Category Archives: Kaity & Krissy

K&K’s Trip to Mandapam Camp & Danushkodi Island

Vj rarely gets a long leave. When he does we try our best to make the most of it – meeting as many relatives and friends as possible and exploring a place or two simultaneously! We spent Christmas at my mom’s childhood home along with her six siblings and their families at Karaikudi. On our drive back to my parents’ house in Thanjavur, we took a detour to Danushkodi Island via Mandapam Camp! Continue reading K&K’s Trip to Mandapam Camp & Danushkodi Island

K&K Explore the Queen of the Southern India’s Hills, Ooty – A Quick Guide to the Less Crowded, Scenic Parts of Udhagamandalam: Part 2 – Pykara Lake, Pine Forest & Wenlock Downs 9th Mile Shooting Point

Exploring the poetic woods and lakes of the Avalanche, Emerald Village & the Arboretum on Day 1, shattered every misconception we had about Ooty! Yes! The heart of Ooty city IS crowded and polluted especially in summer because of the massive inflow of tourists. BUT the city is just a fraction of the massive mountain range of Udhagamandalam! We often let the opinion of that not-so-appealing fraction influence our belief about what the rest of the place would be like. In this case, the outskirts of Ooty was BEYOND all that we had ever imagined!

Our goal for Day 2 was pretty much the same – explore the less explored places as slowly and as relaxed as possible! Continue reading K&K Explore the Queen of the Southern India’s Hills, Ooty – A Quick Guide to the Less Crowded, Scenic Parts of Udhagamandalam: Part 2 – Pykara Lake, Pine Forest & Wenlock Downs 9th Mile Shooting Point

K&K Explore the Queen of the Southern India’s Hills, Ooty – A Quick Guide to the Less Crowded, Scenic Parts of Udhagamandalam: Part 1 – Avalanche, Emerald Lake & Arboretum

Let me be honest, I would proudly call myself a Kodai-girl. From my early childhood to my college years, we visited Kodaikanal almost every summer. The memories I have of Kodaikanal are numerous over time and hence it holds a very special place in my heart. However, when it comes to Ooty, I have always been quite opinionated. Having visited it once as a 7 year old for my uncle’s wedding and once as a college student for a performance, I never really got to go around Ooty, as both trips were very brief.

Over the years, I have only heard Ooty to be extremely crowded and polluted in summer. While we were being roasted and toasted in the scorching Hyderabad’s heat and contemplating a small vacation, all we wanted to do was escape to some place cool. As we also had a Family wedding to attend at Erode, in order to save on time and travel, after much hesitant deliberation, we decided on OOTY! Frankly, I had little to no excitement about our trip.

Like every trip I plan, I asked around and googled recommendations. Thanks to good friends for their tips, I WAS COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY BY THE SPELLBINDING BEAUTY OF OOTY! Continue reading K&K Explore the Queen of the Southern India’s Hills, Ooty – A Quick Guide to the Less Crowded, Scenic Parts of Udhagamandalam: Part 1 – Avalanche, Emerald Lake & Arboretum