Mountain View

Doddabetta is the highest mountain in the Nilgiri Hills, at 2623 meters. It is a popular tourist attraction, and is about 8 km from Udagamandalam. The Chamundi Hills can be viewed from the peak. The name "Doddabetta" traces its roots from the Kannada language, in which "Dodda" means Big and "Betta" means Mountain

That's where we spent our final evening in Ooty, soaking in the rays of the setting sun. I'd been there once before in the morning, so it was a lovely change. There was a rather large crowd up there but the view and the weather were simply gorgeous.

Boon was so taken with this sign that he insisted I take a picture of them together.

We were denied a glorious sunset as the low-lying clouds scattered the rays and the fact that the park was closing. We were unceremoniously ushered out.

I wish we could have stayed longer on the porch, with a lovely cup of tea and watch the sun sink slowly below the horizon.

On our way down, it was interesting to see the stall vendors packing up and then secreting their bundles into the bushes. Are there no wild animals there that might be tempted by the food and wares they were selling?

We started driving down the quiet road and the light disappeared. We watched as several of the women carried huge bundles on their heads as they went on their long lonely trek down the mountain, think what it must be like to do the climb the next day.