Elephants in the Wild

Elephants in the Wild

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006--Ooty (Cont.)

I went back out in the evening and forced myself to eat, since I had only one meal yesterday. I wasn't hungry, though. And my stomach ached a little--not from being sick from something I ate, but just a slight pain. Anyway, I had palak paneer (spinach with paneer) and naan. It was tasty even though I wasn't hungry.

I discovered a problem after I was back in my room. I have lost the section of my guidebook for Andra Pradesh, one of the states I will visit toward the end of the month. I tear each section of the guidebook out and staple the pages. That way, I don't have to carry the whole heavy guidebook all the time, and the individual section just rolls up and sticks in my pants pocket. It is very convenient that way. I took that section out recently to see if I could find a hotel on the map that was recommended by a friend who has been communicating with me via a travel website. I will only go to one city there--the capital city of Hyderabad. But I feel lost without my guidebook. I have no maps, no information about tourist information offices, etc. Fortunately, I have the recommended hotel within my price range where I can go when I arrive. In the meantime, I guess I will try to do some research when I am at cyber cafes during the next coupl of weeks.

Friday, Nov. 10, 2006--Ooty to Mysore

I was lucky to catch a bus as soon as I arrived at the bus station. But it was one with BAD suspension. We traveled for hours over rough, muddy, potholed roads through the mountains. I was bouncing in my seat most of the way. And there was a delay of about 45 minutes when we came upon two trucks that had both bogged down beside each other due to their heavy loads. Each had a wheel in a pothole that was too deep for it to get out of. Lots of men from buses and trucks that were backing up on either side of the obstruction were looking and giving advice. I don't know who finally figured out what to do.

There was such a pleasant surprise on the trip. We passed through a huge nature preserve. I saw three herds of wild elephants, three herds of spotted deer, peacocks, monkeys, a red-headed woodpecker, large termite mounds, etc. The preserve also has tigers, leopards, other antlered animals, etc., but those were no where in sight. Everyone on the bus was craning his neck as we passed animals. It was a wonderful experience.

There were three Buddhist monks from the Himilayan region on the bus. What was interesting about it was that I was no longer the center of attention for children we saw at stops. They all pointed and looked at the monks and totally ignored me.

We didn't get to Mysore until 4:30 p.m.--about 7 hours after leaving. I was so tired from the rough ride. Then I had trouble finding a room that was acceptable to me. I found plenty that were okay and at good prices, but they were always just a little too dark or depressing for me to accept them. I finally went back to where I stayed before when I was here. I got a bright room that is clean (other than the windows which seem to never be clean anywhere in India) with a good TV and lots of light coming through the window for reading. It's 2 times the price of the darker, dreary rooms I saw, but it is worth it.