Tamil Nadu, elephants and government busses

Mon 11 Nov

As we rode in our tuk tuk out of Mysore, the city was just springing into life. Men at the roadside were prepping their street food stalls, ready to serve up idlis and masala dosas, and we spotted someone giving their cow an early morning milking on a street corner (this is not a euphemism).

At the coach station, we located the general area that our bus would be leaving from, asked around, and found that it hadn't yet arrived. This gave us time to grab a chai and some snacks for the road.

A big red local bus pulled up with "Ooty" written on it, so we joined the rabble and fought for a seat. With two big and two small backpacks to contend with, we had to shove one under our legs, one at the back of the bus, and the little ones above our heads. It was the most comfortable we’d been on any of our bus journeys, and we were happy that we’d opted for the local government bus for £1.48 each instead of the convenient coach hotel pick-up for £2.50.

At one big suburb just outside Mysore, we picked up a load more people—leaving not an inch of space.

We drove past coconut groves and paddy fields, and eventually, we hit the border into Tamil Nadu (our fourth Indian state) and entered the national parks, where bambi-like deer walked in the long grass.

While gazing out of the window as we drove through a tiger reserve (sans visible tigers but genuinely a real tiger reserve also homing hyenas, cobras, and other such dangerous animals), we came to an abrupt halt and were ushered off the bus. It turned out we had a flat tyre.

About 20 Indian men from the bus had gathered around the problem tyre, each sharing their thoughts on the main fault and suggesting their recommended approaches.

Knowing we had plenty of time before we'd be on the road again, we took the opportunity for a quick wee.

In the loo, an Indian lady steered me away from the cubicles, advising me that they weren’t clean. She pointed to an open area and said this was better. I watched as she walked over to the wall, squatted, pulled down her bottoms, and started to go.

Thankful that I only needed a number one, I followed her lead and went to another spot a few along. This was basically a female urinal, comprising a miniature Indian toilet which you squat, aim, and wee forward into. There’s a bar above your head to hold onto for balance while you try to hit the mini tiled square below and avoid falling into the puddles.

All around, an extraordinarily odd experience that left me feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

Back at the bus, the men were busily tightening the bolts on the new tyre. We got back on and were soon off again.

We saw monkeys playing in the trees and a big river winding up through the reserve. Then we spotted it—our first wild Indian elephant. It was standing at the edge of the river, in all of its natural habitat, looking magnificent.

The flatlands of the national parks were left behind as we started to make our ascent up into the mountains.

This was yet another hair-raising experience, and at one point, we actually came off the road a little as we suddenly braked to stop ourselves from crashing into an approaching vehicle.

We climbed higher and higher, driving through villages and forests, until we got to Ooty—a city nestled into the mountains and the clouds.

A driver took us to De Santosh hotel. Feeling the chill, we changed into hoodies and headed out to check out what Ooty had to offer.

Short of breath due to the altitude, we puffed through town to find a lovely outdoor bar where we could enjoy a beer. After about an hour of searching with no joy, we cracked and asked a tuk tuk driver. Surprisingly, the only bar was a 70-rupee drive away in a posh hotel that looked out over the town.

The view was stunning, and the beer was sweet nectar.

We enjoyed the lounge, our drinks, and watching the clouds form over the mountaintops. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped for a lovely chicken curry.

Back at our hotel, we hunkered down under the big blanket, indulged in a warming nightcap, and fought another tense game of Chinese chequers—Jamie won twice, making the current score 2-2.

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