The morning air was clear and refreshing. Frank and I took an early morning walk, hoping to find a nice bakery with pastries and some coffee/chai...unfortunately the town doesn't wake-up until 9 AM. What we did see were people cleaning the streets, children in uniforms heading off to school and merchants slowly opening their shops.
After breakfast, we headed off to visit a tea plantation. The drive took about an hour and Chandra began to explain the basics of the Hindu faith; a way of Indian life. We learned about Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, their wives and children.... a religion that has over 3 million gods/goddesses... reincarnation leading to a better life...etc.....we listened like small kids in a classroom. The tea plantations are numerous and dot the hills surrounding Ooty. The tea fields are planted like Italy's grape vineyards on steep hillsides so that their is adequate drainage. Tea plants are actually tea trees that are manicured to remain as bushes...similar to maintaining a bonsai tree but bigger. Scattered among the tea field are white oak trees that absorb a significant amount of water during the wet season and releases it in the dry season. We learned about white, green and black tea...the differences, benefits, quality, and taste....Indian tea has most of its caffeine removed via the roasting process... Chinese tea uses tea which retains caffeine. After visiting the plant process, we had several samples in their tea tasting shop....chocolate, matase, orange pekoe, ginger ...aaaaha the varieties!!
Next we drove to the small town of Coonor located at the foot of the mountain/hill area. Chandra continued to explain the subtleties of the Hindu faith. It is very interesting when you hear about the conflicts between the various religions in India....not true so far. Various vehicles proudly display religious symbols of their faith...mosques, Hindu temples and Christian churches exist side by side. We took the "Toy Train" up the mountain, returning to Ooty.
The rest of the afternoon was free time...I re-explored the market...visited various shops...had several cups of chai and enjoyed some chocolate treats.
Tonight we had dinner at the fabulous the Fern Hill Palace. The Palace was built as a country club/officers' quarters for the British Army. Exquisitely built of teak wood, hand carved adornments, and decorated with hundreds of pictures of decades gone by. The food was sumptuous....the Palace was an outstanding finish for our 2 day stay in Ooty.
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| Silence is Golden |
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| Facial Bleach Saloon |
After breakfast, we headed off to visit a tea plantation. The drive took about an hour and Chandra began to explain the basics of the Hindu faith; a way of Indian life. We learned about Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, their wives and children.... a religion that has over 3 million gods/goddesses... reincarnation leading to a better life...etc.....we listened like small kids in a classroom. The tea plantations are numerous and dot the hills surrounding Ooty. The tea fields are planted like Italy's grape vineyards on steep hillsides so that their is adequate drainage. Tea plants are actually tea trees that are manicured to remain as bushes...similar to maintaining a bonsai tree but bigger. Scattered among the tea field are white oak trees that absorb a significant amount of water during the wet season and releases it in the dry season. We learned about white, green and black tea...the differences, benefits, quality, and taste....Indian tea has most of its caffeine removed via the roasting process... Chinese tea uses tea which retains caffeine. After visiting the plant process, we had several samples in their tea tasting shop....chocolate, matase, orange pekoe, ginger ...aaaaha the varieties!!
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| Ladies Picking Tea Leaves |
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| Tea Picker |
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| Tea Tasting..Yuummm |
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| Group Photo |
Next we drove to the small town of Coonor located at the foot of the mountain/hill area. Chandra continued to explain the subtleties of the Hindu faith. It is very interesting when you hear about the conflicts between the various religions in India....not true so far. Various vehicles proudly display religious symbols of their faith...mosques, Hindu temples and Christian churches exist side by side. We took the "Toy Train" up the mountain, returning to Ooty.
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| "Toy Train" |
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| Chandra - Our Leader |
The rest of the afternoon was free time...I re-explored the market...visited various shops...had several cups of chai and enjoyed some chocolate treats.
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| Ooty Town Center |
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| Vegetable Market |
Tonight we had dinner at the fabulous the Fern Hill Palace. The Palace was built as a country club/officers' quarters for the British Army. Exquisitely built of teak wood, hand carved adornments, and decorated with hundreds of pictures of decades gone by. The food was sumptuous....the Palace was an outstanding finish for our 2 day stay in Ooty.
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| Palace's Main Entrance |
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| Decorative Foyer |
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| Ornate Fireplace in Main Room |
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| Main Meeting Room |
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| Main Dining Room |
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| Hallway to Picture Galleries |
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| 3 Seater - Monica, Mary, Theresa |
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| Dinner Photo |
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