High in the Nilgiri Hills

As we continued our climb, we had more photo ops of the landscape which our group took full advantage of.

The Nilgiri Hills were originally inhabited by the Toda tribe, of which there are still a few existing villages, though I understand their numbers are diminishing. They have their own religion and have unique thatched temples.

When we reached the summit we had a fantastic view looking out over the valleys below.  Hanuman (the hindu god in the likeness of a monkey) apparently also likes this view as he gazes out over the landscape from what the locals call monkey rock.

We had a couple of very friendly local dogs accompany us on our hike. This one also appreciated the view, who without any hesitation sought out the most precarious overlook to settle down on.

Passing through the village on our way back to Ooty we passed this boy who was having a lot of fun skating down the steep streets on his homemade cart made of sticks and ball bearings for wheels.

Ooty village life

Our hike took us through a small village, full of  houses with red tiled roofs and neatly painted with some very vivid colors. 

Of course, no village would be complete without a backyard Shrine or two.

A lot of our produce in Tamil Nadu comes from this fertile area in the Nilgiri hills around Ooty, particularly the cold weather crops like spinach and lettuce.   The whole family gets involved with the farm work, while the little ones keep themselves amused playing in the dirt.

These two men were turning the soil over by hand with pitchforks. What you don't see in this picture are the ten or so acres that they had already completed on this terraced hillside.

Our group stopped at the local hotel (restaurant) for a bite of lunch, rice and several curries served on the traditional banana leaf. It is also the custom in Southern India to eat with your fingers, using only your right hand. A bit awkward at first, but you soon get used to it.

The cooks come up with some yummy meals in dark kitchens like this, cooking over a pit fire.

As we headed out of the village I spotted these kids that I had to have a picture of. I was pleasantly surprised when after they posed for us, that they did not ask us for 5-10 rupees, or a bit of candy.