Ooty with Ma-Bapi

We, the utter nin-compooz invited Ma-Bapi over to Bangalore after nearly 1.5 years of our marriage. Prior to that we decided that we were too busy and caught up in our respective boardroom wars. Other than really trying hard to be polite to each other most of the time their trip hasn't been a challenge so far.

The drive through Bandipur, Mudhumalai forests and 36 hairpin curves was manageable and V made us reach Glyengarth Villa a little before lunch time; straight six & a half hours - NICE job V! The sky was a beautiful blue and sunny and set up for a great vacation...until the Rain God appeared from nowhere. It poured the latter part of the afternoon accompanied by high velocity winds - brrrrr it was like being in Beijing (bah snooty me), actually more like being in a Delhi January cold afternoon. The rooms were old world, wooden flooring and period furniture and the bathrooms had been renovated since our last trip (with Joy and Naveena - Apr 2004 or 05), But who needs to visit the bathroom in this cold weather, which by the way was pretty impressive with a shower cubicle and jacuzzi.

Next morning V booked himself at the golf course. Maa and I walked along the golf course and chatted to our hearts content. V looked good playing golf from afar - smarty pants!! Bapi seemed to enjoy the garden and took some weirdo pictures. All of us had to listen to V's golf banter all afternoon as we drove down to have lunch at another quaint resort called The Kings Cliff. This place was more touristy and had many Punju tourists talking and laughing loudly. Mithun-da's hotel The Monarch was right next door as was Bappa's hotel school - Merit Swiss. While having lunch Maa greedily tried to take a bite from Vinay's beef curry...one should have seen Bapi's tense face..I could hear a song playing in my ear "loosing my religion". After lunch we went for a drive towards Lovedale and passed some absolutely stunning tea plantations and a charming railway station. The road to Lovedale ended at the famous Lawrence School. With 8foot high walls around the school is seemed more like a fort for the creme-de-la-creme. On our way back to Ooty we had to maneuver through some very strong winds and lashing mountain rains - brrr it became colder and we poor little urban mortals wanted to return to our plains.

Next morning post breakfast we headed downhill towards Mudhumala, Bandipur forest-Mysore and back to Bangalore. Maa strategically threw up right next to some beautiful tea plantations. We did one stop for lunch at a coastal dhaba in Mysore and reached home sweet home by 6pm.

Sometime the home potty feels like a resort :)