Last week I found myself in Ooty in an unexpected turn of events... A friend had suggested a family trip bcoz their child was feeling totally isolated n gloomy after his grandfather's death.The poor child had been very much attached to his grandfather who had passed away after a brief illness.He badly needed a break n his parents felt that a trip to some nice place would boost his spirits..n so I agreed to accompany them though I was worried about how my infant son would cope with the weather.
I too was fed up with this office n Home n back to office routine.Lonely weekends with hubby busy with work had my nerves standing on an end.Only the kids were a relief.As luck would have it something went awry with the Online Hotel booking and we were told that no rooms were available just a day before we were to leave.I had pestered myself into a holiday mood n wasnt going to Give up...so I deceided to give luck a chance and called up the person concerned with booking our official Holiday home at Ooty. Strangely, luck was on my side(!!!! you have to book a holiday home one month in advance!!!) and I got 2 rooms booked just a day before our journey was to begin.
But the friend who had made this plan backed out n another couple accompanied us. I had forgotten to take a copy of the address of Our Bank of India Holiday home and hubby was fuming when I told him that.
But of course I remembered that the place was called "Mahalaxmi" and that it was near the ATC theatre at Ooty.Still hubby was reluctant to leave on the strength of such a feeble location map....I frantically searched the net for some info but I met dead ends all the time...I called up a colleague and he said that it was located opposite the race course.Hubby believed him.I felt annoyed.
5 AM found us in near the race course and I managed to persuade the rest of the gang to drive near the ATC theatre complex.I suggested that the Holiday home must be above the Theatre n was laughed at saying there was nothing there. We spent about 20 mins browsing bylanes and asking strangers for directions with no result.We were near the YWCA and still no sign of the Bank of India Holiday home! We came back to the theatre complex and asked a person standing at the nearby bus stop for the way.He told us to go staright back turn left after the ATC .We went thru the bylane and saw "Bank Of India " painted on some stones on the left side like in the pic below... Actually it turned out that this place was located almost directly above the ATC..!