munnar, kerala, india, february 18-20

After a one day stop in Fort Kochi we grabbed a bus to head east into the Western Ghats to the town of Munnar which lies at about 1700 meters above sea level. The road there hugs the lush mountain's edge and as we approached we started to notice the undulating green of the tea plantations that make Munnar famous.

We got off at the first bus stop and headed towards the tourist information office where we asked for Mr. Joseph Iype. Our dear friends Jen and Scott stayed with Joseph and his wife a few years ago and highly recommended finding him. Unfortunately it was sunday and his office was closed, but some folks pointed out the way to his home and thought it would be okay if we dropped in. As we climbed the hill in an autorickshaw we saw plantation workers cutting tea levaes, gardens full of flowers, and the vast views of the mountains.

When we arrived at their home, we found that their four rooms were full. But Joseph and his wife served us tea and buscuits while he went on to give us information about hikes and places to visit throughout Munnar. For decades, he and his wife have lived in this home and his love for and knowledge of the area really come through in his descriptions and hand-drawn maps. He pointed us to another guesthouse for the night, though luckily, we had a chance to stay Joseph and his wife our last two nights in Munnar.

We spent three days hiking and riding (on a scooter which I will describe in a few minutes) through the hills stunned by the view around each corner. Our first hike took us past the cardomom trees, eucalyptus, and tea plantations that dot the landscape. Though the sun was strong, the air was fresh and cool especially after several days in Indian cities. We stopped by the next morning at the Tea Museum and were walked through the process of tea production. The smells were delicious. Then we headed out about 40 km to visit Top Station, the highest point in the state on the border with Tamil Nadu. From the viewpoint you can see for kilometers and as the mist rolled in and out, different peaks and valleys became visible providing us with so much to look at. We ate passion fruit and tree tomatoes and drank tea and then eventually ended up at one of the lakes where we took a rowboat along the calm waters.

Our final day was spent on a scooter. We rented one in Fort Kochi, which Nima is going to describe, but basically we loved the freedom of it so we decided to do it again. The roads in Munnar, though, were a little crazy-- curved and narrow and with lots of giant vehicles twisting by-- we probably wont be riding along mountain roads like this ever again. But it was fun and luckily we were left with only minor scrapes and burns! We visited a spice garden and saw black pepper plants, cardomom trees, and cumin. We also saw chilis. One of the most amazing things that we leaned in Kerala was that chili peppers are not native to India and were introduced to the continent by the Portugese in the early 16th century!!!! Our last hike was up in Lockhardt Gap-- well the hike itself was short as we got a bit lost along the way but again the vistas were spectacular.

Our nights mostly ended with simple meals and some time on the Internet. By nightfall the air was cold and we had to snuggle under three blankets to keep warm. But we slept well and enjoyed the cool air before heading back to the seaside.