A perfect week......

Birthday, first anniversary, a trip to Queen of Hill Stations.....Can a week be better than this? Last week was full of surprises and loads of fun. It all started off with a surprise that I had planned to give Karthi. I wanted to present him our first anniversary gift. But I didn't want to just hand over the gift. I wanted to try something different. Thanks to my first "Dream A Dream" (NGO that we have recently joined) activity, my mind struck a wonderful idea. Treasure hunt in our little home. Ideas started pouring in from all corners of my brain. Most of the clues were focussed on my favourites. You can also call this hunt as a means to identify whether Karthi is aware all my likes/dislikes or not.

I had pasted the first clue at the back of our main door. That clue would lead to the fridge, from the fridge, the next clue would lead to something else etc. I had planned as a sequence of 10 clues and the last one would lead to the treasure. The treasure was a mustard coloured full sleeve shirt. Everything was set perfectly and I was waiting eagerly for his arrival. First, it was 8 pm, then 9 , 10 and I got very angry and upset. Seems like he got stuck with some high priority stuff at work. Around 10.30, I had called him and revealed with disappointment that I had planned for a surprise . He came home at 11 and the first thing he saw was the clue at the back of the door. That was an easy clue and within a few seconds, he found out the word "FRIDGE" hidden in it. The next few clues were sitters and he went past them one by one so easily. Then came "Find out your wife's favourite vegetable". He didn't know the answer and was searching the fridge and the vegetable trays. Finally he found out the clue beneath a big onion. "Is this your favourite vegetable?" was his doubtful question. The next clue was "Find out where I get cooked", said the onion. "Pressure cooker" he shouted with a big loud voice. I couldn't control my laughter. I had never cooked onion in a pressure cooker. I always use the kadai. We call it the "most washed vessel" since I use kadai for cooking almost everyday. Finally he found the rest of the clues and the treasure. I feel he did enjoy a lot after a strenuous day at work.

12 AM is just 20 min away. Yes, it's my birthday. Karthi locked me inside the room and he was doing something in the kitchen. I could guess that he has got a birthday cake for me. At 12, he opened the door with a black forrest cake in his hand, singing birthday song. A happy moment to start off a fresh year.

We were all set for a trip to Ooty the next evening. I had booked the bus tickets 10 days in advance. We reached Ooty around 7.30 AM on Friday. Misty mountains, whiff of fresh air scented with eucalyptus and a calm, cool weather welcomed us. We took accomodation in Hotel Lakeview. Our cottage overlooked a beautiful view of the valley. We had a fireplace too. We got dressed up and got ready for Ooty/Coonoor sight seeing tour. First destination was the boat house, where we took a pedal boat ride. Our hard, stiff muscles were getting tired just after 10 minutes of pedalling. Cool breeze relaxed our muscles and made us enjoy the trip thoroughly. The van then took us to many breathtaking viewpoints where we shot snaps one after another. Neither are we tired, nor our camera. Walking through fog-clad tea plantations having hot, boiled peanuts one by one is simply amazing. Our next destination was Doddabetta, the highest peak in Nilgiris. We couldn't see anything, the entire surroundings is covered by thick fog (mist, Karthi says. Can anyone give the difference between fog and mist???) . The temperature would definitely be below 10 degrees. Thank God, we had bought a pair of hand gloves and woolen caps. In the evening, we reached the botanical garden. I could recall those pleasant memories of my previous trips with Appa, Amma and Sudha, the green coloured seat where Sudha sat and cried when my father didn't give the camera to him and my father took a snap at that very moment (he looks so cute in that picture !!), the India map made out of grass where I took my first photograph when I was in fifth standard, the snack bar where I first tasted tapioca chips (that's my favourite flavour of chips till date).

The next day was a special day. Aug 27th. That was our first anniversary. A year has gone by so quickly. To make this day more special, we had planned for a trip in the Ooty toy train. Although I had travelled in this train before, I wanted to experience it again. We got our tickets and boarded the train. I was so excited and thrilled. I took snaps of the train when it took a curved track, when it entered the tunnel, when it whistled, when it stopped in a station. I was completely in love with the train. During those 60 min, it was just me and the train, though Karthi was sitting right next to me. A completely enjoyable and memorable trip, I should say. We spent the entire evening in our cottage, relaxing and watching the sun set. Time moves so slowly with each and every minute to savour.

We were in a bit of dilemma whether to visit the botanical gardens again or go for Filmi Diwane trip on Sunday. Since I had never been to Pykara falls, I suggested to take the Filmi Diwane trip. 4 couples were squeezed into a Tata Sumo. All our cribbings went off in a flash once we started the trip. The dense and slippery pine forests, never-ending landscapes and lush green meadows were a treat to our eyes. We reached Pykara around noon. After a complete one km walk, there she was, flowing so gracefully, with charming white swirls, chillness all the way through and with reverberating Zzzz, the Pykara waterfalls makes you feel so humble in front of her majestic looks. Our camera lens as well as our eyes lens tried so hard to catch as many glimpses of her in all possible ways. Yet her beauty is so vast that you could only say to yourself that you want to come back to this place again and again.

Our trip to Ootacamund was full of fun, full of peace and most of all, full of nature. Indeed, God has made such wonderful abode of heaven amidst cities of chaos for homosapiens like us......