Sunday 2nd March - Ooty to Coimbatore

Got up from the great sleep in a really nice bed and into the bus for 8.30am

Down town to the Ooty Botanical gardens for a few hours. As mentioend before, Ooty is one of 3 "hill Stations: established by the british in the 19C to get away from the heat of the Southern Plains and places like Madras. Ooty is about 2200 meters above sea level.

Well the botanical gardens looked like they hadnt changed at all from 1930 England, the plants, the grass the glasshouses and the climate up here, you could be in a little town in the UK. It was pretty and so interesting to see that nothing had changed.

We got a group photo!

Then off towards a temple, but before that a 50km winding road down the mountain to get back onto the plains of Southern India. In teresting drive with a few stops for roadside snacks of hot coffee, fried thingies! and lots of fruit for me. I know I am going to regret typing this bit but now day 10 in India and NO Stomach pains (Dehli Belly) yet!

We also stopped for lunch and had bananna leaf plate, bolied rice and 7 different types of curried vegatable dishes plopped onto your leaf by waiters with buckets of the stuff. It was "eat as much as you can" style with as you finished you got more..oh an also a papad (popadom to you guys!)...all for 40 rupees....thats 55 pence! ha ha ha !!!!!!

We stopped at a tea plantation on the hillside for a few photos and the scenery was breaktakign witht he mountains and hills. Also interesting to see so many christian churches about as well as the hindu ones.

Then to Coimbatore, an industrial hub know for its textiles (knicknamed manchester by the British!) and off to the local temple on the hill. Had to get into an even smaller coach to go up the winding road to the temple. I was allowed in as some are very funny about letting non hindus in.

Then back to Coimbatore for about 6pm, one of our earliest finishes, which meant time for me , because Coimbatore is quite sizeable to find an internet cafe and do some blogging and important travellling stuff for when I get back to the UK.

The Hotel, once again is called the "Tamil Nadu Hotel" and is quite nice. Room with en suite - hot and cold water and TV with satelite and so can get footie and HBO films.... I am living it up.

Will do some more blogging soon....oh and now we are down from the mountains its getting damn hot again! check out the map how South I am!

All the best to everyone

Steve