ATR - Day 88: Did some hiking, explored Ooty with its amazing tea estates and got some excellent drone shots

Went hiking in the morning followed by a visit to Ooty’s tea estates in the day. Explored the town a little in the evening.

December 27, 2023

Wednesday, 11:30 PM

Littlearth’s Destiny Farm Resort,

City Ooty (Ootacamund),

District Nilgiris, Karnataka, India

For today, we had planned to go hiking on a mountain near the property. So we got up really early in the morning while it was still dark and stepped our to test our stamina as well as to get some good pictures. 

We had hoped to find pretty birds in nature and also some wonderful sights to capture the images and footage of. And we did find. We had also taken our drone along, too, so that we could shoot some footage from high up. However, apart from the possibility of coming across birds, there was also the likelihood of running to a leopard because leopard movement has also been reported in this area. Although leopards are usually shy and prefer to stay clear of human beings, they can be dangerous if they are startled. So we were very cautious with our movement and remained alert throughout, torch in hand. Anyway, found no leopards, which is good in a way. But, as expected, we did find some beautiful birds.

The hiking was no mean task and felt physically demanding, more than usual, which could also be because I am currently not in great shape due to all the travel involved in ATR and and careless eating, which is also unavoidable. So while I was feeling drained after it was done, I did manage to pull it off. And it was worth it because the sight from the height we were at was heavenly. We took a lot of drone shots from all possible angles. When you see that footage you would know what I mean. 

Also, the footage of our ATR vehicle (Red Panda) moving through the tea estate is simply amazing because of the contrast Red Panda creates with the lush green tea plantation. Furthermore, being on a tea estate is also an experience in itself for the sight, sound and smell of it.

During the day and in the evening, we explored Ooty a little more thoroughly, and then at night, there was this extremely beautiful moon lending light and charm to the night sky. I also shot a time-lapse video of the moon.

Late in the evening, we continued working on the forthcoming videos as well as the daily Vlog, and further fine-tuned our travel plans to ensure that we get reasonably comfortable places to stay in because ATR demands a lot of work on the go, and the work suffers if we have to spend too much time looking for suitable accommodation, as has been happening of late.