They had driven to Ooty a dozen times. This time they let the toy train do the work, and stopped counting hairpin bends.
01
A different way up
We have driven up to Ooty more times than I can count, always gripping the wheel through the ghat. This time we sat in a first-class carriage and watched the forest slide past the window. Vasuki had her chai in a paper cup and did not check her phone once.
02
Nothing scheduled after four
The best part was that Jai Travels left the afternoons empty. We walked through a tea estate that nobody had told us about, and a man there explained how the leaves are picked. We ended up staying an extra hour and missing the lake boat altogether. Neither of us minded.
03
Coming back slower
On the way home we stopped at three viewpoints we had always driven past. It is a small thing, but it turned a routine trip into a memory. We have already asked them to plan the next one.
