Pykara Lake, Ooty

They say life is all about second chances. Who wouldn't like to wipe their slate clean and make a fresh start? But the harsh reality is that despite these second chances, life sometimes refuses to correct its course and we end up making the same mistakes all over again.

Almost 3 years ago I swore to myself that I would never go back to Ooty. I had started then that Ooty is well past its sell-by date. The lack of proper transportation, the trash-littered streets and lakes and all the overcrowding in these tiny little pockets of hamlets has taken away the colonial charm of this once sleepy town. But when an offer was made to wander in the mystic meadows of the Scottish Trails I bit the bullet and succumbed to the temptation. The pictures and experiences portrayed in various blogs seemed to good to be true and had to be experienced. The bad memories of the previous visit had to be erased and a rosy picture to replace it. But alas, it was not to be so.

What started off as a Scottish Trail transformed into a location-hopping trip much like my previous trip. The downside of going location-hopping in Ooty is that too much time is wasted in just getting to the place, what with all the uphill/downhill drive along the winding Ghat roads stretching the travel time from point A to point B. To top it all, our timing wasn’t that great either. After crossing a rather misty Bandipur and Madhumalai Forest (coming from Bangalore) we stopped at the Indian Coffee House in Gudalur and had a sumptuous breakfast. A few enquiries later, we were headed to Pykara Lake or as the signboards say - Pykara Boat Houses. And thus begins the saga of catastrophic disappointments.

So Pykara Lake is where a tourist can take a few pictures of the locale and maybe go for a ride in one of the boats and then head to some place more interesting. There's nothing very spectacular about the view either that will prompt you to stay long than half an hour at this place. To add to our woes, with the approaching summer, there wasn't much of a green cover to make the view scenic.


Getting there: Pykara Boat House is about 11 kms from Ooty on the Ooty-Coimbatore Highway.

Must-Do: Avoid it if you boating is not your poison.
Must-Don’t: Littering


My Rating: 3/10