The first brush with Kerala, I’d like to believe, began with Anton, our enchanting driver for the entire trip from Cochin to Munnar and beyond. He was this crisp white shirt kind of guy with his striking mustache and a smile that made me smile!
Cochin’s bus drivers are mad; otherwise it was quite a nice and small bustling city. Anton made the sweep through the mad traffic as smooth as he could.
The second taste of Kerala still lingers in my mouth; Toddy, beef and more fried beef! Anton stops for Toddy at his friend’s shop on our way to Munnar. He also gets us fried beef and marachini ( mashed Tapioca) served in banan leaves. I almost cried! Best fried beef ever and awesome marachini which I almost made it my staple food!
About Toddy, I was a bit reluctant as I’d heard that it tasted like rice beer that we get back home and I am not a very big fan of that. However, I take a small sip and another sip again and again and again…. Yeah get the picture? :D
We stayed at Whispering Meadows which was an ok place and actually 10 km away from the main town; just like the way we’d wanted. It was hard to believe that I actually slept with the lull of crickets and other 101 sounds we hear from the woods....It still feels surreal to me after coming back to the city and comparing it to the jarring shrieks of vehicles.
In Munnar, the scenic pleasures just kept gettin better and better...
Then we went to Kolukkumalai: Highest tea estate in the world!
Anton had already made arrangements for us to go and visit the highest tea estate in the world. I was a bit reluctant as I thought it would be like any other tea estate...but boy was I wrong! It was one of the most amazing place I'd been to.
Our mode of transport was this very sturdy jeep with a very proud owner. Varghese was a Civil Engineer who had decided to start his own thing. It was pretty amazing to see him beam and speak about the jeep so proudly and the way he'd built up his small tour operations. Sad is the fact that I couldn’t register in the kind of engine, etc etc that he went on and on about. The romantic in me just rem’bers that he had to go all the way to Trivandrum to get this baby.
(We saw many huts which was built during the time of the British rule.)
The ride was BUMPY but the views kept me in awe. Reaching the top, we could see one part of Tamil Nadu on one side and Kerala on the other side. The amazing fact was that the weather was different in both the states and we could actually see that in one single frame.
Now, I ll let the pictures speak for itself...
Sigh ain't it beautiful? :)
You know, I have learnt one thing from this trip. The generalization that the people from the hills are naturally warm and nice people? is so very true! :)
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