Kerala: First Quarter - Munnar

I have a humongous description of the entire trip, so i thought it would be a good idea to break it into parts. We had four stops at Kerala, so I shall dedicate one post per place. Let me start with the high altitudes of Munnar, a place known for its tea.

December 23, 2012.

Toddlers weeing about in the trolley. Old couples waiting to hug their grand kids. A foreigner reading an eBook. Baggage all around the place. Taking a sip from the coffee mug, we waited for the boarding call to Kochi. As usual my ears burst while taking off and landing. I was almost at the end of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

We landed in Kochi in no time. From there we went on a five hour long drive to Munnar. On the way, we stopped for lunch at this restaurant called Annapurni. I wouldn’t recommend the eatery to you unless you want to be murdered with spices and excess MGH masala. The outskirts of Kochi was luscious green. A surplus of coconut trees stood tall surrounding huge beautiful houses.

A valley in Munnar, filled with tea plants

As we approached the mountainous terrains of Munnar, the scene changed to abundant of tea plantation. Neat rows of tea leaves were grown on the slopes. Eucalyptus trees and flowers painted lavender surrounded us. The ghats were haywire so I felt some amount of discomfort. If you are the motion sickness types, do carry medicines to curb puking. Even otherwise no harm in keeping one.

Our Tree House - Great Escape Resort

A stroke of crimson red spread across the skies as the sun was going towards America. We reached ‘Great Escape Resort’, which turned out to be an escape from civilization. Flowers and colours grew everywhere. Isolated from all, it’s the perfect destination for a holiday. If you are tolerant towards insects, taking the tree house is a good idea. The hotel also provides you with a day as well as a night safari, trekking and adventure sports. Now I shall sleep. Tomorrow, I will explore this place in the bliss of sunlight.

December 24 and 25, 2012.

Great Escape Resort - A place to sit and relax

I woke up early in the morning to explore the resort. It was a perfect offspring of a forest and a garden. Tall trees sheltered us from the wrath of sun. colourful flowers spread around their aroma and joy. Birds hopped from one tree to another.

After breakfast, dad and I left for a trek. We had to walk 5 km to Sitadevi lake. Up to a point we went by sumo. It was a bumpy ride. After that we were accompanied by one of the hotel staff to the lake. We went amidst trees and shrubs to our destination. Butterflies, as huge as humming birds and as small as a fly, carelessly fluttered around the place. Red dragonflies gave company to these butterflies. The blue skies contrasted with the fresh green leaves. Healthy cows grazed on green pastures on the way. With so much of grass, they could afford to be choosy. You could imagine how creamy the milk would be here.

Lake Sita Devi

Surrounded by green mountains in every direction, the lake was beautiful. Tall
 eucalyptus trees flourished on the banks. We could smell the essence of lemongrass. The water was sparkling blue. Occasional wind blew past, taking away some of the heat. The lake was quiet and serene.

On our way back from the trek

On our way back we passed the Tata tea estate. Most of Munnar’s surface is bought by Tata to cultivate tea. They cultivate tea in an efficient and systematic manner, employing many villagers, feeding them with essentials. The cultivators get proper hygiene and medical aid as well. As we passed the quarter, we could hear Mariyama and other folks echoing around the village. It lifted the spirits of the rural beings and promoted a sense of unity among the workers. One of the boys waved happily at me. Another boy joined him, as if I was some Amitabh Bachchan. It reminded me of the unbound humanity left in the pockets of this cruel world. If the sun wasn’t overhead, I would have enjoyed the trek throughout. Unfortunately the sun and I don’t really share a relationship of harmony. I would recommend you to take the trek at an earlier time slot, say 8.

We went back to the hotel to have lunch. I had fish curry, a Kerala specialty. After an hours rest to our tired bodies, we went for an Ayurvedic massage. Every muscle of our body felt relieved. It was relaxing and refreshing, something worth taking.

At night we went on a wildlife safari. Mom joined us this time. We went all the way to Chennar to see wildlife in nocturnal hours. We spotted fleshy deers, wild rabbits and a boar from the song Hakuna Matata. We also saw a bison’s rear. By the time we returned it was five in the morning. The sky was studded with stars. It looked like a deep blue carpet with diamonds spilled on it.

It was freezing cold at night. Cherries on top, we went in an open jeep. Chilled breeze found its way through all the woolens. We stopped to have the much needed hot tea in between. The most amazing thing about the locals is how they CARE for their surroundings. The driver and our accompanier abstained from throwing the tea cups on the road or in the sides. You will never find any local littering or spitting on the road.

Matukutty dam

After snatching a few hours of sleep, we left to explore the area. We started with Matukutty dam. It was blue and magnificent. We enjoyed a roadside lunch consisting of masala chat bhel, roasted corn and ofcourse naariyal paani*. We went to an echo point, 5 km away from the dam. This place was crowded with tourists. A huge group of twenty managed to obtain some echo, but dad and I failed miserably.

Dracaena Sanderiana in the Devikulam Floriculture Garden

We then went to Devikulam floriculture garden. This place was full of flowers; sunflower, orchids, rose, tiny, huge, yellow, red, blue. We found a shop there which served delicious tea and sold lemon grass essence oil. We bought some for ourselves and some to give away. The sutbtle taste of cardomin and perfect proportion of milk in tea, hmmm.

Sunflowers hailing the sun

Devikulam floriculture Garden

We had tea in the marketplace on the way back. I got plum cake to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. From there we returned to Great Escape to have dinner. The staff was friendly and warm. Fish was always good here, so was the paratha. You must try the paratha there, though its nothing like the aloo parathas you get elsewhere. However the hotel is 
slightly understaffed and has some management issues. The workers missed spending Christmas with their families. Also if you aren’t comfortable with all the going up and down slopes, it isn’t the place for you. For the carefree and the adventurous souls, Great Escape awaits you.

December 26, 2012.

We got up at around eight, and went for breakfast. We checked out of the hotel around ten. The whole staff came to see us off, except one person. Someone had to serve the other as well. It felt like a family.

We went to Ervilukum Animal Park to see Nilgiri Tahrs, a kind of mountain goats unique to Nilgiri. Unfortunate for us, the queue was as big as a human sized spaghetti. Two hours would have gone in the waiting itself. So we returned disappointed, not without having the roadside kachchi kairi**, a tourist spot speciality in this country.

Tea shop at the tea museum

As a substitute, we visited a tea museum on the way. It was a delight of its kind. We saw a demo of the tea making process. The museum was donned with animal heads boasting the hunter’s skill(though I personally hate hunting as a sport). Old radio, typewriters and telephones, which my mom and dad had the privilege to use, were on display. The whole place had a refreshing fragrance of herbal tea. We bought lemon tea, ginger tea, rose essence and whole leaf green tea. The man who sold tea told us about its history.

Remember hearing the story how Hanuman rescued a dying Laxmana by bringing him Sanjeevani. Possibly just your green tea. Chinese discovered green tea. They have it with meals to aid digestion. There is a reason why you wouldn’t find a Chinese person with tires for a belly. Mixing tea with milk is never a good idea, it kills the anti-oxidant property and tea loses its purpose. 

That’s why Indians still bear the weight of the paunch. The British introduced the edible nature of tea to us. They started the cultivation in Assam and Munnar(to import ofcourse, they weren’t really the selfless lot).

Tea has over 20 different enzymes and 5 vitamins. It is the best known cure for obesity. If you have a glass of green tea in the morning, it rids your mouth of foul odour. It also neutralizes alcoholic harms and cleanses the body. You can bid your acne, spots and other dermatology problems bye-bye.

We then hit the road to Kochi. On the way we bought spices and I also purchased aloe vera shampoo and gel. We had dosas in this eatery called Rasaa. The food was cheap and decent enough.

*naariyal paani - coconut water
**kachchi kairi - raw mango fruit