morning Glory which was a lovely deep blue in colour and was peeping through all the trees along the roads as we came up to 'Ekanth'.
We have always made trips to Coonoor and Ooty during the offseason time, so as to avoid the peak tourist traffic. Well, this time, we were bang on the middle of it, the second week of May. And there is a reason why it is peak tourist season. It seems like flowers are bursting and blooming all over the valley, from Coonoor right upto Ooty. The Sims Park, the major attracting is filled with rows and rows of a variety of flowers. I thought double shade was an invention of Kancheepuram weavers for selling their silk sarees. But you can learn about the best combination of colours, by just looking at these flowers at Sims Park. The other thing I liked about the park was that it was huge. It is huge. Inspite of the crowd, you could always find a quiet spot inbetween the lawns and the garden and the small lake to have a picnic, let the kids run around and may be play a game of catch with a ball. Its not on one level, but meanders up and down so that you don't actually see how big the park is. There are nice little gazebos made at frequent intervals throughout the park where you could take shelter from rain or get some privacy.
There are a number of tea estates around Coonoor, that you could visit, take a walk around. If you know someone locally, they would be able to take you on a nice trek to some of these places. The Glendale Tea company, has opened a nice little shop called Oasis, which is basically to promote its own brand that is located in the middle of rolling hills of tea.
There is a small area called the Market in Coonoor that is interesting to see, just for the way the shops are arranged. Its a tight network of small shops, set up close to each other. There were rows of shops selling different kinds of things. There was a row selling clothes, toys, electronics, and interestingly, a row of tailoring shops too.
The other things that you could do from Coonoor is take a trip to Ooty by the toy train. Its a relaxed journey for an hour where you get to see the valley from different angles, see the old stations like Lovedale or Wellington and imagine what Ooty might have been about 100 years ago. Once you Ooty, you get overwhelmed and swept away by the crowd. You would end up doing all those things that tourists normally do, just because all traffic has to move in the same direction. But let me not go into the 'oh, it is so crowded and polluted story' and talk a little bit of what it still has to offer. There is a beautiful road called Commercial Street (yes it could be beautiful, if a few things were removed, like vehicular traffic) which was filled with interesting shops and mouth watering bakeries and chocolate shops. We stuffed ourselves with food at a few of these places. If only this stretch was made pedestrian it would do be a pleasure to walk around. I had no hopes of finding anything interesting, but there was an old Higginbothams book store, a lovely cafe called Sidewalk, owned by the Nahar Hotel. There was a Subway, a few restaurants and other shops selling trinkets or clothes. At the end, there was a nice fountain which remained hidden by the heavy traffic around it.
Every morning as we woke up to the chirping of birds, we just soaked ourselves in the lovely weather, drank endless cups of tea. Its not just the sights to see in a vacation, its often the feeling that you can cut yourself off from the hustle and bustle of your normal life and forget about looking at your watch or checking your messages. Just 4 days and we enjoyed every minute of it.
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