THE MIGHTY HIMALAYAN: SEASON 1 CHAPTER 3 (OOTY/ ZOSTEL, LOVEDALE)
- rakeebj
- Dec 3, 2016
- 8 min read
Slowly I have been moving up the ladder, with one step at a time. These tiny steps are just adding strength to my strong belief in myself to endeavor and achieve more plus fueling up my sheer urge to explore more.
Well, Ooty has been never been in my list for favorite getaways. I have been to Ooty back in 2006, as well as in 2008. I have explored the place extensively like how every tourist enthusiast does, going to Ooty lake, admiring the terrace cultivations, munching on the home made chocolates to travelling in the toy train in Conoor and so on. So, Ooty was never on my list to travel to when I got my hands on my beautiful Himalayan. I have already covered places like Shivanasamudra, Horseley Hills (Andhra border), which mostly falls within the range of Karanataka and are almost within 200-300 kms of back and forth radius. Recently when I got a break from office for almost 4 days (thanks to amazingly festive India), I decided to go on a back packing trip somewhere outside Karnataka. After a lot of research, I found an organization called ‘Zostel’, which sets up tents at serene locations all over India. They have their branches spread all over Himachal, Uttarakhand, Goa and to my surprise they were just 350 kms away from me at Lovedale, Ooty. As I have already mentioned, I was not keen on travelling to Ooty and I am repeating it a couple of times, makes it look like I hate this place. So, I would like to make it clear that there is no disregard as such from my side towards Ooty. It’s just that I didn’t like the place much when I visited it the last time. It was too crowded and the traffic was bad. Moreover, the place has been dirtied by the people. With a hope that the place had become better in years and the fact that I haven’t been to Lovedale and explored the Nilgiri range properly, excited me to take this ride.
So, I started preparing for this journey. First, I had to have a thorough check up of my bike. I would be travelling for 4 days and covering a radius of about 800 kms. This required a full servicing of my bike. Engine Oil Top up, spare parts including, extra tyre tubes, brake and clutch cables. I needed a saddle bag which would fit perfectly on the back seat and would not require any new extra mounds or fittings on the bike. After searching on the internet I found out that the NH4 branch in Bangalore has specially designed a saddle Bag for Royal Enfield Himalayan. I went there and met Mr. Dev who is from Shillong and the sole owner of this franchise. He himself is a traveler and owns a mighty Thar. We discussed a lot of things about long rides and learnt quite a lot from him. After picking up the saddle bag which cost me around 3k, I headed back home and fixed it behind my bike. The best part about this bag is that it comes with an inbuilt rain cover and holds upto 25-30 litres of luggage.
My next search was for a GoPro cam as I wanted to document this ride. I wanted to buy products from SJCAM as I have been a fan of their products since the beginning. I found out that Moto Store & Café in Bangalore are one of the distributors of SJCAM’s in Bangalore. I went to their store and it was totally a different feeling. I guess this is by far the best motor store in Bangalore with wide range of riding gears, products and an in-house café to boast about it. The store owner Ashish, is a travelling enthusiast and it was a pleasure meeting him. A complete heaven for any riders to chill in here. I picked up my SJCAM M10+ which is the latest edition in their series. It cost me around 13k along with helmet, handle and body mounts.
You can get an idea from my previous articles that I like to travel solo, but for a ride this far, I definitely needed company and who better than my partner in crime Miss Shivani Boruah (www.thevelvetradio.com) would fit the bill.
So, on October 29th, 2016 which was a Saturday, we set out for Lovedale. We started at around 7 a.m. in the morning from Koramangala 1st Block in Bangalore. As usual I took the Nice Road and our idea was to hit the Bangalore-Mysore Highway through Mandya and reach Mysore first. We reached Mysore at around 10 a.m. Stopped at a local restaurant for breakfast and headed straight out to Ooty. The roads were amazing. The roads connect to Ooty through Bandipur National Reserve. I have never been to Bandipur Reserve before but to my fortune I didn’t have to visit the forests in a safari. While passing through the reserve itself, we witnessed herds of deer grazing freely. There were wild monkeys, peacocks, boars and elephants as well. I was amazed with the harmony which coexisted among these animals and the natural flora and fauna of Bandipur forest. It is worth a ride through these valleys. Leading through a mountain, we entered Madumalai Tiger Reserve. Luckily, there was no sight of any tiger roaming freely on the roads but the beauty of this place was pure and serene.
We reached Ooty at around 4 p.m and I was surprised to see that the place had changed quite a lot over the years. The roads have become better and he town looks neat but the traffic was still merciless though. We decided to stay in Ooty itself for the night and explore the place before moving to Lovedale. We booked a guesthouse and planned to rest for the night. And yes, I forgot to mention that my bike was giving a lot of trouble in the 36 hair pin bends we have to overcome to reach the main town of Ooty. The clutch cable had worn out already and the gears went from tight to stiff. I had to fix this at a local garage in Ooty itself. The garage guy told that the issue was due to continuous ride with lesser breaks. I learnt a lesson there. However, long the distance is, or how perfect your bike is, it needs to rest for a minimum of 10-15 minutes per 2 hours of your journey. The engine gets heated up leading to a numerous issue within the bike. So, thankfully this issue was resolved. We then headed to the guest house, had some local beef fry and beef biriyani with some rum to ease off the cold weather. The temperature had already dropped down to 8-10 degree Celsius.
Next day, 30th of October, 2016, after a hearty breakfast at a local hotel named, Soudambika, we headed out to see the highest peak in the range of Nilgiris, Doddabetta. This is completely a tourist spot. If you are looking for some peace of mind, or alone time with your guitar/music, I would definitely say, this is not the place you are looking for. It was crowded with ‘n’ number of people, all eating, dirtying, loitering the place. There was not a single spot to view the range properly. Maybe it was holiday season, or the fact that it was a Sunday, it was that crowded but I would still recommend you to visit this place at your own risk. We were at relief to get out of that place as we never expected this sudden amalgamation of so many people.
We came down the hill and headed straight to Lovedale. Slowly as we crossed the main town and followed the route to Lovedale and everything changed as if Mother Nature just cast a spell. The roads became narrow, surrounded with mystical mountains filled with clouds and mist. I was awestruck with the beauty of the place. Just one thought came pondering over to me, “where have I just come, why on earth I didn’t get a chance to see this place before”? It was breathtaking. The rides through this hills were exhilarating. The best part was that no one knew where Zostel existed and that feeling was giving me an immense joy. I wanted that place to be aloof and away from the usual crowd. After calling, Harshal, the owner of the place, we somehow managed to follow his directions and voila! We finally reached our destination.
WOW!! What a place. Immediately I enter Zostel and I fell in love with this place. There are 3 tents within a range of 10-15 meters from each other. A main house with a kitchen and two private rooms and 6 dorm beds. Technically the entire place is limited to 15-20 people along with the owner Harshal, his 2 dogs, Leo and Sandy and the 2 other helpers. There is a common fire place where everyone gathers at night. The kitchen is an open one where you can cook whatever you want. I am sorted. This is my stay for the coming 2 days. Shivani was not able to take the smile away from her face.
We settled down in our respective tents, got freshened up and went out for a walk amongst the Nilgiri range. The whole place was so pretty, it literally made me forget about all my useless worries. Harshal, the owner of Zostel, Ooty was a delight in person. He was very lively and very friendly. We talked for hours, sang, drank and had fun. I will remember few of his crazy stories for a long time now. At night we headed out to the campfire site and met the other backpackers there. There were so many people who were just travelling solo just to come and stay in Zostel. I got my guitar, strummed a few chords, Shivani sang alongside others. These memories would stay with me forever. For 2 days, we repeated the same schedule and I didn’t even realize how the time flew and sadly we had to head back.
On 1st of Novemeber, 2016, at around 6 a.m. we started our journey back to Bangalore. Followed the same route and headed straight towards Mysore. On the way we stopped at a place called Wildlife Gift Store. This place is entirely an initiative to protect the wildlife and the endangered species all over Bandipur and Madumalai. They have several branches which can be located in the highway itself. We picked up few souvenirs and got back on the road. We reached Bangalore at around 2 p.m. where Mr. Ozzy was waiting for me at home.
I would cherish my ride to Lovedale all through my life. This journey has become one of my most favorites among the many I have accomplish and also will be a special one amongst the many more to come. It totally changed my perspective and notion of the place. The ride itself was challenging and obviously, this is my longest trip as of now.
So folks, do visit Zostel, if you have an opportunity. You have to book the place in advance. All the details are available on the internet. Give it a try, trust me, you will thank me later!!
Till then! Cheers and Beers for more to come!
Check out the vlog of this trip by clicking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6dAL9vJ6fI&t=586s
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