You'll never guess what Top Station is... Yep, the top of the hill station. Beauty abounds.
On the way there, the driver pulled over because a bunch of other folks had stopped and gotten out of their cars. Turns out, there was a wild jungle elephant hanging out below. Everyone was standing on the side of the road, but I climbed down a bit to get a closer look. I was still pretty far away, but here she is:
I really wanted to go play with her, but Ali was already about to pass out because he was so afraid I was going to fall while I was climbing down the mountain. So I just took a few photos and climbed back up. I think I actually became as much of a roadside attraction as the elephant. Crazy white girl sliding down the hill!
The drive took about two hours because we stopped a couple times, and much of the mountain road was just one lane. So, what happens if you come across another car? Hopefully, you will know before you collide because drivers honk their horns as they begin to go around blind curves. You hear the horn, you slow down, as does the other driver, hearing your horn. Then you meet, face-to-face on the curve, and one of you backs up. I have no idea how it is decided which driver backs up, but arguments are pretty rare. I would imagine that fatalities are pretty high, however, from cars crashing and rolling down the mountain. I always wear my seatbelt at home, but I didn't bother on the mountains here. They wouldn't help. TruSt me.
Back to Top Station. You get there, you walk down a dirt staircase for 100 meters or so (not 50, as the sign says), then you stand on a platform and look at the beauty. There is a lot of beauty. Then you walk back up.
Note the double price for foreigners. I tried to pass as Indian, but no luck.
Pictures don't really do this place justice.
It's funny that they call these "hills," because I'd call them mountains. Officially, they are the "Western Ghats." I guess when you have the Himalayas up north for comparison, everything else is just a hill.
On the way there, the driver pulled over because a bunch of other folks had stopped and gotten out of their cars. Turns out, there was a wild jungle elephant hanging out below. Everyone was standing on the side of the road, but I climbed down a bit to get a closer look. I was still pretty far away, but here she is:
The drive took about two hours because we stopped a couple times, and much of the mountain road was just one lane. So, what happens if you come across another car? Hopefully, you will know before you collide because drivers honk their horns as they begin to go around blind curves. You hear the horn, you slow down, as does the other driver, hearing your horn. Then you meet, face-to-face on the curve, and one of you backs up. I have no idea how it is decided which driver backs up, but arguments are pretty rare. I would imagine that fatalities are pretty high, however, from cars crashing and rolling down the mountain. I always wear my seatbelt at home, but I didn't bother on the mountains here. They wouldn't help. TruSt me.
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