Modes of Transport and some detail

Flying Emirates via Dubai was our preferred option and although it takes a bit longer and involves a connecting flight it was certainly a satisfactory way to get from Gatwick to Kochi and then back from Bengaluru to Gatwick.

From Kochi airport to Fort Cochin we pre-booked the taxi with Booking.com the driver turned out to be Shafi. We also hired him a couple of days later to take us down the Kerala coast to the little jetty at Muhamma where we took the Government Ferry across the big backwater to Kumarakom. We took a lot of autos (tuk-tuks) to get around Kumarakom and a few boat rides.

From the hotel in Kumarakom we got the hotel taxi to the station at Kottayam and caught the 9:40 Sabari Express in AC2 class to Coimbatore a lovely 6 hour train journey which we had booked and paid for in the UK on the excellent Indian Railways IRCTC website. After this a horrendous auto ride to the hotel which in theory was walking distance but more about walking in Indian cities later!

I had pre-booked a driver for the day from the excellent Coimbatore Taxi Company and Mr Murugan, despite driving at Competition Rally speeds, got us safely where we wanted to go sightseeing and then the next day took us to Mettapalayam so we were ready for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway the following day which leaves at 7:10 am sharp.

We had pre-booked the Nilgiri Mountain Railway about 4 months in advance as there are only 4 carriages and very high demand for the only one train per day up into the mountains to Ooty again this booking was done easily on the IRCTC site. Cab from Ooty station which is under renovation at the tourist rank up to the hotel.

Sightseeing in Ooty we got the hotel taxi to take us to the Government Botanics and then hired a series of autos for the short hops to other sights. We did actually walk from the hotel to the Government Rose Garden but that was almost the only time it was safe to walk anywhere because of the terrible pavements, appalling random parking and homicidal driving!

Finding a cost-effective cab from Ooty to Kabini River Jungle Lodge was a tricky business as the price varies from 5,500 to 11,000 rupees depending on who you book with and what kind of vehicle it is. It's a 4-5 hour journey down hairpin bends, through tiger reserves and along some hairy country roads with the usual cattle wandering around everywhere and even someone drying their lentils in the middle of the road! In the end we booked Anand who had a nice AC Innova so we were reasonably comfortable and cool. When we had looked at this in advance there seemed to be no public transport option for this leg of the journey but we did see a public bus on the hairpin bends so maybe it is possible.

At Kabini Jungle Lodge there are safaris by jeep and by boat. The boat is quiet and serene but the jeeps all go at crazy speeds unless they are stationary with the engine off!!

Kabini to Mysuru was an easy cab ride they have the cab company at Kabini so no problem and a good price.

In Mysuru we nearly got killed twice trying to get across the road on a zebra crossing so after that we hired Samuella and his cab for the day to wait for us while we toured the sights. Not the cheapest way to do it but what a relief from hiring and riding in the autos!

Mysuru to Bengaluru is almost all motorway. We hired the cab through the hotel reception and although our driver went too fast as usual in the normal streets when he got to the motorway with a clearly marked 100 Kmph limit he strangely drove too slowly at 80 instead explaining that there were speed cameras (!!). Arriving in the outskirts of Bengaluru the motorway disappears and is replaced by normal roads and the worst traffic we had ever seen in our lives. Our driver could not now exceed the speed limit as he was basically stuck like everyone else. In retrospect we should have considered taking the train but we did have rather a lot of extra baggage by this time.

Apart from its legendary terrible traffic Bengaluru has a marvellous metro (2 lines) which is a model of behavioural decorum, cleanliness and AC carriages including strictly supervised ladies only carriages. The metro stations suspended above the road also make it possible to cross the road safely which otherwise was quite literally impossible.

From our hotel to Bengaluru Airport was a 1 hour cab ride which would have been relaxing except the comedy cab company mixed up the booking, sent us no car for 40 minutes while we started to lose it and then 2 cars turned up at the same time and proceeded to argue at length about which was the right one! Anyway we got there OK and what a wonderful airport it is.