My Dream House

Dear Friends,

As a family we had the opportunity to check out Ooty while on a visit to Mysore in 2003 . We were busy sight-seeing entire days and were booked on the last but one day to see Belur-Halebid which was Rs.100 odd per person. Per chance I started reading a board on which sights nearby were mentioned against rates per head. Ooty was also the same price per head as Belu trip and I knew instantly that we were very near Ooty which our family had never visited earlier. When I requested a change from Belur to Ooty the guys agreed without any protest! We were asked to report at the same place like on all previous days at around the same hour.

Next day we were packed into a mini van with 10 others and went up the hill through Bandipur. I kept joking and asked my sons to look out for the notorious Veerappan but all we could get to see were some wild elephants blocking roads and some deer in passing.

A couple of hours later we were in Ooty. We were all so surprised and so happy being in such a beautiful place. It was cool. It was green all round. There were beautiful gardens all over the place. On the slopes were tiny bungalows, big hotels, tea gardens, vegetable patches - I wanted to get down and feel the lettuce and cauliflowers, had they allowed me to.

We saw only a couple of places like the lake and the botanical garden, as the driver insisted we have breakfast and lunch and then shop for things like tea, homemade chocolates, etc. even though all of us were interested in seeing more places.
Then by 4pm we were all bundled into the van and before long we were on our way back to Mysore. We could buy fresh carrot, cherries, etc but dint seem to have enough of Ooty that day.

Our sons were so happy about this trip, they said they wanted to study in some college in Ooty if they can. Alas, there was no engineering college there otherwise I would have somehow managed to fulfil their wish. Both started wishing to live in Ooty in future. As they were about to get enrolled in their engineering courses that year in Chennai, I knew it would take some time before planning something on these lines as I liked the hill station too.

Before they left for higher studies abroad, I wanted the family to revisit Ooty another time but at our pace, so we booked into a hotel and stayed there for 3 days not forgetting to book our return from Ooty to Mettupalayam by the mountain rail.

This time we visited nearby Coonoor which is lovely too. I feasted my eyes on the flowers in the botanical gardens first, then off we went to check how milk and cheese were processed in the only dairy in Ooty. Then we checked many smaller joints for breakfast and dinner (we ate some of the best phulkas and sabjis in a small rajasthani hotel but could not get the dal batti) as lunch time was sight-seeing time with steamed corn cobs, fresh fruits and vegetables even as we travelled in a local tourist car.

We saw almost everyhting there was to see. The weather was so beautiful. The clouds touched our hotel in the mornings. We hunted for patches of vegetables gardens everywhere we passed bt but could not get anywhere near them. Then our guide took us to a tea plantation. We promptly stopped near the outlet selling their produce of tea but the factory itself was closed for the day due to the weekly machinery maintainence schedule. This we missed seeing.
But we could buy very good tea from the plantation's very own outlet.
Then we went to a farm where some special cherries grew. I got them and made them into a jam later. It was sour and very good to taste in the sweet jam.

A day was devoted to Coonoor where we went to the Pastuer's Institute where my sis's in-law worked for a very long time. Then just across the road, we walked into the Sim's Park. There are about 2 or 3 incidents about Sim's Park which I shall share with you in my next blog! Let me get Ooty details out first.

There was half day still left at Ooty on the last day and I wanted to check out the vegetable market. The fruits and vegetables were all so very fresh, just plucked out of the ground from farms around. It was a riot of colors which I may have seen for the first time in India - deep purple capsicum and cabbage, beautiful oranges, yellows, deep greens, deep violet in brinjals and beans, the whitest in cauliflowers and lightest green in cabbages.
After feasting my eyes on nature's colors, I began to compare the prices between Chennai and Ooty. I was very disappointed as the prices were just the same.
Then I went in search of the spices and readymade jams, jellies and juices.
Passion fruit juice was the best of the lot. I am still using the cinammon sticks, nutmeg and mace to flavour my pulaos.
The thought of lugging so many things back was a deterent, nevertheless, buy I did to my heart's content.
I made sure I hunted for the passion fruit too and then there was a fruit called Bamblimaas. I have never seen it before but usually we mothers use 'bamblimaas' as an endearment for our kids when they are roly poly, rounded and cute as babies.

I can never ever forget this trip for one thing though!
On the last but one day when we went up the hill to see a view from the telescope, we paused to buy some table raddish which a relative from Chennai strongly recommended among other things like having dinner at the Rajasthani hotel, tasting passion fruit juice, buying freshly baked Warki and Eclairs at the local bakeries!

She had suggested we eat the table raddish raw. Never imagined such a little thing to pack such a punch as a natural laxative! It was so strong that I felt my stomach cramp even while the juicy thing went down the gullet. Through the evening and well into the next morning I got very weak from visiting the washroom with the table raddish bent on cleansing my insides, inside out!! But managed to take some medicines which we had carried and shopped for all our last minute items. I bought 2 kgs of the Warki especially made for us freshly at 10am! The Warki is a multi-layered baked item which feels hard on the outside, roundels but is very crisp and melt-in-the mouth made from refined wheat flour, butter, salt and sugar.

My sons were eager to sit by the window in the Blue Mountain but as soon as the train started chugging out of the station I had to put out my head to puke and all through I did just that. I will never forget the little table raddish all my life ever!! :D
The little raddish taught me never to indulge in anything new about which we dont know anything about, especially while on a holiday and travelling. What a way to learn the lessons of life and the teacher could be as little as a table raddish for all you know. If possible bring back these new things to experiment when you are back home but never try untested things while travelling.

Coming back to my dream home - I am still dreaming of a house on a patch of land somewherre in Ooty or Coonoor or Kodaikanal or these days Yercaud is fast taking over my senses. My mind is building a beautiful cottage in one of these beautiful hill stations. I see a garden with vegetables and flowers in full bloom. I drink hot tea in the afternoons while sitting on a lounge chair overlooking the valley.

How can I ever forget the Rose Gardens? If it is Ooty, my dream cottage should overlook these Rose Gardens. I imagine many pass through this garden while I admire all the roses in so many shades and sizes. Yes my dream home is somewhere near this rose garden for sure. If its Yercaud, its going to be the horticulture garden where annual flower festivals are held.

I shall dream on until I make this for real.
Appulu, my father, taught me to dream about the lovely things of life. He was always an optimist.
Appulu I miss you, but know that your soul keeps following me and blessing me.

One day I shall make this dream too come true. That's my promise to myself.

Dreams dont cost us anything except the effort to turn them into reality, God willing.

Cheers.
Mahalakshmi