The healing power of nature is something different. The feeling of being on another beautiful country. A trip to one of the most tourist attraction in India. Ootty, Tamil Nadu, is the destination you'd love to be to refresh your soul and mind.

1. 1

2. 2
A trip to Ootty
Written and edited by:

3. 3
The dawn fog has lifted into the bright day of Eid-al-Adha. Voices
glorifying the name of the Lord spread through the wet
atmosphere. Elders and youngsters set their way toward mosques
nearby. Their new dresses and white caps revealed the enthusiasm
filled inside them. Hymns from the Holy Book melted with the
beautiful day air. The birds chirped along until the sun came up
with a golden glow; making every visible seem gold plated. The day
had its gloss. Charming contagious smiles on everyone exiting the
mosque have also made the day. It was completely refreshing to
the humanity. Celebrations began, rallying down the streets were
the joyous children hopping with the greatest smile on their faces.
They carried small purses; elders gifted them money.
Someday they’ll have to be a part of the elders too. But then, fun
will just lay low amid the tension and stress they carry. The day will
be over within minutes. The moment will pass just after the
elocution by the Imam. It will be only the hugs that make you less
stressful. Life is, most of the time, stones and tomatoes thrown at
you. Some will hurt and some stick on you and stink. It’s the time
you celebrate when you clean the mess up. The rest of the time is
learning; what to do in what manner without getting thrown at
with another tomato.

4. 4
Today, just forget what would happen in the recent future or what
just happened. The only thing that matters is you having the day
completely. Go to the kitchen and have some lemon tea. It will
cheer you up. And for some side snack, a biscuit will do.
Now, get changed into your new pants and shine for a while. The
day is musical, tap along with it. But, what will I do after the prayer?
There’s an animal sacrificing event. Just visit the yard and bring
some meat to the family. Then What? Huh. Just quit thinking like a
psycho-maniac. You’ll be fine. But, I don’t have friends or similar
people in my family! OK, that’s it. Here’s what we’re going to do.
After lunch, if the atmosphere’s cool, we’re going to the bus station
and wait till something pops up, done.

5. 5
I was waiting for something to lighten up. There should be some
kind of plan to ensure I’m normal. I shouldn’t be just normal. I must
be more of an adventurer. How about I go somewhere where no
one has been? What if I got robbed? What if I got attacked and
nobody gets attended? Alone is dangerous. Alone is not an option
then. I must find someone to be with me, to enrich the tour. Let’s
look who’s better in the contact list. Oh! I should change my phone.
Nokia E5? Who the hell am I?
The road down to the bus station isn’t just a road. It’s steep. It feels
like one should hold on to a rope to climb down to the streets.
Cousin Kareem’s home is on a hilltop. He was unwilling to come
along with me. I thought it won’t be fun. Kareem isn’t entertaining.
He just bubbles words out of his mouth to keep the women
laughing. I don’t. It’s disgusting, all of his jokes. Better not label them
as jokes. It’s bullshit.
The road is made with huge rocks combined over cement concrete.
They won’t slip off the ground. On either side, when you climb
down, you could see paths to different houses. You can even jump
to a roof top from here. I paced slowly; each step carefully as if it
would lose my grip to the rocks. One thing is for sure, you could die
hitting your head on the bottom if you weren’t careful.

6. 6
Yes Ejaz. Let me check with him. He should be free. His phone was
ringing.
‘Hey, how are you?’
‘I’m good, listen hey. I’m here all bored and worried. What say we
go off on a trip to somewhere green and cold?’
‘Yea, I was thinking about it too. Where have you planned?’
‘Nah, I didn’t. I was hoping if you’d suggest’
‘What about Munnar then?’
‘It’s not that good. The touch has gone. Let’s go to Ootty’
‘Ootty is it then, I’ll meet you at Calicut Bus station’
‘Alright then, say 5?’
‘Five is it. Bring some more cash. It’s my first time’
‘Mine too. Let me see if I’d get some’
Wow! That was fast. There are still a lot of buses to Calicut right
now. If I get on one, I’ll reach there before three. It’s ridiculous.
The rain clouds had blown by the summer wind. The ferocious sun
rays landed on the tarred platform like mighty soldiers. The drops
dripped from the ceiling of the waiting shed on to the dirt shattered
on the tiled floor. It mixed together and moisture spread. The scent
touched deep as I inhaled for the bus to arrive. But, when it came, I

7. 7
sat there like I had more time to spare. It began to drizzle and
people ran to shelter with hands on their heads. They didn’t want
their day ruined by silly cold. Nobody wants disease. In fact, nobody
likes cold. It ruins the refreshment of a person.
There was a crowd striking against the disloyal activities acted by
the government. The party chief has a lot of controversies. She/he
should be brave enough to face them. The main factor I hesitate to
support the politics in India is their view of people. In one side, they
bring progress and the others destroy it because they weren’t
allowed some things. That matters to this part of the community
while the others strike for a different system. The whole idea of
taking from the rich and giving to the poor is pure nonsense. These
kinds of people are demolishing the law of equilibrium. How will it
ever bring peace if there is no one to balance it?
The buildings around the bus station sort of made me proud in the
growth of my village. But, still. Nobody cares about how neat it
should be. Ejaz is from Tirur. His village is far more advanced than
mine. There, it’s really clean; everywhere. The village itself grew from
the people supports. They shared good ideas to enhance the
attractiveness to the city’s growth.

8. 8
The bus leaves afternoon at five. We have our backpacks set for
three days of long journey. It’s the first time for both of us. The bus
to Gudallur leaves in a few moments. Ejaz said there are a lot of
chocolate wholesale shops in Ootty. I asked a porter having tea
near a load of luggage laid on the dirty roadside where the bus
would be. He pointed us the direction carelessly as if he was tired of
carrying them. The horns of vehicles screamed in the town with
anger and bias. Thunder ripped the clouds in half and overcame all
of them. But, the people were always in a hurry. When the bus
arrived in a corner of the large bus station, we ran towards it, never
letting our hope take off without us.
Rain drops dripped furiously against the bus’ speed. It didn’t stop
until the Sun had its way down to the opposite world. The bus
climbed the mountain roads, forests and dirt roads. Ejaz fall asleep
sooner he got on the bus. I shook his sleep away to the sick reality
when the driver put pressure on the brake. The engine rested for a
while. He went out to piss. We stayed in our seats.
When the bus reached Gudallur, it was past midnight. There was a
taxi stand and two drivers were waiting for passengers. We
gathered information about the bus to Ootty from there. There was
a lot of time until five thirty in the morning. I looked around and saw

9. 9
a lodge sign. We shared a single room, had dinner and slept. I
began to feel the cold descending down the ground.
We breathed cold fog and exhaled warm vapors. A huge white
travel bus drove slowly past us. We ran for it. It stopped as the driver
noticed us. It was complete darkness inside Airaavath. There were
two seats in the very back side left for us. The conductor came
along after we were comfortable and asked for the tickets. It was
dark and unable to see the numbers on the currency. I handed the
cash and he tore twice two hundred sixty tickets. He returned the
change for five hundred. After a while, I realized that I had given
him just a hundred rupees note and he was deep in his sleep. He
technically paid us for travelling.
We breathed fog and the heat inside our lungs produced
vaporized warm air back. It felt like smoking a cigarette. We almost
took a thousand puffs of frozen air until we found a room to settle
things. Matter fact, we bathed and freshened up for a clear day to
open up before us. I paid the bill and we headed to the botanical
garden a mile away from the bus stop. When we got off the bus a
while ago, some men surrounded us offering rooms and taxi
services like swarms of flies. We somehow maintained the crowd
and made our way to find a room of our own. Anyhow, we
checked our cell phone batteries and set out to the garden. There
used to be a day of exhibiting flowers in different forms called the
flower show.

10. 10
It was opened at 8 am, and was amazingly beautiful. If one could
describe it in one book, he would write one. Soon as we stepped
past the gate, the scent of lilies and lilacs oozed into my lungs. And
the moist of the morning soil and the grass hiked the thirst for more
incredible views. In the middle of a portion of the whole garden
after the entrance, I pointed out a white rabbit. Midst the green
grass, there was this astonishing rabbit, formed out of white flowers.
Ejaz took a picture of me standing beside it. We walked into a long
but small greenhouse stuffed with different kinds of plants and
flowers. We weren’t sure if we wanted to leave this place or should
we live in this place. That’s how close nature takes us. There were
Begonia, Ferns, Cactuses, Succulent Plants and al that attracts a
nature lover towards it.
We decided to stay there for a while and take pictures of whatever
is in our way. With this little 5 mega pixel camera, I didn’t believe I
could get an exact clarity which we witnessed there. It was
amazing.

11. 11
The wind blew independently in to the warmth of my body. It
weakened my strength to hold on to the cold atmosphere. Ootty is
the place for thick skinned people. More like northern and less like
Eskimos. We walked from the botanical garden back to where we
landed in the first place. I had to feel everything around me, to
know about stuff. Walking down the road, we noticed a mosque
near the junction of it. We entered and saw the large marbled walls
and pillars constructed boldly. Rich calligraphy on every piece of
marble, security cameras on every corner, huge tank of water for
ablution, and there was many electric sockets freely left on several
walls. We looked at each other like two morons for our ruthless
manner on spending much money on renting a room. We only
had to charge our batteries from here. The tension rose when I
looked inside my wallet. We had to leave soon before this goes
down. But, a backup plan would be great. The strangers staring like
wild cats won’t help the situation.
The thought that I had three hundred rupees in my account gave a
slight hope of getting back home safely. But, we haven’t had much
of an experience coming over here after all. I must find something
or someone to create an adventure or a good time out of anyway.
Ejaz waited for me outside an ATM vestibule. I wished if it could
lend me more money than I entered. It didn’t.

12. 12
The next thing I saw was a huge crowd outside the bust stand
celebrating something not familiar to my concept. Tamil Nadu’s CM
has got bail from High Court. The whole state was actually
honoring the news with fire crackers and howls. We didn’t stand
there much due to the cops and the joyous crowd. Then we
decided to go to the mountain rail-ride. He insisted while I looked
inside my wallet. I doubted if I would come back here again
someday and enjoy it to the fullest. So, whatever may happen next,
we walked towards the railway station.
There were several other people, mostly foreigners waiting to board
the train. I saw the colorful train decorated with red, yellow and
white. The engine was also funny and old looking. I looked all over
the station while Ejaz waited in the line for tickets. There was a lady
standing beside one of the pillars. Why don’t I go and talk to her? I
thought. So I went slowly walking around and stood near her. She
was gorgeous and foreign. I wanted to talk to her. But, something
kept freezing me backwards.
‘Hi, I’m Anes. What’s your name?’ She turned to my side and looked
at me. She smiled and shook my hand.
‘Caroline. How are you?’
‘Good. Where are you from?’ She didn’t look like she was fluent in
English. I had to ask that anyway.
‘Germany. And you?’

13. 13
‘I’m from around here. Do you know Kerala?’
‘Yeah, I know. We were there a week ago’
‘Who’s with you?’
‘My fiancé and his parents, over there’ she pointed me to the
direction where an old couple was talking to a young handsome
man. I didn’t want to know his name. There was no point in asking
her that.
‘I see. You guys don’t have kids?’ The first dumbest question that
arose in my mind was that. I regretted that later.
‘No, we’re not thinking about it right now’ She smiled.
‘Then how is your travel going on now? Enjoying India?’
‘Yeah, it is really amazing all around these places, different people,
their cultures and places are all awesome’
I smiled and looked at Ejaz. He was stunned by my new friend,
Caroline. He had the tickets in his hand while he walked towards us.
‘This is my friend, Ejaz’ ‘Hi.’ ‘We’re just so excited to go on that train.
You’re coming too, right?’ Ejaz shyly smiled.
‘Yeah, sure’
‘Nice meeting you’ I let a smile and left her.

14. 14
‘Dude, what was that all about?’ Ejaz wasn’t over this unexpected
chat with Caroline.
‘It’s just that, I want to talk to a foreigner. I want to know how it
feels. And it feels great’
We boarded the train at the last compartment. The fiber glass doors
and tiny seats felt like a wonderland adventure trip. There were no
seats for us though.

15. 15
My knees and back started to ache like an aged person. We were
standing inside the train and we bend now and then to see the
spectacular landscape views which are mostly covered with fog. I
wished we had come a little bit early or skipped the chat with
Caroline so we would be sitting on a window seat right now. As
the train started to move, the engine could be heard from a long
distance. It was as ancient train with a dozen colors painted for a
modification. The screaming sound of the wheels is too much
irritation other than the painful standing journey. I couldn’t enjoy it
very well where as I wished I hadn’t taken the ride in the first place.
The train moved slowly through the misty path. But all the suffering
and drama vanished with a second when the enormous view of
the landscape fell upon my eyes. The immaculate creation of the
Almighty was a million times better than viewing it on a screen. The
rails were adjacent to the steep of the cliffs we passed. I was afraid
to stare at the deepest of the grounds when my conscious told me
we could fall into it anytime now. The horror reached inside my
brain and pulled all the connected nerves and screamed wildly
forcing me back to the seats. I looked at the passengers nearby to
see their reaction too. They had no fear in watching at it. They
haven’t even noticed the frequent quivering of the train. The
wheels screamed very often. Every other tourist danced along with

16. 16
the movement of the compartment. The children weren’t
frightened of the thrilling journey the engine chose for us. Anyway,
I wished the ride ends soon so I could breathe fine air finally.
A few moments later, the train stopped. Everyone got off at the
station. I searched for Caroline but unfortunately they must’ve fled
from the spot.
It started to rain lightly as we walked to a closer bus stop to get back
to the point where we began our terrible but fascinating mountain
ride. We got on a bus that was partially filled with the locals. As
soon as we reached the place the crowd we saw previously
celebrating the release of their CM weren’t no more celebrating
anything. They were furious, wild beasts blocking every local and
state transportation services. Something had happened to burst
their anger on public properties. Ejaz and I were shocked as we saw
them headed toward us. I trembled. These people are insane for a
reason. Later that day, we knew that the bail was false news and
frankly, she the court didn’t stand by her side. Instead, the court
denied the request and that led to the heart of the state to erupt
harshly.
We instantly got on a Kerala State bus and decided to return
immediately as possible. On the way out of the station, our bus was
blocked for a few minutes when the police arrived and helped our
way out the town. It was one huge relief to us that we didn’t stuck

17. 17
there for another day because we could be begging others to send
us more cash to stay wherever it was cheaper and get out of there.
This really was meant to be a magnificent journey which should’ve
given us the entire satisfaction of being there a while and enjoying
the whole place for a week at least. It is one of the beautiful and
astonishing places where I’d promptly suggest anyone who needs
a better refreshing time of their life. This place gives you the feel of
being in another wonderful country and keeps you want to come
back more another time sooner or later.