We started at 7 AM in an Ambassador (the faithful tourist vehicle of the country) - my uncle and family and me - Destination Munnar.
Munnar is a Hill Station around 140 km from Cochin. It houses the Kannan Devan Hills, which is the haven for tea plantation in South India. Most of the tea estates in the place are owned by Tata Tea.
There are two routes from Cochin to Munnar - one via Perumbavur and the other via Muvattupuzha. We took the first route while going and the second while returning. The latter route is more scenic. Unfortunately we missed the sights, it being late and the sun having set.
We stopped for breakfast at Kothamangalam - the menu being the traditional Vellayappam (noodle like eatable made from rice) and Idiyappam (dosa-like delicacy).
Adimali is the base camp to Munnar, so to say. The drive from Adimali to Munnar is spectacular. We pass through Reserved Forests, we ascend the hills, with deadly drops on one side and steep cliffs on the other. The ascent is not as steep as, say Ootty, but still produces the thrills!
Munnar is partly in Ernakulam District and partly Idukki. The roads were surprisingly good - part of them being tarred as we went.
It was 11 AM, when we reached the town. En route, we stopped to admire a small waterfall. We were fascinated by the sight of two local people climbing up a steep cliff carrying some bags with no equipment or rigs other than their bare hands!
The temperature began to drop as we neared Munnar. There is another view-point which is identifiable by the presence of a shop - the owner having discoved the business potential of the place!
As we neared Munnar, we began to see acres and acres of tea estates. The tea plants are grown close together with gaps for the workers to move around and pluck the leaves.
Though we were a little late to watch tea leaves being plucked
(this happens before 10 AM), we did get to see some workers doing the same.
These are mostly from the neighbouring state of Tamil
Nadu. They are adept at this art, and pluck the leaves even in
biting cold.
Tata Tea's offices dot the place. The climate is very pleasant the breeze rather chilly. We dropped in at the Head Office to see if we could meet a (second) cousin of ours who works here. But he was back in Cochin. We could not visit the tea processing factory, as this requires prior permission.
Munnar is a place one should go, not for sight-seeing, but for staying. It is not very crowded (at least not now). One can take long walks, drink in the pure air, enjoy the endless sight of the greenery of tea estates. Life is not so pleasant during monsoons though - as it pours cats and dogs and the temperature drops as low as 0 degrees!
Anyway, we were there for a few hours and decided to make the best use of it, by engaging ourselves in some sight-seeing. The Eravikulam National Park in Rajamalai, is only a few kilometres from the town and that was where we headed.
This Park houses the rare Nilgiri Tahr ("varai adu" - rock goat). We cannot take the vehicles up the mountain, but have to trek it out on the tarred roads. Once you climb for 5 minutes, you can see these animals in abundance, grazing. They are very enjoyable to watch though they run away if you go close to them.
The walk up the hill is a good experience, if the sun is not up. The breeze chills you and the serene surroundings calm your soul!
It was now 2 PM and time for lunch. We stopped our vehicle at
a very scenic spot overlooking tea estates and unpacked our lunch. It is
a good idea to bring lunch, as Munnar is not reputed for
its food. It began to drizzle as we completed our lunch, which
was another wonderful spectacle.
We now proceeded to Mattupetty Dam, another sight-seeing spot in Munnar. The Dam is a small one, but the location is beautiful. One could mistake it for a place in Europe or USA - so clean and fresh is the place. One can go boating in the waters and we heard that elephants can be seen, coming down for a drink.
It is chilly all through the year and we forgot all about the torrid Kerala summer, awaiting us just 140 km away. The hot milkless tea made refreshing drinking as we feasted our eyes on the beauty of the place.
It was now 4 PM, and time for the return leg. We were rather exhausted by the journey and the return was made in quiet, except for heated discussions on various topics!