✪ Ooty aka Udhagamandalam!!
✪ Confluence of Himalayas with Sahyadri
✪ Pongal vibes and festivities
✪ Ooty climb- 1200 m gain in 20 kms
✪ Mountain road cutting across forests!
✪ Experience of staying at Wellington Cantonment
Namaste. Writing experiences of cycling done in January. Morning of 15th January. Fourth day of the ride. Yesterday I had stayed at Gudalur! Gudalur! The mountain town at the base of Ooty! One feels mountains here. Today it is the ride to Ooty. When I was used to play 'trade' game with my Grandpa, I came to know names of towns such as Ooty, Kochin, Darjeeling, Madras etc. The same Ooty! This will be my biggest climb in this South India cycle tour. In a way, it is a stern test. I feel that after Ooty, there will not be difficult stages.
Sankranti or Lohri in North India means Pongal in South India! Yesterday evening also I saw festivities with plenty of preparations. Rangolis drawn in front of houses! Sugarcane brought from shops! Music and also the aroma! When I started the ride, I wondered about the clouds. But the sky is so clear! There is some fog up in the mountains. I took tea- biscuit in Gudalur and started. The climb starts from the town itself. 20 kms distance for 1200 m elevation. But this is not that steep. It is well spread. So I am feeling that I will cycle it well. In the past, I have cycled on many more demanding climbs. Only thing is that its length is more, so it can be little difficult.
