From Auroville, Brian and I took a mammoth journey involving 3 rickshaws, 4 buses, 1 train and 24 hours of our time. We finally landed in a hill station called Ooty. It's a kitchy holiday spot for Indian vacationers and home to the "first time in the world" thread garden, a lake for paddle boating, local souvenirs of homemade chocolate and Nilgiri tea and a rose garden sporting few flowers and plenty of pornographic name signs for roses that haven't bloomed. They also have a race track for horses and motorbikes.
The climate was cooler and I enjoyed a reprieve from mosquitos. The hotel overlooked the lake and surrounding mountain panorama. My favorite part was a 12-mile trek through tea plantations, a small village and finally a peak overlooking mountains, valleys and tea plantations. The trek was peaceful and the viewpoint meditative.
The climate was cooler and I enjoyed a reprieve from mosquitos. The hotel overlooked the lake and surrounding mountain panorama. My favorite part was a 12-mile trek through tea plantations, a small village and finally a peak overlooking mountains, valleys and tea plantations. The trek was peaceful and the viewpoint meditative. 
Next, we travelled through a tiger reserve on our way to Mysore. We saw elephants and monkeys, but no tigers :( Mysore is well-known for producing sandlewood products and boasts luxurious royal palaces. It also hosts a lively market, the best masala dosa I've ever eaten and a temple on a hill with views of the city. 
After three days in Mysore, we took a 14-hour bumpy bus ride to Gokarna, a small beach town on the West Coast (Arabian Sea) and home to a temple on wheels. 
We settled into a tiny hut on Om beach, a mellow cove 2 km south of Gokarna. There we took in lots of sun, lost a fight with a cow over a loaf of bread and enjoyed yoga on a terrace overlooking the ocean. The views were spectacular.
Are those bowls all filled with spices? I LOVE the colors!
ReplyDeletenot spices, make-up! and Holi festival colors (for smearing on each other)!
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