Ooty, my neighborhood for long and my go to place for a holiday in the hill station has been a total surprise to me this time around. Thanks to Sterling Holidays, I got to witness Ooty off the beaten path. While the greenery, mist and the rich beauty of Ooty needs no introduction, how about some interesting things I explored? For starters, we visited Toda tribe, one of the 60 remote tribes living in this area. A community that migrated from the region of Mysore centuries ago, they have a unique culture and rich traditions. They are vegetarians by choice, used to live in homes which can entered only by crawling inside (check pictures) for the doors are so small to prevent animal attacks. They worship spirits and no idols, and agriculture is their occupation. Things have been changing for them since the government came into play, to provide better amenities and support. We tasted their food, got to know about unique traditions and even witnessed their dance performance by the bonfire.
I hadn’t gone on a long toy train journey until yesterday when I hopped on to the one that takes to Conoor. This UNESCO heritage site feels like an era bygone, and the magical landscapes add more drama! Gorging on delectable food, even a picnic lunch amidst the tea gardens and meeting other bloggers, this has been true to Sterling’s tagline #HolidayDifferently I’ll let the pics speak for now while I work on the post 🙂