On June 18, we took Nilgiri Express and reached Mettupalayam by about 6 AM and Club Mahindra's Danish Villa at Sheddon, Ooty by 9.15 AM.

Danish Villa was built by a Dane in the 19th century. It was acquired by Club Mahindra and has been developed into a resort. It has an accommodation of 24 rooms or villas of various sizes. The Danish architecture is something anybody will cherish. It is located at Sheddon, Ooty.

The weather was extremely nice, in contrast to the scorching heat and humidity at Visakhapatnam. After breakfast, we decided to take a half day tour, return for lunch, enjoy a siesta after lunch, take a stroll in the evenings and enjoy a drink or two in the evening.

We started at about 11 AM to Botanical Gardens. After enjoying a walk through the gardens, we went for a little shopping. The driver then took us to a huge lake where we could have taken a boat ride-but the chilly weather dissuaded us.

Then we proceeded to Doddabetta peak, the highest peak in the Nilgiris. From the summit, the views of the valleys and peaks around, with clouds flying by were mind-boggling! The trip was worth our while!

We returned to Danish Villa by about 2.30 PM. The buffet lunch was good and we enjoyed the pepper rasam very much.

The next day was very chilly and it was drizzling occasionally. On the way we stopped at the pine forest, which is on sloping terrain. We proceeded to a nearby movie- shooting spot. This turned out to be a vast stretch of land carpeted with lovely lawns on the hill slopes of Nilgiris. It was thrilling to visit the spot where God-knows-how-many movies were shot! We would have at least taken a long stroll down the slopes if not chase each other and dance and sing like movie stars - but for the heavy drizzle!

Then we proceeded to Pykara Lake. The drive through the hills and valleys was extremely pleasant. Since we did not take a boat ride in Ooty Lake, we engaged a row boat with an escort. We returned after the boat ride to the resort for lunch and rest of the routine for the day.

On June 21, it was drizzling right from the morning and we decided to stay put at our Villa. Lazing through the day in itself was some fun!

On June 22, we checked out after breakfast and took a cab from the travel desk. To have a feel of the toy train we went to the railway station. Later we hunted for a post office and posted some picture cards to our daughters. At SIMS Park, we bought a Panchamukhi Rudraksha garland with 108 beads. We then went to another plantation belonging to the famous Bollywood actress, Mumtaz. True to the cinematic style, the plantations of Mumtaz. True to the cinematic style, the plantations of Mumtaz had the gear required to make up visiting ladies as tea plucking girls. Surya promptly put on the gear and we took pictures! Finally we reached Mettupalayam to entrain for Chennai. Upon reaching Chennai we emplaned in time to Colombo en route Kuwait, carrying with us many pleasant memories.

Next it is time to catch the bus which takes us sight seeing. Both the driver and the guide provided by Club Mahindra were excellent. We see the most breathtaking scenery: gushing waterfalls, impatient little streams, two dams and of course, the beautiful tea estates cheekily perched on every slope. It is back to the resort where lunch - or rather a feast- awaits us. The cherry on the cake however, is our jeep trip the next day to visit the Kolukkumalai tea estate, which is the highest tea estate in the world. It must surely have been the bumpiest ride we have ever undertaken but our driver was a wizard and negotiated the steep mountain bends with amazing elan. The guide was very well-informed and added to the mirth. En route, we got ourselves photographed with cheerful tea pickers, who were all smiles before the camera!

Later, tired but satisfied, we slump into our comfortable "chalet" for a brief rest. In the evening there is a bonfire with singing, dancing and party games, a befitting finale to a glorious day, creating much bonhomie and camaraderie among all the guests. Mr. Vikas Bhasin, the manager, deserves our special thanks for taking care of the minutest of details which make for perfection. As the adage goes, "Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle!"