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Our rendezvous with the Blue Mountains began with a jaunty joy ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. This World Heritage train has been chugging up and down these hills from Mettupalayam to Ooty for over a century. The ‘toy train’, as it is affectionately called, valiantly chugs up the gradient, its blue matchbox-like compartments winding around the precarious curves of the narrow gauge, negotiating hairpin bends, rumbling on wooden bridges over gurgling brooks and passing sparkling waterfalls. The wheezing and whistle screeches of the tiny toy train echo across the valley, as it pushes the carriages forward, often at walking pace, across ravines, through tunnels, bridges and, hugging mountain slopes. |
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At Coonoor, the steam engine is replaced by a diesel for the remaining part of the journey. Drawn up the hills by two steam engines, this narrow gauge train is the only one of its kind in India and has a special rack running between the two tracks to assist the steep climb.
Coonoor is not as flamboyant and crowded as its celebrated neighbour, Ooty. We decided to skip ‘Snooty Ooty’ and give its regular tourist attractions a miss. Instead, we included in our itinerary the off-the-beaten paths around Coonoor.We began with a visit to an old tea factory where we learnt the intricacies of production, from picking ‘two leaves and a bud’ to the drying, selection, packaging and, more importantly, tasting. |
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BOX: FAST FACTS
Getting there:
By air: Coimbatore – 71 kilometres. From there, cabs are available to drive up to Coonoor.
By rail: Coonoor Station. Take the Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train from Mettupalayam, which stops at Coonoor en route to Ooty.
By road: Coonoor can be reached either from Bangalore via Ooty or from Coimbatore via Mettupalayam. Private and State buses connect Ooty with major towns in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
Best season: From April to June, or September to October. Coonoor is beautiful in the monsoon months of June-August and October –November. For details, check www.tamilnadutourism.org |
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right 2002-2003., Gurlz Fashion and Lifestyle Magazine. All righs
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