After we were unsuccessful in our first attempt to buy tickets for the blue toy train from Ooty to Mettupalayam , our early start yesterday meant that we got to Coonoor by just gone 11, plenty of time to catch the 12.35 shorter train ride to Ooty.  This time I’d booked our tickets online, so as not to miss out. 

I’m quite a dab hand on using the very frustrating Indian railway booking system now. We were chatting to an English couple at breakfast in our B&B this morning, they were impressed I had booked all of the trains myself, they’d used a company to do it for them. I said let’s see if they all work first! Apparently one of the trains they had booked had been running two hours early – departed two hours early! That was a useful heads up, I shall check the online live train times now to make sure nothing departs without us!

We had a little wait at Coonoor station, but it was a pretty place with a small station garden at one end of the platform. I admired the plants while Michael went off to explore the station and the goods yard. I then sat people watching and spotting the other English tourists – mostly one women dutifully following around after a train buff husband, looked familiar. My own train buff husband soon returned from his exploring, just in time to watch our train be reversed onto the platform.

We found our seats in the first carriage easily,  although there was a moment when another couple tried to occupy our seats. Fortunately they were in the wrong carriage. Phew, I panicked for a moment that I’d messed up the train booking.

The train ride itself was quite short just over an hour to Ooty, but it’s a lovely ride. The climb is steep and windy and the views are amazing. The best bit was our fellow passengers in the carriage. There were an Indian couple with their grown up daughter and a retired English couple from Milton Keynes. We chatted and shared stories and jokes the whole journey, it was great. 

When we arrived at Ooty it was a bit chaotic as we all tried to get off and lots of people waiting on the platform were trying to get on at the same time. Vaishakh was waiting for us on the platform and took this great video if our train arriving. Back in the car we set off on the last part of drive to Mysore, Michael very content that he’d got his train fix – the first of many he’ll get over the next few weeks.