Up the hill to Ooty - Queen of Hill stations

Thursday morning saw a very early start in order to do the big challenge of the holiday -

13km uphill through 36 hairpin bends on the way to Ooty in the Nilgiri mountains (blue mountains).

Two thirds of the group cycled but four of us decided to walk, having experienced the 'pre-hill'! And believe me, that was enough of a challenge! And the roadsigns weren't exactly encouraging either.

On the way we passed the ever hopeful monkeys

plenty of wildflowers

colourful villages

and Indian electrics!

As we got higher up tea plantations appeared

Quite early on a ranger on a motorbike went by and warned us not to walk as it was elephant country, but despite seeing some fairly fresh droppings no elephant materialised. 

We walked on, learning from the guide that the first cyclist up (Bruce) made it in a record time of one hour ten minutes! Second was one of the women (Ann), and Mike was fourth. Not that it was a race you understand!

Anyway, we walkers were very glad to see this last sign and the reward of coconut cake at the top

and we had a great greeting by the cyclists who'd been at the top for two hours by the time we arrived. Then only another 14km to cycle to our hotel in Ooty itself.

Once there we decided to have a ride on the train from Coonoor back to Ooty (Udagamandalam to give it its full title) which is the steepest in India, and used to be pushed by a steam engine.

 It was quite a long journey, past lots of picturesque tea plantations and Ooty lake

Then back to our hotel for a cuppa

Farmstead and wild flowers

Whilst we were at the second nature reserve this man showed us around his farm. He was 81, and hopped around the rocky paths as if he was a boy.

It was interesting to see the wildlife - especially the flowers normally found as bedding plants in England, growing at least six feet tall.

Interesting textures

Pepper vines and young coffee plants

And wild gooseberries 

Across a river to see the goats (it's much deeper in monsoon season)

and back along the leat

to the farm (where they have satellite TV!)

and stunning views of the Nilgiri mountains - tomorrow's destination.

Tiger!

The bus took us to Bandipur Tiger Reserve, where we were stayIng in individual brick built lodges.

After lunch and a shower we set off on a bus safari through the reserve, in search of the 'elusive tiger' (just the one!). Our cycle guide decided not to come with us as he as been many times before and never seen a tiger.

We passed a lake and a small temple in the bush

and saw loads of wildlife - mainly spotted deer (Chita) 

monkeys

a mongoose

birds various -

this one is a Woolly Necked Stork

and a peacock

But no tiger. We drove up and down the trails in a bone-shaker of an open-sided bus - the animals we did see seemed quite oblivious, despite the noise! We met a couple of other jeeps and the drivers and guides and compared notes, but no one had seen a tiger. Then, as the sun was beginning to set,

 a message came through on the radio. The driver set off at break-neck speed back across the reserve to the other side. And then stopped dead and began to reverse. There in front of us, strolling nonchalantly along the path, was a male tiger

He is apparently about ten years old

Quite a magnificent creature - just checking the boundaries and leaving scent marks, not at all phased by the bus load of tourists looking at him.

On day two we had a 6.30 am start so that we could cycle through the reserve, cross the border into the next state and cycle to the next reserve before the road was closed for roadworks at 8.30.

Unfortunately despite permission having been granted when the tour was planned the new ranger decided that it wasn't safe (danger of meeting elephants at close quarters) and we were turned back, whilst guides and rangers argued.

Eventually, after lots of hanging about, two jeeps were summoned and we were driven through the reserve to the closed road and allowed to cycle along it, traffic free.

Tea stop here, then on to our second nature reserve lodge for the next nights stay.

First bike rides - (temples and other sacred sites)

Day one's ride took us through the busy streets of Mysore and across open countryside out to Srirangapanan. Cycling through Indian city traffic is every bit as interesting (for which read terrifying) as driving through it! But our guides (Joseph and Rintu) and the back up van driven by Manesh kept an eye on us and blocked the traffic where necessary.

Srirangapanan is the site of a 18th century mosque, and Ranganthaswamy temple dating back to the tenth century AD, plus the ruins of Tipu Sultan's fort. The river Kaveri which runs nearby and effectively creates an island of the town, and is considered sacred and so the town is a centre for pilgrimage for devout Hindus (but no tourist hype).

Our guide at the mosque told us that the holes in the pillars were for homing pigeons that carried letters and other important documents - if you look carefully you might also see the odd homing parrot too! Unfortunately that was about all we could understand of what he was telling us and the mosque was not really very remarkable, the ornate carving on the pillars was obscured with yellow paint.

The view to the spreading jacaranda tree from the roof was good, and below we could see typical Muslim graves of Tipu Sultan's teacher and his family, with a barrel top for men and a flat top for women.

Next the sacred river Kaveri - a very peaceful site

And after a tea break 

on to the temple, which was dedicated to the Ranganatha, an incarnation of Vishnu.

They were getting ready for a festival so it was heaving with visitors waiting to see the statue of Vishnu sleeping. We queued for what seemed to be hours with the same guide who had walked from one place to the other while we stopped for tea. The chariot above is for carrying a statue of the god around the village. There are apparently 76 pillars, all different, and the inside of the temple itself had a very solid Aztec/ Inca quality about it, but the elephants were definitely Indian.

Outside were ornate carvings of Hindu gods (I haven't yet worked out whether they are the same or different on every temple).

Next day another early start (6am wake up call, 6.30 breakfast, 7am ride) to cycle up Chamundi Hill and see the Nandi Bull.

All Hindu gods have animal transport and the bull is Lord Shiva's, and seems also to be worshipped in its own right. This huge statue dates from the 17th century and was carved from a single piece of black granite.

Then on down the hill and through arable countryside (bananas, sugar cane, vegetables etc), where we spotted these unusual birds' nests made of paper, and an ornate little roadside temple

through villages where all the kids come running out to shout hello, and Kiran and his friends posed for a photo (Joseph was at great pains to tell us not to let them try out our bikes or they might disappear!).

Finally we reached the temple town of Nanjangud. If you thought the statues so far were big, then this one was enormous! It towered above the people and dwarfed the market traders.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva (that's him above) and although we couldn't go in, the carvings outside were just as intricate as before. 

Each arch depicts a different god, or possibly a different incarnation of Shiva, and I guess the whole series probably tells a story from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana - must look it up one day. 

I think the goddess with many arms is Durga (in various forms) - the goddess of power, and consort of Shiva, who defeated the evil Mahishasur (the buffalo demon).

So now into the bus and a transfer to Bandipur tiger reserve, so we're moving from Karnataka state to Tamil Nadu.