Munnar : Carpeted with Greenery!

The traveler in me is always happy to write about a new travel done, a new place ticked in my checklist and the new things discovered. I’ve introspected on this quite a bit and realized that I don’t write because I travel. It is a way of motivating me to travel more. That’s my trick to tug my conscience to keep the travel bug alive :)

I’d been wanting to explore South India for a while now. Bangalore and Hyderabad are cliché. Pondicherry, Munnar, Alleppy, Goa were in my hot list. Ooty I’d been last November, found it a relaxing place but not much to offer. To a North Indian (like me), it may seem like Himachal. Except that Himachal has much to offer. Remember, McleodGanj trip? I wanted a 2-3 days trip that could offer an ideal escapade from the buzzing of urban Bangalorean life into the tranquil laps of nature, hence I chose Munnar. Just for some gyaan Munnar means “three rivers” and is located at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala.

The journey from Bangalore to Munnar

I’d booked tickets for Bangalore to Munnar via Redbus. I chose Green Line Travels because of its rating and reviews. It turned out to be awesome! Way better than any Volvo I’ve seen or been. Spacious, clean and plush beds to sleep cozily during the night journey. We boarded bus around 9 pm and I slept like a queen till like 4 am. Shucks! Mujhe meri hi nazar lag gayi :( They shifted us to a not-so-comfortable tempo traveler for the last 100 kms at around 5 am. It wasn’t even a tempo Traveler but something similar but an old one with the double seats barely able to accommodate 2 people! Though the driver, a Tamilian, was quite informative and hospitable. In our limited conversations, came to know he’d been doing this job since past 15 years. It was quite apparent in the way he drove us through the steep uphill roads. Driving in high-range hills is definitely challenging unless you are experienced in driving in such places. Even though I was enjoying view from my window, I was equally nervous at the speed of the bus, especially when with steep valleys on the sides.

Hotel West Wood River Side Resort: A disappointment

We reached Munnar Town at around 10 am. The weather was perfect – not too hot neither too cold. Our Hotel was at a stone’s throw. We still took an Auto as we were too tired to walk. By the time we reached Hotel, the auto driver Mr. Mani had given us his number with a “pamphlet” of places to see in Munnar and convinced us to call him if we want to go for sightseeing. Good marketer indeed! I had been through Trip Advisor reviews and chose Hotel Westwood Riverside Resort. I liked Abad Hotel in the stipulated budget but trip advisor reviews of the former were better. Sometimes TripAdvisor ditches me :(

We checked in to the Hotel. The lobby, as the Hotel name suggests, had a lot of attention grabbing wood work. The background music was soothing and the welcome drink was refreshing. The Hotel Manager came to greet us. Friendly guy. I said to myself, “Swati, this hotel seems good, staff is also nice”. Again shucks! Mujhe meri hi nazar lag gayi :( I was disappointed to see the room whose daily charge was 4500/-. The room had no Almirah (imagine!) and the shelf provided for clothes was a bit broken. The view from the room window did not tempt me to open it again. I had clicked some photos to post on trip advisor and on my blog later but they got deleted mistakenly. Anyways, look at the brighter side Swati. The breakfast was nice. Sitting in the dining area with the river view was very relaxing.

Day 1: Munnar Exploration begins!

We relaxed a bit and decided to go out for Lunch and then explore Munnar. We called Mr. Mani but he wasn’t available. Destiny made us meet Mr. Shashi. Little did we know that he will turn out to be our Munnar Guide :) Not only did he suggest us the best eating places and the places to see, the personal touch that he added to things made us do what he said. We went to Guru Bhavan for Lunch. I’ve never seen a more economical sumptuous meal! Their service was way too quick, staff was courteous and food satiated our hunger to the brim.

Flower Garden, Munnar

Post lunch, Mr. Shashi first took us to Flower Garden. I loved colors all around. Since childhood, I’ve been in love with the “scientific names” of the flowers though they did and still lake little sense to me :). On our way to the Echo Point, witnessed how the picturesque hill station is carpeted with tea plantations contributing to scenic views. The Echo Point is near top station, about 15 kms from Munnar in Idukki district.

I got a job there! :)

It was interesting to meet photographers who were giving 1 printed photo for 30 Rs. They had just digicams, not even DSLR but their shots were perfect. And my best pic was the one in which they made me dress like a plantation worker with large burlap bag on my back. I had all the old Bollywood songs playing in my mind that time J I was wondering how they are able to walk briskly along steep slopes with just a pair of rubber thongs on their feet. I saw some lakes and dams like Matupetty Dam but they seemed more or less the same as others. Nothing much to write about them. What caught my attention were these small shops selling wooden items and special oils.

We had dinner at SN restaurant. Another good restaurant but their Menu is quite limited. Though the service is good and food is worth its price. We tried the Biryani and Kerala Parota.

Day 2: The Visit to the Tea Factory and Spice Garden!

Lockhart Tea Factory

We chose to utilize this day well by visiting only selective places. Went first to Lockhart Tea Factory situated at Devikolam in Idukki District of Kerala. I am a tea lover, especially adrak chai ;), so I was more than happy to see how one of my favorites is manufactured. The process I saw was very interesting. As soon as the newly picked leaves reach the factory, processing begins. The leaves are spread out over a large area for up to 24 hours where they lose some of their moisture. Sometimes heated air is piped over the withering racks to speed up the process. From the withering-racks the soft, green leaf is sent to the rolling machines where the leaf is rolled and broken up to release the tea flavor. From the roller the tea is moved to coarse mesh sieves. The fine leaves that fall through are taken to the fermenting rooms, while the coarse leaf is returned for further rolling.Tea leaves are spread on cement or tile floors in a cool, damp atmosphere. As the leaves ferment they turn bright copper color. This tea is sent to tea driers where a continuous blast of hot dry air is forced over the leaves. Finally, the dried teas are sorted and graded by leaf size.

As much as I love the aroma of tea, I felt pukish inside the factory after a while. The smell was too strong for my senses.But it was interesting to know about the tea manufacturing process. Hey did you know that the tea plant is a single-stem bushy plant ranging from 20 to 60 feet in height. Regular pruning keeps its height to a more manageable 4 to 5 feet tall. It has an economic life of 40 years with regular pruning and plucking. I was thrilled to know this so thought of sharing :)

Photo Point :)

We checked few “Photo Points” for some clicks. Photo point is a scenic place in a Tea estate where the trees are arranged to give a good view for taking photos. Mr. Shashi turned out to be a good photographer too :). His English was fluent and impressive

Visit to the Spice Garden was also an interesting one. The entry ticket is 200 Rs. Per person. We found it quite expensive but nevertheless wanted to check it out. Our Guide was very informative, rather over informative. The interesting part was that he initially said he does this job not for money but out of his passion and how skilfully he asked us for tip at the end for his information. Kaise Kaise log hote hai.

As the name suggest, at the Spice Garden one can see how different spices are grown. The tour started with Coffee Shrubs, fresh green pods of coffee which would 1st dry and then shall be removed to be divided into two parts the coco and the bean. And then there was young black pepper hanging like trinkets from a lady’s ear. In the 30-45 minutes plantation tour in wilderness, saw how cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, mint, nutmeg, beetle nut and other spices are grown. .There were turmeric bushes, the bushes which ward off snakes, trees that bore jackfruit, the tree from  which the bark is scrapped to form cinnamon sticks, some medicinal plants and BHADRAKASHM from which Bhadrakash Mala is made, lemon grass, pineapple and many many more which my memory is not able to recall. If you ever go to Munnar, this place is a must visit.

We went to Rapsy Restaurant for Lunch. The place was bustling with foreign tourists. Being a Vegetarian, menu for me was limited to Apam , Kerala Parota and Biryani. This food here did not delight us but it was economical and the service was quick.

Day 3: Walking down the streets!

We had Bus back to Bangalore in the evening. I chose to take a walk through the shopping street with a hope that I might find something tempting enough to buy J The Street was sprawling with shops selling various kinds of tea and coffee powder, myriad of chocolates, wooden and handicraft items and plethora of oils. I already have a Kerala Saree else would have bought one. The inhabitants seemed mainly Tamilians and Malayalees.

Shops

Munnar turned out to one of the most invigorating short getaway.  The lush green landscape, sprawling tea plantations and proud mountains made my trip a good retreat!

As I finish writing this post, I am tempted to plan my next trip :) Let's seeee

Keep Smiling!
Swati :)