Coonoor
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Though I could have taken the train to Ooty directly, I decided to take a break at Coonoor. After a scenic journey I reached Coonoor at around 10.30 AM. My train to Ooty was at 16.30 hrs. I caught hold of one Rickshaw and struck a deal with him. He agreed to show me entire coonoor for 450 Rs in 5 hrs. First I went to a doctor nearby and got treated for the finger. He gave some medicines, so that there is no infection. By this time I had got used to the pain. Hmmm.

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Coonoor is filled with tea estates and the adjoining areas like Wellington, Lambs rock, Dolphins nose etc are scenic too.
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Many scenes of Roja were taken here. This is Wellington. By this time, the blue skies almost disappeared and dark clouds started hovering over coonoor. Luckily, it didn’t rain till evening ;)
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The roads are narrow and you can find many trucks, carrying the tea bags. If you are visiting coonoor don’t miss out the approach route to Lambs rock and Dolphins nose. The atmosphere is serene and god has spent extra hours decorating this area.
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By the time I finished sight seeing it was around 3 PM. After a quick lunch(Not many good hotels around Coonoor, and the rice is not at all good  ) I left for the station.

Coonoor to Ooty
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I think I spoke too early about the train journey from Mettupalayam to Coonoor. The journey from Coonoor to Ooty was even better. And it had rained enroute.
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For this journey, they use a biodiesel engine, and the engine is once again at the back.
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The station names en route are interesting. Aravankadu, Ketti, Lovedale etc. What on earth does Lovedale mean? My favorite of all stations is Ketti.
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On the way you encounter many isolated huts, where preparation for dinner was on.
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And this was the area where the song chayya chayya from Dilse was taken. Not to forget the awesome ‘Poongatru pudhidhanadhu’ from Moondram Pirai.
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So after a very interesting and refreshing day, I reached Ooty by around 6 PM. By this time I was too tired and didn’t have patience to take any more photographs. So with lots of struggle, I kept the camera inside my overloaded bag.
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The resort where I stayed is called Trans India. My friend Arun had suggested this place and it was some 5 to 6 kms away from the main city. I wanted such a place, far from the honeymoon and holiday crowd. It is not that flashy, nor does it have that great facilities. But it suited my requirement.

With this an eventful day came to an end.

Coonoor set photos are available here, and Coonoor-Ooty rail section photos are available here.

Some information:
1. The tickets are very tough to obtain. So plan for the journey in advance. Station code for Mettupalayam is MTP, Coonoor ONR and Ooty UAM
2. There is one train in morning from Mettupalayam to Ooty, and one in evening from Coonoor to Ooty. I would suggest you to take a break in Coonoor and spend 4 hours there. If you want any help you can contact Mr Roja Bhai @ +91 9345724854
3. You get decent snacks at Coonoor. Otherwise nothing available en route. So if you are of the hungry types, pack your food.
4. No toilets on the train. But there are toilets at every station. The train stops every 15 to 20 minutes from Mettupalayam to Coonoor. And it takes around 5 to 10 minutes for refilling water.
5. Journey from Coonoor to Ooty is for 1 hr and 15 minutes.
6. Coimbatore to Mettupalayam is 45 to 50 kms by bus. Taxi charges 700 Rs from the airport. Buses are there every 10 minutes
7. If you are leaving from Bangalore, I would suggest you to reach Mettupalayam the previous night itself. There are no trains that reach Coimbatore early in the morning for you to reach Mettupalayam before 7.10 A.M. Mayura is a decent hotel in Mettupalayam, with good food.