Kashmiri Chillies anyone?

After our return to town and a quick lunch we headed our for Devaraja market for some good photo opportunities – and (for some) serious shopping – from white lentils, Kashmiri chillies to an idli maker.

Leaving Ooty …

We left Ooty, now continuing to our jungle retreat near Mudumalai National Park.

With Ooty well beyond 2000 meters above sea level, the drive was downhill most of the time – following a dangerous ghat road with plenty of serpentines and switchbacks – and dramatic views.

Tea anyone?

I full day in and around Ooty was ahead of us.

We started with a visit to a nearby tea garden and processing facility in the morning. We enjoyed a guided tour around the tea garden, after which we were given an introduction to the processing steps … from the individual leaf to the final tea bag.

The majority of the tea produced here is black tea for the domestic market, most of it ending up tea-bagged. Very limited production of higher quality of white tea also takes place.

Ooty – Evening Walk

We got into Ooty after a long travel day; after some time to freshen up, we met again for a walk around town, a visit to the local market, serious shopping (with spice boxes in high demand) and – finally – dinner.

After dinner – on special request – we had a stop at the local wine store – a dodgy hole in the wall, that made many of us reconsider the need for alcohol. 😉