13 Days of Mad Rush and then a Bask in Nature’s Glory!

Wellington chapter continues...

“And there I lay down on the plush landscape, feeling the chill, witnessing the clouds breaking apart, giving way to the clear blue sky, sometimes interrupted by the low flying birds…”

Having spent 2 full years in the coastal city of Vizag, I was already getting impatient and was overjoyed when his new appointment came along. So once again, on 1^st of June, leaving behind the comforts and pleasures, we boarded the morning flight to Coimbatore from Visakhapatnam en-route Bangalore. The end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one!

As arranged, on arrival at Coimbatore, our car was handed over outside the airport. After picking up some nibbles to keep us full for the next 3 hours of road trip, we headed towards the little city of Wellington, located at the mighty blue mountains of Nilgiris. Our predecessors had already given us inputs enough to form opinions, good and bad, but we decided to move ahead with an open mind.

Today when I look back, it has been 13 days of mad rush, with the 14^th beckoning a ray of hope!

It all started with the last 1 hour drive up the hill. Since he is a cautious driver, we weren't much worried about the journey; we took the much wider, less twisted and turned, and thus much safer route via Kotagiri, leaving the rest to MapMyIndia GPS. So far, so good! But that was only until my greatest fear gripped me. When my husband was gleefully enjoying the smooth curves and amazing views of the valley, I was there right next to him, puking my heart out! Yeah… I have an extreme case of motion sickness and to say the least, it did make my journey miserable. When finally when we checked in to MGM Hill Worth Hotel here in wellington (highly recommended for anyone who is planning a trip to Ooty or Wellington), I had no energy left. That day, I enjoyed no scenic pleasures, but could only worry about the frequent road trips to our home town we may have to take, which is only 4-5 hours away! That day I almost made a decision that for as long as we are in Wellington, I would never climb down the hill!

I expected day two to be much better, but God had his plans for us. Next 48 hours we were at a complete state of uncertainty – although the reception at his new base went well, our truck load of luggage put us in great misery. Yes, the truck did not show up as expected and the driver’s phone was unreachable for the next 2 days. With the cold attitude from the agent, we were prepared for the worst. We were busy browsing night and day for news on any truck accidents on the way up Ooty. When that retrieved no results, we almost taught our minds to believe the truck driver must have been a fraud, who ran away with our stuff. We contemplated and even made plans to buy things second hand, in the event of losing our luggage. Neither of us could sleep the following nights and we were losing hope every passing hour, but played composed and reassured each other.  However, on June 4^th, we received a call at our breakfast table, informing the arrival of the truck. We rushed to the spot and found the driver taking a cosy nap inside the truck. We woke him up and started questioning him, but the poor thing could barely speak and was shivering badly. A moment ago, I was hell-bent on teaching this guy a lesson he will never forget, but seeing his condition we let it go and gave him some food and water, the leftover from the welcome kit we received on arrival.

So day four mostly unfolded on a happy note, but then there was this mad rush of unloading, cleaning the house and unpacking. We already lost a day and that kept us on our toes. Here we struggled a lot with no help; no “ammas” or “annaas” seemed to be coming our way and the house being recently whitewashed, every single corner, every single piece of furniture had white stains. This is when maintenance becomes a menace and is definitely not the first time we have witnessed it.

The rest of the week went in understanding and halfheartedly welcoming the new system. Nevertheless, after visiting Avalanchi Lake for angling on June 14th, as a part of the first S&PA (sports and pass time activity arranged by the base), I felt it is only going to get better from here! 

Angling is a leisure activity that neither of us tried, until we participated in the trip. We set out in about 3 buses, with an enthusiastic group of over 140 people. With fishing rods just enough to suffice those who managed to get to the spot first, some of us got a chance to bask in nature’s true glory. A real eye opener, a real rejuvenator and a real insight that all is well that ends in such picturesque setting!

About 30 km from Wellington and of what is said to be an extension of a reservoir, first look, the place looked “magazine-perfect” and for a person interested in photography, I totally and deeply missed my Canon Digital SLR that day. I stood there gazing at the scene, letting the sight sink in; 13 days of physical and mental ordeal was nothing and all I could think of was living my life to the fullest for the next 10 months, experiencing what nature had to offer! Angling took a backseat and we were more interested in exploring the scenery, adjacent woods, which had enough to put my phone camera to action. An excellent picnic spot, we indulged in flying discs to keep the kids and young at hearts engaged.  

Soon it was noon and the first lot of anglers had given up with no trace of fish seen in the lake. We then decided to do what we came here for and picked up the fishing rods, and managed to click some photos too. Even we were not among the lucky lot to get a good catch, but we were lucky enough to at least get a good glimpse of the pristine nature that many serious anglers missed!

A refined version of this was submitted for an inhouse magazine here :-)