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Colourful houses on the hills of Coonoor make for a pretty sight. (Facing page) The Nilgiri Toy Train crosses a bridge along Life in a the route Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se, in the world, and since they are grown on slow lane peaks higher than the ones in Darjeeling, featuring , Interesting there is a great aroma to the tea. Beauty of and Coonoor, coupled with was shot on the roof top of FACTS Although Coonoor is not as buzzing as Ooty, the charm of a heritage toy train, is what The Nilgiri it’s got a charm that’s addictive. The highlight Mountain Railway The Nilgiri in Coonoor is definitely Sim’s Park that was was awarded the makes for an unforgettable journey Mountain Railway status of World built in 1874. It is a great place to spend hours train was started in Heritage Site walking around and drinking in the scenic Pallavi P 1908 Coonoor charmed me with its rolling tea in 2005 beauty. You can stop by to admire flowers of estates and the vivid green that clothed the all shades and hues. slopes soothed my jagged city nerves. It It covers a distance of 46 km from is a perfect place to unwind with a cuppa. Mettupalayam to Then came the most enchanting part of my rowing up in Delhi, my only added to the excitement was the knowledge There’s an interesting story of how the first Ooty in about five trip — onboard the Nilgiri Mountain Railway experience of the mountains that I would travel from Coonoor to Ooty in tea plantation came about up here. Way hours, going from to get to Ooty. A ride on this toy train, a World 326 to 2,203 metre were the rugged, pine-laden, hill the Nilgiri Moutain Railway (also known as back in 1819, when the Scottish collector of (1,070 to 7,227 Heritage Site, was something straight out stations in the Himalayas. The the Nilgiri Toy Train). Ever since I saw SRK and visited this hill station, he found feet), making it the of a Enid Blyton story. The blue-and-cream short vacations spent in the northern hills Malaika Arora Khan dance to Chaiyya Chaiyya that there was no tea to be served. Miffed, he steepest railway carriages take you through a picturesque G track in Asia instilled in me fascination for the mysterious on the roof of this train in Dil Se, I too had decided to plant tea himself, and today the route that covers lush tea estates, rolling peaks that rise high above dusty, crowded wanted to experience this journey. plantations stretch out across acres. hills, 250 bridges and 16 tunnels. There is plains and I always held a desire to visit It passes through something magical about this miniature train 250 bridges and the gentler slopes of the Nilgiris that lie in All I knew about Ooty and Coonoor — A visit to one of the tea factories is a must. 16 tunnels that winds its way around slopes — nobody is southern . situated just 18 kilometre apart — was that Here you can observe the entire process of in a rush, nobody is competing to reach first they are famous for tea plantations. Much to tea-making, from plucking leaves, pruning to It’s the slowest train and nobody cares about that 100kmph speed. When I got a chance to visit the Queen of the my surprise and pleasure, these two pretty how it finally turns into the brew that you sip in India operating at southern hills, Ooty, and Coonoor, in Tamil hill stations in the Nilgiris packed in much each morning. Don’t forget to buy a packet a speed of 10.4kmph I boarded the train at Coonoor, which is the Nadu, my happiness knew no bounds. What more than I knew or expected. before you leave; the Nilgiri teas are the finest second last station along the route. Although

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Did You Know The Nilgiri Mountain Railway turned 106 on October 15, 2015. On this occasion the Nilgiri Railway Museum opened at Mettupalayam railway station. Besides photographs of the train, tickets issued and the first locomotive, which was made How to reach: in Switzerland, are The nearest displayed here. railway station to Coonoor is Coimbatore Junction, located 70 km away

I was prepared for it, the train chugged at out in the open. As the light and shade keep Rare flower blooms in the Nilgiris a speed that came as a surprise — the cars shifting, your journey takes on different hues. Strobilanthes, a were zipping faster than us. But I wasn’t Many tourists choose to travel on the stretch gorgeous lilac-blue complaining — coming as I was from a city from Mettupalayam to Coonoor because this flower, also known as where speed is everything, life in the slow lane is where you get to view the most spectacular Kurinji, only blooms once in 12 years. was truly therapeutic. scenery. It is the steepest railway line in the It is only grown in continent and chugs along a distance of the Nilgiris in the At every turn, you encounter a different scene 46 km, starting from Mettupalayam at around Western Ghats. The — if at one point you are craning your neck to 7.10 am and reaches its destination Ooty at next flowering will be in 2018. People from admire a tall peak shrouded in grey mist, at noon, in roughly five hours. across the country plan the next turn you find yourself staring down trips to see the entire into the vale, looking at beautiful houses At the next station — Lovedale — many school valley covered in these perched on the slopes and children playing children boarded and suddenly the carriage pretty blue flowers.

Upper bhavani Reservoir in the Nilgiris is one of the most beautiful and amazing place to visit. (Top) A postcard- perfect building at peak

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Women picking tea leaves at a plantation in Coonoor. (Below)

was filled with squealing, laughing, chattering its pretty houses, colonial churches, parks kids eager to get home. For a minute, I almost and gardens. Other than that, the hill town is envied their carefree attitude. famous for its delicious homemade cheese and chocolates, a legacy left behind by the British. Soon we were in Ooty, the town the British India’s first established in early 19th century as their And to soak in the beauty of the southern Chocolate Museum getaway in the south from the stifling summer peaks, I made my way to Doddabetta peak — Ooty is famous for homemade heat. It is still the pride of the southern hills, the highest point in the Nilgiris. Spread before chocolates like although the heart of the hill town is now was a beautiful vista — the entire southern truffles and fudges crowded and the screeching traffic is no ranges that I had been longing to see were and to make things different from what you are used to in big cities. ringed around me. I closed my eyes for a more interesting But move away from all of this and you will minute, just to soak it all in the beauty before I a chocolate museum opened see that Ooty still packs a lot of charm with went back to the crowded plains of North. at Indunagar on Ooty-Mysore road. It has been opened by brothers S.M. Fazloor Rahman and S.M. Abdhul Rahman who’ve been top three stations selling homemade chocolates for more Mettupalayam than 15 years. One can see the entire chocolate making Hillgrove process here. It also has a chocolate fountain. The sheer variety of chocolates on display is quite Coonoor interesting to see.

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