Stories of India- the Pykara Falls

Pykara Falls, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India. The scenery was so good, you could just sit for hours watching. Unlike the rooftop view which I talked about in the last post, Ooty has a very pleasant cool climate so there isn't the typical searing heat of India to worry about. You can enjoy both the view and the cool air at the same time.

Yet, it was most ironic that it was one of those days I thought we had to rush through the itinerary. We needed to reach Mudumalai Nature reserve at around 4pm latest, meaning that we needed to leave Ooty at 2.30pm. It was 1.45 when we got to the falls, so I thought we could have lunch while sitting on the slope, watching the scenery.

With this kind of scenery, 45 mins is hardly enough. Everyone was roaming around the area taking pictures, enjoying themselves, plus we needed time to walk from the carpark to the falls.

Looking back, I regret that I was hardly in a leisurely mood. I was telling everyone as tactfully as possible to keep to the time and not take so long. Were there a lighter schedule, I would gladly have planted my butt down there for hours. But it was not to be. The feeling of wanting to rush remained in my heart. We left the place slightly late, near 3.

A slap in the face occured when I reached our destination, the nature reserve. Apparently the schedule had been changed so we were to start with an evening safari, meaning we could well afford to reach at 6pm if we wanted to. The manager of the reserve did tell me about the change the day before, but that was via email which I had absolutely no access to.

We spent the remaining hours playing card games in the lodge, when we could have been sitting and watching the scenery. Now, I have to be content with sitting down in the room, turning on the aircon, and staring at the pictures in my laptop.

Another place that I wish I had more time to look at. Just before going to the Pykara Falls, we were at this hill outside Ooty which had the best view. Needing to keep to the schedule, we spent around 20 mins taking photos. I wished we had 2 hours.