It has been quite sometime since I went somewhere. And I didn’t want to travel very far this time. So I finally settled for Ooty, even when people told me that the place is commercialized, and not that good. Is Ooty commercialized? Let us revisit that question at the end of this travelogue series.
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Having decided that Ooty is the destination, I was pondering upon the approach route. I initially thought of going by bus directly from Bangalore to Ooty. And return in the same way. But then, I will miss the toy train journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty. On Thursday the 24th, I left for Coimbatore from Bangalore and from there, reached Mettupalayam by mid afternoon. The next day morning, I left for Coonoor from there. Though I had a waitlisted ticket, my friend used her influence and got me a seat right in the front.
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The coach was filled with people from Chennai, who had taken the Nilgiri express. Most of them just crossed the platform and reached this train. And since they had traveled overnight, most of them were stinking  To add to the misery, my finger got stuck in one of the windows and before I realized what had happened my seat was filled with blood. Thankfully the train hadn’t started yet. So I rushed to the tap, and held my finger under cold water for a while. And then I got the latest copy of Dinakaran to clear the mess. Dinakaran absorbs blood really well ;)
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NMR-115NMR-37The toy train leaves Mettupalayam at 07.10 in the morning and reaches Coonoor by around 10.30 AM. Then from there it reaches Ooty by around 12 in the afternoon. This train consists of around 5 coaches, with the engine at the back.
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For the journey from Mettupalayam to Coonoor, Steam Engine is being used to push the train. Since it’s a steep climb, the engine is at the back and not at the front. The train moves at a maximum speed of 30 kmph in plains and even slower, while climbing. And every 5 kms, the train stops so that the steam engine can be refilled with water.
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Initially till Kallar, the train travels on plain land. And after that slowly it climbs the mountain. It is just like a trek. The scenery is something beyond words, and is really amazing. Considering the fact that I went before monsoon, the green cover of the mountain is pretty impressive.
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After around 2 hours of journey, the best part of the Mettupalayam- Coonoor section starts. By this time, the train has reached a considerable height and you get to see tea estates and stuff. I had the best view,sitting right in the front. It is one experience, I will never forget in my lifetime!

You can view the full set here. As always, please click on the thumbnail for better resolution pictures.
..to be continued