Tea and Coffee Country - Coonoor

Holidays leave some lovely memories-replete with the sights and sounds of places one visited, of the impulsive things one did, of the local food one tried - soaking in the sense and feel of the place. But the ones which you remember most are the places where there was ease and you had a comfortable stay. Recently when I travelled down South to the tea country- Coonoor, I was looking for something that had an old world charm and was reminiscent of the colonial past. Wallwood Garden, a 19th century heritage hotel of Neemrana Group fitted the bill beautifully. It was a tea planter's bungalow which is now run as a boutique hotel (or a Non-Hotel as the group likes to call it) and is an ideal choice for experiencing the Nilgiris.

The property is located in the picturesque and peaceful environs of Upper Coonoor, a mere 5 minutes from the town's most visited spot, the Sim's Park. The bungalow is a relic of the British days and is truly vintage material with a fireplace too- the perfect thing on a cold wintry day.

The cottage is sweetly maintained and makes for a relaxed stay. The rooms are aesthetically done up in their trademark style of  Rajasthani furnishings complete with a four poster bed and Victorian two seaters, very charming and comfortable, just the place to snuggle up with a book and relax. The lawns are well kept (and have won some prizes too), the perfect place to enjoy your morning cuppa and savor some fresh mountain air. The dining room was a delight with its French windows which offered a lovely view of the greens outside. The wooden flooring in the lounge adds to the warmth of the place. It is away from the town's hustle and bustle and though located on the Kotagiri road, it has been able to maintain its serenity. Their food is very basic and nothing much to write about but since there were plenty of good eating options nearby it was no sweat.

Like any hill station, confectionary shops are plentiful here and we would invariably stroll down to Bedford market which was close by to try out the huge variety of cakes and cookies- Swiss rolls, chocolate cake, ginger biscuits and great tasting cookies. Baker's Junction, in this area, was another interesting shop, stacked with all possible eats- a real treasure trove for foodies. Craving a Chinese meal, there is the Dragon Chinese Restaurant near the market square which dishes out quite an edible fare for a small town. There is also the ubiquitous CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) - in the Bedford area which was surprisingly not drawing in crowds. I guess people here still prefer their good old filter coffee over any fancy stuff. I was missing my North Indian food by now so Quality Restaurant was our savior; they do a good lunch buffet which is very sumptuous. For South Indian food there are options aplenty (there is Shri Lakshmi in Lower Coonoor) and they all do a good job.

What stood out about Coonoor vis-a-vis other places up North was that it is relatively cleaner, people have a lot more civic sense and don't litter the streets. In the Nilgiris there is a ban on the use of plastics which is adhered to very religiously. Our eats would be very nicely wrapped in brown paper packets and it was good to see even the small shop keepers following the practice unlike up here in the North where such restrictions are openly flouted. The aam aadmi (common man) is far more conscientious about his work and seldom would you find people whiling away their time. Walking around, as a North Indian you do get curious but affable looks, this pleasantness is something which is clearly absent in Delhi city. 

 As a Delhiite I might have a lot of cribs about my city,  but my trip to the South has been quite an eye opener too, to the extent that it made me realize, that all told Delhi is still by far the best, and one of the most livable places in the country.

A getaway to the Blue Mountains

Coonoor which aptly means 'a village of hillocks' is a hill station in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, an hour’s drive from Ooty. Though Ooty is better known and more frequented but of the two Coonoor is the more peaceful one, not overrun by tourists and still maintains a quiet air about it ... something which one looks forward to in a hill station.

 The loveliness of this place starts with the climb to Coonoor, as lush green forests, give way to the dense green tea estates and the beauty of this area called the Blue Mountains engulfs you. We were totally taken in by its quaint charm which held a promise that our time spent here would be something to be cherished. At first sight Coonoor looks like a Colonial haven with old British style bungalows and heritage buildings dotting its landscape- relics of the Raj era with the sloping red tiled rooftops. New bungalows have come up but thankfully they merge in beautifully with the surroundings and don't stand out like an eye sore.

Colonial style bungalow

Unlike the hill stations up North, Coonoor doesn't have a Mall Road to boast of, instead it has the main bazaar (market) in Lower Coonoor ...a bustling area, the main bus stand is located there and that makes it  very busy. We were staying in Upper Coonoor which is around 3 kms above the town centre and at least once a day we would traverse down to the market. Going downhill was a cake walk but the climb up was sheer torture and one realized how unfit we city dwellers are. Coonoor is a small town so we could easily cover it in a couple of days and there was never a hurry to rush from one spot to another.

It seems that every second shop here is in the business of selling bakery items and there were umpteen number of them filled with yummy cakes - plum, chocolate, vanilla, cream puffs, and an assortment of cookies.Coonoor is a small enough place so one wonders how do so many bakery shops survive and whom do they sell to? A shop which we frequented for cakes was the Crown Bakery, a shop which has been around since 1880, on Mount Road in lower Coonoor. Their honey cake and chocolate vanilla cream cakes were truly delicious, spongy, with that melt in the mouth softness that is the hallmark of freshly baked stuff. Another unique feature in this part of the country is the 'Hot Chips' shops which basically sells savories (namkeen). They were always crowded and are very popular, especially for their local goodies like plantain and bitter gourd chips. Filter coffee is also a big fad here and people drink it at all hours - sidewalk cafes would be crowded with people sipping their coffee in tiny little glasses and munching bhajiya (an assortment of deep fried dumplings). Their coffee is definitely awesome and since, I too am a coffeeholic it was great fun, savouring innumerable cups of it throughout the day. 

The major attraction of this town is the 12 hectares Sim's Park in Upper Coonoor. It’s a botanical garden, a must visit destination for, the wide variety of flora and fauna it offers. The park is quite well maintained and has some unusual plants from all over the world. There is a separate play area for children, and a pond where one can do some boating.The glass house inside the park had some wonderful ornamental plants on display and everything was beautifully laid out.

The charming glass house

 The crowning glory in the park is undoubtedly the rare Rudrakash tree (from the Himalayan region), apparently one of the oldest in this region and one could spot the small beads growing on the tree.

Ancient Rudrakash tree in Sim's Park

Other touristy attractions are the Dolphins nose, Lady Canning's seat, Lamb's Rock - all these places are honestly speaking nothing much to talk about except the fact that  the route is through beautiful tea estates and they offer some spectacular views of the Nilgiris. Coonoor is also home to the Pasteur Institute which is a leading institute in the country in the production of Antirabies vaccine. The Nilgiris have always been known for its fine tea in the world and there are a number of tea estates here and coffee plantations too. Tranquiltea is one such estate which gives you a tour of their tea estate and also takes you through the whole process of tea manufacturing. They also have a tea appreciation tour to brush up your knowledge of the different varieties of tea grown in the Nilgiris -of course with some tasting of their gourmet teas thrown in - a great way to discover if becoming a tea taster is your calling.

Lush green tea estates

Since I have always lived in the Northern part of the country it was interesting to note the different lifestyle, mannerisms of the local populace. The people here are generally laidback and go about their everyday work in a very unhurried manner. Of course though this is true of most of the non metro towns in any part of the country, here it is reflected in the way they drive too - nobody seems to be in any kind of tearing hurry. No wonder our journey from Mysore to Coonoor which ideally takes around 4 hours took 6. People are in general helpful, most of the folks here thankfully understand English and can converse in it too but for this fact sometimes language here does become a challenge, particularly when asking for directions.

One of the local schools ST. Joseph's Boys' was celebrating its 125th year and over the weekend the town was filled with its alumni who came from far off places, some of them even coming down from overseas. A few of them were putting up in the same place as we were and they all had such happy memories of their years spent here - it’s a town that people relate to and feel a connect with and old timers loose no opportunity to revisit this place. 

Coonoor is known for its salubrious climate - very pleasant in summers, with the winters also being mild. This equitable weather throughout the year makes it an ideal retirement destination and a lot of people have preferred it over the bright lights of the city and made it their home. More on that in another post.

Mist laden Coonoor