Today was a long drive, about 7 hours through rural India full of chaotic towns, (the traffic and driving is crazy, there are no rules of the road!!), squashed dogs on the roadside and a very harrowing drive up into the Nilgiri Hills to the “The Queen of Hill Stations”, Ooty. At an elevation of 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) the air is much cooler and fresher which is a nice break from the smog in the lower elevation towns. Originally a hill station for the British to come to cool down during the hot Indian summer months, tea is still grown here but Ooty is essentially a supply base and market town for the surrounding area which is still largely dependant on agriculture although tourism does play a part in the local economy.
View of Ooty
Ooty Lake
Garden map of India
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden