The Hindu Business Line : Green escape

When the tensions of city life leave us feeling ragged, thoughts turn to the hills and cooler climes. But Ooty, Coonoor or Kodai now seem to hold only a jaded charm. This account is of a different kind of a holiday among mountains, unspoilt by mass tourism...

We climbed stiffly out of the car into the cold night air. The lake below us glinted in the moonlight. Dark hills brooded over the lake, with a few lights glittering on their side like jewels.

Turning around we saw the charming 19th century plantation bungalow, its windows brightly lit against the blackness of the craggy hill behind it. Our host and hostess, Vijay and Banoo, appeared in the doorway with their usual warm welcome.

My wife and I had been here earlier, and when the hustle of Bangalore grew too much, our first thought was Red Hills — an hour’s drive from Ooty.

After a drink around the fire and the customary sumptuous dinner — fried fish, chicken in a rich gravy, a dish made from homegrown vegetables, dal, chapattis and rice, followed by a fruit dessert — we retired to our cottage for a snooze. At an altitude of 7,200 ft, there was still ground frost at night. The room was cheerful and warm, with the embers from a fire still glowing in the fireplace.

From the wide bay window we could see the lake in the dark valley under a sky in which the stars shone extra brilliantly, thanks to the clean mountain air.

Morning came quicker than I would have liked, and I was sorely tempted to burrow deeper into the blankets, but the day was too glorious to waste in bed. I sat on the lawn outside with my tea and savoured the cold morning air and the panoramic view. The lake sparkled in the bright morning sun, and wisps of mist rose up from the water like lingering smoke. Morning mist also wreathed the hills, but the sky was a canopy of cerulean blue, a blue which unravelled the knots of tension in the mind. The hills were alive with the music of birdsong and I felt at peace.

Tiger, tiger!

At breakfast, we got some startling news. A tiger had been sighted on the hill behind the bungalow, early this morning. I found this difficult to believe, but Vijay assured me that there had been tiger sightings in the neighbourhood — in fact, he had videotaped a tiger on this same hill not long ago. The forest on the hill abounds in sambar, a favourite prey of tigers. That evening Vijay and I went for a walk up the hillside, with a charming honeymoon couple — Dinesh and Sapna — also guests at the resort. As we threaded our way through the tea bushes by the side of the bungalow, it seemed an easy stroll. Then we began climbing through closely packed tea bushes, and life became a little tougher. Apart from the physical exertion of climbing up a 60 degree slope, I kept remembering a recent TV programme about a King Cobra having been found among tea bushes exactly like these! Not wanting to alarm the others with these thoughts, I concentrated on getting enough air into my lungs as we laboured upwards. As the climb grew even steeper, we had to resort to clutching at the bushes to keep our balance. We left the tea bushes and entered the forest, where there was scarcely any track to follow. Slipping and sliding, grabbing at branches to steady ourselves, we struggled upwards. The lake and the valley below us lay in violet shadow while the tops of the hills around were lit by the setting sun. Against the crimson western sky birds flew home to roost. The air, though colder, was redolent with forest fragrances.

We were now not far from the spot where the tiger had been seen that morning — but we had no intention of venturing into that area. As the forest grew a little denser, Vijay suddenly stopped and sniffed; there was a smell of rotting meat carried by the breeze, and he was sure there was a tiger kill nearby. Dinesh mentioned that they had heard some villagers talking about a tiger having killed a cow the previous day. Since the cow was only partly eaten, the tiger was bound to be around. This apparently being the mating season also meant that a tigress, too, could be in the vicinity. Walking in a forest where a tiger could be lurking was an unnerving feeling. The tension was palpable as we concentrated on finding a way through the forest, while keeping an eye open for any movement in the bushes. The sun was going down and the sky was darkening. Vijay seemed as lost as us and kept trying various gaps in the undergrowth to find the least obstructed way to take us out of the forest. At last we reached an area with less undergrowth, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

A panther, too?

Vijay stopped under a tree and peered at something. I joined him and found the soft ground under a tree had been flattened out; there was a clear pug mark too. Vijay felt it could be a panther print. My blood ran cold. Now we had the possibility of a tiger and a panther in the forest around us! After a while, quite oddly, the fear subsided, and the prospect of sighting an animal seemed exciting. Sapna, who had earlier confessed to being terrified of animals, was quite keen to go into the bushes to may be catch a glimpse of the tiger! We wisely decided to steer clear of the kill area.

The ground had levelled off, and we were no longer climbing. The forest was thinning out, but we were not out of tiger territory as yet. We made sure that we all stayed close to each other. Going down proved to be no easier than going up. The slope was steep and had been cleared of undergrowth so there were no bushes to grab for support. We kept sliding down until we reached a more level area. A sudden flutter of wings just below made us jump, and a largish brown bird flew away. As we looked down we noticed, to our surprise, two small eggs lying at our feet. The bird had obviously nested on this open ground, but why it had chosen such an unprotected spot was difficult to understand. We circled around the eggs and continued our downward journey, hoping the bird would reappear before a bird or animal chanced upon the eggs.

Finally we were back among the tea bushes, walking became easier, and the prospect of seeing an animal receded, although we did notice some dried tiger excrement on the path. All of us were relieved to be back in safe territory. We had not seen an animal, but had experienced all the excitement! As we neared the bungalow, I recounted the TV story about the cobra in the tea bushes. Vijay laughed and told us that this particular incident was actually filmed at one of their gardens near Gudalur!

The rest of our holiday was spent in less energetic pursuits and at a leisurely pace. Breakfast would be on the lawn among the beautiful flowers, with the forested hill in the background, and would consist of fresh fruit juice, papayas, porridge, crisp hot dosas or fluffy idlis, eggs, toast and homemade jam.

The morning would go by stretched out in the sun with a good book, caressed by a gentle breeze from across the tea bushes. A delicious lunch would have us fighting off sleep sitting by the lemon tree outside the cottage. A walk in the evening in the beautiful surroundings — and then the setting sun would be the signal for us to assemble around the fire with a drink, finding solutions to the problems of the world. A wonderful holiday and a tonic for jaded spirits! We would be back, that was certain — and who knows, we might see a tiger the next time!

Fast facts

Located in a bio-reserve on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, Red Hills is an hour’s drive from Ooty. Pick-up and drop services are available from Mysore and Coimbatore.

Address: Red Hill Nature Resort, Emerald, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu - 643209

Phone: 0423 -2595754 / 2595755/ (mobile) 9842259554

E-mail: vijayredhill@yahoo.co.in

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