Tag: National Parks of Kerala

I had such a good experience with my one day tour that I booked through Nicy Charly at Sight City Tours & Travels, that I decided to go all in with them and book my full itinerary with them. I don’t usually do this, because I am avoiding commercialising my Blog, but this company was outstanding both in their prices and their organisational skills and of course I was lucky and got their star driver again. If you visit Kerala I would highly recommend Nicey. She can be found on Facebook

So Srihari and I set out for Munnar, not too early, and arrived four hours later, but not without several stops.

Along the way to Munnar there are several suggested stops in the guide books including these two waterfalls, Cheeyapara and Valera one of which is waiting for the Monsoon season to return to glory and the other one that is just hanging in there.

I expressed an interest in Ayurvedics and Srihari suggested we stop at one of many Ayurvedic Farms along the way. I paid for a tour with a practitioner and he ushered me about the garden naming all the plants and their medicinal purposes. Very interesting but a great deal of information to absorb in a short time. Of course there was a retail outlet attached to the farm and I purchased some herbs and spices used for various health related purposes.

The higher we got into the Ghats the more beautiful the scenery became with the contours of the slopes planted with tea and of course many road side attractions and Srihari humoured me with many stops for exclaiming and photographing the alluring landscapes.

Finally at 1880 meters, we arrived at top station and of course the views were never ending, much like India itself,

At one point I saw a sign for a botanical garden and I’m sorry but I had to stop and of course photograph madly and chat up the other garden fans. One family I met were from my home town Calgary and lived not far from the neighbourhood that I grew up in. The cheeky grandson told me his grandfather was single, hint, hint, until he was caught out as the man’s wife rounded the corner.

A garden feels like home to me, so many flowers are the same the world over and the sense of familiarity when seeing them outside of your own back yard, reminds me of the commonalities in this world. (I warned you I took a few pictures.)

The trip to Munnar was so wonderful just when you thought it couldn’t get any prettier it would. The hotel that Nicy had booked for me had a definite alpine feeling and I instantly felt at home and was told that I had been upgraded to a chalet room all of my own. Lovely balcony with views over the garden and the valley, pool and great food, mostly vegetarian and delicious.

In the hotel dining room people were very friendly and I met a young foursome from Pune, Chtrapati Shivaji Nagar near Mumbai. Each couple had been married one year and were super into taking their picture with me and even came one morning to knock on my door so we could take one from my balcony. Following the selfie stage they moved on to the FaceTime stage with their families back home and I was introduced to parents and siblings and grandmothers who were all very happy to meet me. Young and sweet and definitely enjoying their vacation.

Likewise in the cabin next door the young couple asked to come over to meet me and I said of course. Selfies and calls home to meet the families ensued and I began to feel like somewhat of a celebrity.

Three nights in Munnar allowed lots of time for road tripping and visiting the Matupetti Dam and Lake, very scenic and surrounded by Shola Forest. According to Mr. Goggle the Shola Forest are rolling grasslands adorned with evergreen vegetations and stunted trees and spectacularly are now part of an ecosystem that is older than humanThe only disappointment was not being able to visit Eruvikulam National Park said to be home to 26 species of mammals. Leopards and tigers being the main predators with seasonal visits from elephants. But it had been closed as it was breeding time for the deer in the park.

After spending several days exploring the spectacular growth patterns of the tea plant I wondered how I could have gone on so long drinking the stuff and yet knowing so slittle about it. Well that ignorance is gone following my tour of a tea museum and a processing plant.

The history of the Western Ghats is written in tea leaves. The cool temperature, the soil conditions and the local labour force were the exact right conditions for the British Empire to reap the benefits. When India gained its independence local coops took ownership of many of the factories but today many are owned by multinational corporations based in India such as Tata one of the biggest Indian conglomerates.

The tea museum run by the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company showcases the history of tea cultivation in Munnar since 1876 when tea was first planted in here. On display are several rare artefacts and curios as well as evocative photographs from an era of settlement and isolation and a rail engine wheel of the Kundaly Valley Light Railway, that transported men and material between Munnar and Top Station during the early part of the last century, before then everything was carried by humans or livestock.

Then at the Nullatanni tea processing plant we were walked through the process of harvesting and processing the leaves until the final stage where they are sorted into three levels of quality. Interesting tour and of course I bought some White Tea which I look forward to trying when I get home.

From what I could see education is highly regarded in Kerala, apparently having one of the highest rates of literacy in the country. Large schools, often resembling hotels are government run, church run and private and are frequent sights even out in the countryside, resulting in a 93.9% literacy rate.

Three nights at Arbour Resort Srihari and I say goodbye to Munnar and venture on our way to Thekaddy a town about two hours by car.