Day Two--Captivating Kerala. Sightseeing in Munnar

Saturday, January 10, 2026:

Sightseeing in Munnar:

Awaking in our B and B, after a good night’s sleep, we showered, got dressed and set out for a very early morning start to a whole day’s sightseeing.

Off to Eravikulam National Park:

As we were headed to Eravikulam National Park which tends to get very crowded at this peak tourist season of the year, we needed to make a start at the crack of dawn. I had tried to get tickets to his place online for several days before leaving home—with little success. And so, it was necessary for us to get to the venue early before the crowds heaved. After an early start (we met Shiju at 8 am), we set out for the Park. I was surprised to find that it was less than a fifteen minute ride to the spot from the center of town.

As soon as we arrived at the spot, we parked our car and joined a short line to get tickets to a bus (run by the park) that takes visitors up to the spot from where they would have views of Annamundi Peak (the highest peak in the South of India). This is also one of the few spots in South India from where one can see the rare Nilgiri Mountain Tahr (Goat) whose natural habitat these Kannan Devan Mountains happen to be. If we were really lucky, we would see them. Our fingers were crossed.

We grabbed a chocolate muffin from the small snack stall attached to the big restaurant and equipped with those (as I did not want to enter the park on an empty stomach), we were ready to go. About ten minutes later, we were in a small bus with about twenty other people. About ten minutes later, past really beautiful mountain terrain, on narrow roads that were lined with fully established trees, many of which were lush with wild flowers, we arrived at the bus stop where we were required to alight. From there, we had to hike up a mountain for about an hour, going higher and higher, with the idea of seeing the Tahr.

Although it was a hike, I have to say that it was a very gentle gradient and we slowly, but surely, gathered height. As we climbed higher, we had the most glorious views of the valleys below us bathed in full golden sunshine. There were tea estates all around us, very thick vegetation in the form of tall trees, birds (and a bunch of bird watchers who had bazooka cameras and field glasses with them), hazy hills in tiers in the far distance but right behind us the peak—Annamundi—which in Tamil means ‘Elephant’s Head’. And, indeed, if you looked at it, from the right angles, it did resemble an elephant’s head.

We stayed in this spot for a while as someone told us that the Tahr were expected at 10.00 am. Of course, I was skeptical about this. Could the Tahr read the time? And where exactly would they be at 10.00 am? I put it down to hogwash and decided to simply enjoy the beauty and stillness of the spot. A park ranger soon pointed out black spots far away on the tallest mountain and assured us they were Tahr. And indeed, if you looked at them closely, they were moving objects. But soon, realizing that we would probably not get better views, we decided to make our way down as we had a number of places to see before the day ended.

And that’s when we had a most amazing sighting. As we walked down the mountain to return to the bus stop that would take us back to the car park, a whole flock of Tahr walked very casually right by us. Yes, we were stunned. They offered fine photo ops (which also encouraged a bunch of visitors to do really dumb things like walking within inches of them) and we took a few. Mission Accomplished! Our early morning excursion had not been in vain. With renewed vigor, we hastened our stride and got back into the bus, rode down the mountains to the car park, where we met Shiju and continued onward. It was time for breakfast as our hike (on an almost empty stomach) had depleted us of all energy and we earnestly needed fuel to go ahead.

Breakfast in Munnar Town at Sharavana Bhavan:

Sharavana Bhavan is a chain of well-known South Indian eateries—that, I believe, might be considered the equivalent of the US McDonald’s chain! They serve standard South Indian specialities and are extremely popular at breakfast-time. Shiju took us there and after entering, we found that we were pretty much the only patrons., I guess the early breakfast crowd had left and it was too early for lunch. It was, by then, about 11.00 am. Very soon, small groups of white tourists made their way inside as the place is well-touted in tourist guides such as Lonely Planet.

Llew and I each ordered a Paper Dosa (which is a gigantic, crisp Indian crepe) usually served with a spicy curry called Sambhar and coconut chutneys. We also ordered “Pineapple Lassi” which was warmly recommended by the waiter—but which we did not care for too much—it was a yogurt shake with pineapple juice. The crepe, however, was superb. It was crisp and filling and entirely hit the spot. When we were done with paying the bill, we left, content in the knowledge that we had many breakfasts ahead of us—at each of which we would try new items.

Off to Conquer Madupetty Dam:

Breakfast done, we resolved to see Madupetty Dam—which is one of the highlights of the town. As we made our way to the venue, we passed by mile after mile of superbly-manicured tea estates. Indeed, Munnar is nothing but tea gardens, now in government ownership mostly, but once owned by Scottish planters who had also planted these massive miles and covered them with tea seedlings. In fact, it would be fair to say that Munnar Town lies in a basin surrounded by the heights of the Kannan Devan Mountains that are completely covered with tea estates.

The road to Madupety Dan was well and truly jammed and it took us a very long time, moving at snail’s pace, to finally get there. Once there, all we did was take a look at the artificial Lake that was created when the river was dammed and to see boats (both row boats and peddle boats) on the water. The two of us alighted from the car and took a short hike alongside the lake’s banks, passing by beautiful clusters of wild flowers everywhere—tangles of morning glory in varied shades of mauve, and other wild flowers. We decided not to go boating as we knew that we had many boat rides ahead of us on our itinerary. It was good to stretch our legs and having done this, we returning to our car, after taking a few photos in a tea garden nearby.

Exploring Munnar Botanical Garden:

Madupetty Dam seen and after braving traffic on the way back too, we told Shiju to take us to the Botanical Garden which we had passed en route to the Dam. This was one of the treats of this day—the Gardens are beautifully landscaped in tiers along the side of a mountain. They are truly a gardener and flower lover’s dream and there is every imaginable flower grown, nurtured and cultivated here. This is a working nursery as well as a scholar’s lab and as we clicked pictures, there were some items that definitely caught our eyes: vivid roses the size of quarter plates, Pelican flower (that I had never seen before—it looked like a large spotted handkerchief), dahlias in the most amazing shapes and colors, huge Peace Lilies and also a flower that looked exactly like the English elderflower (but completely lacked any smell). I was excited to find elderflowers in India but on smelling them and finding them devoid of perfume, I began to believe that they might be from the same family but are not entirely the same. After spending about one hour in the Botanical Garden, we decided to move towards our next port of call.

Munnar’s Famous Tea Museum:

Yes, as I said earlier, Munnar is all about Tea—in fact, tea and Christianity. There are churches galore in this town, representing every Christian denomination. In fact, since Kerala is predominantly a Christian state, there is a church literally around every corner. But there also is tea. Loads of it. You can buy it by the kilo in the market in Munnar Town, in different varieties. And this is why the Tea Museum is so popular.

I had visited this place, a few years ago, and remember being entirely taken by it. It turns out that tea was first planted in Munnar by Scottish planters in the 1880s. They took up residence in the town and tried to replicate the feeling of living in the Scottish Highlands by building themselves little English cottages that were decidedly like English country estates. Inside, they filled them with fireplaces and mantelpieces (needed against the year-round cold) and with wonderful teak furniture that was made locally to English designs. Hence, in the museum, you find a lot of memorabilia from bygone days—things like clocks, time-stamping machines (for the employees to clock in and out daily), desks, chairs, lamps, loads of animal antlers on the walls (tokens of their skihari days when hunting and fishing were popular past-times in the mountains). There was also dozens of black and white photographs on the wall that recall their pleasures—golf, cricket, football, all played in the bracing air of this beautiful hill-station.

As part of our visit, we were led into an auditorium where we watched a lovely little documentary film on the history of Munnar, its tea-planting development as well as its flora and fauna and natural beauty. I learned a whole lot about tea planting, growing, harvesting and distribution and about the various companies (such as Tatas) that took over the business from departing Englishmen after Indian Independence. Yes, there was much to see and marvel at and I was really pleased with our visit.

As part of the Tea Museum, visitors can also see the making of tea—from leaf to packet. You are invited to enter a vast hall where massive tea-drying, grinding and filtering equipment is still used to process and packet tea. Indeed, tea is the world’s largest consumed beverage with China being the main consumer and India being second. Much of the world’s tea production comes from India which is a major export and important cash crop. I found all of us quite fascinating and was very glad we made the visit. At the very end, one enters the gift shop, of course, where you can buy tea in all sorts of avatars and also treat oneself to a drink of tea in the adjoining tea shop. It is all very well organized and the crowds move in quite an orderly manner. I wish I could have found an English-style tea room or cafe, but alas, there was only a counter-style place where you could stand and sip a cuppa. A bit of a disappointment at the end of a very good tour.

Off to the Attukad Water Falls:

The last item on our sightseeing agenda for Munnar were the Attukad Water Falls. The day had passed rapidly by and light was fast fading as we decided to go to the Falls. I remember having gone there, a few years ago, with my friend Michelle, and the grand impression that the site had left on me. And so, despite the fact that we had to drive a bit out of town and brave curving bends down a steep mountain to get to the bottom and despite the fact that twilight was setting in, I was determined to see the Falls. Once again, we were indebted to Shiju who did a great job taking us down the mountain to the spot where the Falls reach the valley bottom. We did see the actual Falls themselves when approaching this spot. But the main site is the river bed where there are gigantic boulders over which the river flows creating little cascades. The river was not in full spate which meant that the flow was very gentle. There is another little cafe at this spot, but having stopped here briefly to take pictures, we returned to the car and made our way back to town. Yes, there was a bit of traffic on the mountain roads at this time of day as people returned home after a work day, and night had fully fallen by this point; but we were not too far off and we reached Munnar Town in time for dinner.

Dinner at Guru Bhavan Restaurant:

As we’d only eaten Brunch today, we were starving by the time dinner time rolled around. Using Google, I found a warmly-recommended place called Guru Bhavan and it was here that we ordered Kerala’s famous Prawn Biryani with raita and Lassi to sip. It was very good indeed if a tad too spicy for us We began to realize that all Keralite food is heavy on the spice element as these mountains are covered with spice plantations: cinnamon, cardamom, any amount of pepper—in fact, black pepper grows almost wild in Kerala—plus cumin, coriander, nutmeg and mace, vanilla, anise, etc. You can buy packs of spices, well-wrapped to form gifts in the stores in the market and any amount of tea. Other items that are really popular are coffee and chocolate—for cacao also grows plentiful in Kerala and there are plenty of stores that tout “Home made chocolate”. I need not point out that Kerala is so green because so much of it is given to agriculture and coconut plantations are everywhere, This explains why tender coconut water is a very appealing and popular drink in Kerala and is sold all over the place.

With our dinner done, all that was left was for us to make our way back to our B&B—which was exactly where Shiju took us. We climbed the steep hill up to our place and reached our location, happy to find that the din of the church next door had finished for the day and we could bed down to a quiet night in weather that was cool and very conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Until tomorrow, see ya

Filling in Sightseeng Gaps in Munnar

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Munnar

Filling in Sightseeing Gaps in Munnar

Namaste from Munnar!

It was a day to take things easy. Michelle and I awoke to catch the sunrise from our balcony in the Lake View Resort, but there was ample cloud cover today and dawn was an orangey glow over the Eastern mountain slopes as the first rays of an awakening sun gilded the verdant tea estates. Oh well, at least we tried. 

Michelle decided to go for a swim before breakfast while I sat blogging and enjoying the mountain air. We also had to sort out our accommodation for one more night as Michelle had mistakenly made our booking for just two nights instead of three. The Receptionist called to tell me she did have a room for us but it was non-AC (not really needed at these heights) and was in the main building of the hotel above the Reception. We had no choice, so opted for it after bargaining down the regular rate. Showering and packing of our belongings then followed so that the hotel staff could transfer our cases to the new room—which was just as good in every way except for the AC. We still had a view facing east over the mountains and overlooking the little trickle of a river beneath us. 

Breakfast and Off for the Day:

Breakfast then followed in our hotel dining room. Each day’s offerings are different at the buffet and today I opted for utthapam with sambhar and chutney and the fluffiest corn fritters which I ate with delicious local honey. I also opted for a slice of white bread toast with butter—heavenly and something I have not eaten in a very long time as I do not own a toaster in my studio apartment. I shall certainly eat more toast tomorrow! Filter coffee here is divine and I treated myself to two cups despite the fact that it was not decaf. Luckily, it does not seem to keep me awake.

     So, over all, it was a very slow start to our day and it was only about 11.00 am that we summoned our driver Abhijit to take us sightseeing for the day.  The idea was to tick off the other curves in the mountains that we had not seen the previous day.  We had another glorious day in the mountains for such an expedition and he told us he would start us off at the Erakuvilam National Park which was about ten miles away.  However, he did also warn us that the park is closed as it is breeding season for the unique mountain goat called the Tahr that is native only to these parts and well-preserved by naturalists to ensure it does not meet with extinction. Still, it would be good to get to the national park—even if it was only to its entrance.

The drive through the mountains of Munnar is absolutely delightful and if this was all I did while I stayed in this curve of the Western Ghats, my trip here would have been worthwhile. When we left the manicured velveteen slopes of the tea estates behind us, we were in rugged mountainous terrain surrounded by silver oak trees and towering fragrant eucalyptus. We passed many little streams with small bridges built over them—a couple had suffered damage in the severe flooding that had hit the state of Kerala in August of last year. They can no longer be used.  The pot holes on the roads are also problematic in certain places but whether those are flood-related or just a result of wear and tear, it is hard to say. Poinsettia bushes grow wild over the edges of the tea gardens and when we passed by a particularly appealing bend in the road where two hills came together to create a picture post-card vista, I requested Abhijit to stop so that we could take pictures.  This is the image of Munnar that I would like to preserve in my memory and take back with me into the world—Of the pure silence of the tea slopes with their perfectly topiaried bushes, of poinsettia standing tall, of silver oaks swaying in the gentle breeze. 

    Many pictures later, we continued on our way to the National Park whose posters offered tantalizing glimpses of the goats that we just beyond our reach.  The park, also known locally as Rajmala, is renowned for the Neelakurunji flowers which resemble blue crocus that covers the slopes of these mountains only once in twelve years! Again, last August was the year they bloomed—a time that cruelly coincided with the coming of the floods which robbed naturalists of the joy of photographing them at their zenith. We took pictures of the entrance and then made our way down the mountain slopes again, stopping en route to give a ride to an elderly local man who was pounding the pavement in an attempt to get to his destination.

Next Stop: The Tea Museum

Yesterday, Abhijit had taken us to what was called the Tea Factory. Today, we requested him to take us to the Tea Museum as we had seen hoardings for this attraction everywhere. Both these places are run by the Kannan Devan Development Corporation which has owned these tea estates since the 18th century. Hence, the guard at the gate allowed us to enter for free based on the strength of the receipt we showed her of the tickets we had purchased yesterday at the Tea Factory.

This place was far better in every respect.  For one thing, we were ushered through the small rooms of a really cute museum whose walls were covered with taxidermied animal busts and horns into a screening room.  Here, we were treated to a 25 minute long movie that was superbly filmed that introduced us to every aspect imaginable of the history of tea production in Munnar.  We learned that it all goes back to the year 1790 when Lord Wellesley came on horseback to explore this area and discovered the pristine beauty of the mountains. He then sent British surveyors to the area and their mapping of the range began with special emphasis on the mountains of this region and its highest peak Anamudi which one can see from the national park.  

It was not long before the British penchant for tea that was traded world wide through the conquest of the Chinese market and the sea routes established for the precise purpose of transporting it around the world, led to the planting of tea saplings on the mountain slopes. Initial planters were, of course, British pioneers whose entrepreneurial zeal led not only to the creation of the terraces upon which they planted tea, but to the roads and railway that would allow them to disseminate their production around the colonial world.  British engineering of a long lost era can still be admired on every curve of these mountainous roads and the heart-stopping bend in every river. 

The film also taught us about the flora and fauna of the region and British attempts to preserve them. There was further information about the social welfare projects that were created through the centuries that put ownership of the tea manufacturing plants in the hands of the workers, the actual tea pickers whose livelihood depends on these tea gardens. We were shocked to discover that the workers form 97 % of the share holders of the company that has changed hands over the years.  The bulk of it now rests in the hands of Tata that has brought sustained development to the area through the construction of schools, hospitals, maternity wards, daycare centers, etc. to the manufacturing plant so that the overall welfare of their employees takes up a good part of the company’s concerns. Gosh! It was such an education and both Michelle and I were absolutely stunned by what we learned. We will probably never sip a cup of tea with the same nonchalance again. Now that we know what goes into making tea the cup that cheers, I know I will have greater respect for my daily cuppa.

We then wandered about the little museum which I found to be the most fascinating part of our visit. In the first room, the animal remains were the results of those shot down during shikar—a favorite pastime of British colonials in an era when the mountains were filled with all kinds of deer, wild boar and even gaur (Indian bison) and bears. There were a few items from a bygone era on the walls (punching clocks, for instance, which were known as tell-tale clocks because they revealed the exact minute at which workers clocked in and out), weighing scales, pruners, secators, etc. In the room that I found most fascinating were black and white pictures on the wall that showed us what colonial life was like in the mountains in the Victoria and Edwardian ages—white women in clothing fashionable in the era with startlingly huge hats to shade their delicate English complexions from the merciless South Indian summer sun, men with sola topics (many of which lined the walls), local Munnar Gymkhana sports that included horse racing and, later in the twentieth century, even car racing.  There were notices on framed posters inviting people to come for the racing that would include cream teas with scones! You can just imagine...I found everything so charming. Memories of a way of life that has gone with the wind are being preserved in this little corner of Munnar—long may they reign. For anyone with an interest in colonial and post-colonial history, this place is a little gem.

We ended our visit by being given a personal tour of the factory premises by a lovely old man who took us from one section of the production floor to the next to teach us how tea leaves go from the pickers hands to the tea bags that make their way into our cups.  We got to smell and touch the leaves at every stage of production. It was so hands on—far better than what we had seen the previous day in the Tea Factory (which was just huge machinery that were not even working from a height and behind glass). This was so much better and so much more vivid and immediate an experience. Michelle and I took so many photos through each process of the game.

    At the very end, we came to the restaurant and showroom where we drank hot ginger tea and then sipped Iced peach tea—so refreshing. Naturally, we could not leave without purchasing some of the lovely products made locally from freshly picked local ingredients— in addition to tea, there was chocolates, jams (I purchased guava jam for my Dad and Russel), coffee, cocoa powder, etc. 

Back in the car, we requested Abhijit to take us to a restaurant for lunch (not because we were hungry but because we needed a toilet). 

Keralite Delicacies for Lunch:

Abhijit took us to Munnar Town and parked our car at a restaurant called Gurukrishna Restaurant which really did not look like much at all. However the place was packed—with locals and visitors (which led us to believe that it was good). We were still doubtful about the toilets as, judging from the patrons, we thought it would be tough to find a non-squatting, Western-style toilet. To our great joy, we found that they were impeccably clean and that Western-style ones were available.  Abhijit had come through for us again!

We invited Abhijit to join us for lunch—which he did—and passed him the menu so that he could choose something to his liking. He ordered Chicken Fried Rice from the Chinese menu. Michelle and I got two appams (as she had not tasted appams yet) and Avial—a mixed Keralite vegetable dish that uses coconut quite generously. It was very good indeed. We also ordered Prawn Biryani which I have not eaten in a very long time—it is a dish I really do love. This version was very good and came crammed with prawns.  Michelle and I shared our order and drank it down with lemonade sodas. We were amazed at how inexpensive everything was. 

Lunch done, Abhijit dropped us off to Munnar Town so that we could do some exploring on foot.

Exploring and Shopping in Munnar Town:

Munnar Town is really the center of the hill-station. It has developed enormously since the place was run by white British planters. Shops galore offering local people all their daily needs as well as souvenir shops that appeal to visitors were plentiful.  At Abhijit’s suggestion, we visited the indoors vegetable market. Michelle was keen to get some money exchanged and was very pleased when she came upon a Western Union place. I was keen to buy something called Black Kerala Halwa of which my Dad is fond.  It was hard to come by and I had to traipse through several shops before I found a place that sold it.  I bought a kilo for Rs. 200 as well as a quarter kilo of wonderful dark chocolates of which there was a huge variety at half the price that we had paid on the first day en route to Munnar.  Live and learn. Do not buy anything from shops that have a dozen hoardings screaming at you to buy from their store en route to a destination. 

Our shopping done, we returned to the car and put ourselves in Abhijit’s care again. He told us he was taking us to a view point—so that was where we headed.

Viewing the Mountains from Pothamedu View Point:

You have to climb quite a height to get to Pothamedu View Point along a scary narrow mountain road that winds along tea estates. Once we reached the View Point, however, we found that mist obscured the bulk of the peaks in the distance. However, the tea gardens that stretched down below us along the curvy mountain road on which traffic made its way was a sight worth seeing. We walked just a little way down the hill and were picked up by Abhijit a few minutes later.

Enjoying the Attakul Waterfalls:

The Attakul Waterfalls to which we next proceeded were certainly one of the highlights of our day. To get to this spot, you had to do just the opposite. While Pothamedu View Point involved climbing higher and higher, Attakul Waterfalls involved driving deeper and deeper into the valley along an extremely narrow mountain road which is usually only tackled by jeeps that go off-road or motorcyclists. Brave Abhijit decided he would take us down there and, believe me, it was the best part of our day. The falls are neither high nor voluminous, but they are situated in a very picturesque spot with massive boulders lining the river banks that it makes for a very rugged scene in a completely unspoiled location—the only eye sore was a modern hotel that juts out over one of the mountains and destroys the natural idyll. 

We walked along the length of the bridge that is build above the falls so that you actually walk over them at one point.  There were many visitors—mostly young folks who had some on motor-bikes—and it made the scene very lively.  We took many pictures before we left this lovely part of the hill-town.

On the way up, we noticed a very decent lady slowly trudging along the mountain road in a turquoise blue sari.  We instructed Abhijit to pick her up, if she would welcome a ride. She was more than willing. She told us, once inside, that she was an elections officer, on government duty, to find out if any more voters needed to be registered and to match up those already registered, in previous elections, with the actual residents of a home. She turned out to be a lovey lady who spoke fairly good English and we enjoyed our interaction with her. 

    We were quite tired by this point and Michelle was keen to fit in an Ayurvedic massage at the Green Spa, not far from our hotel. Abhijit got us back to our hotel, we took the keys to our new room and settled down. I decided to while away the evening reading as I was in the midst of a wildly exciting book (Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman). This author, incidentally, played Lady Mabel Lane Fox in the fifth season of Downtown Abbey—she is the fiancé of the man who has a real interest in the widowed Lady Mary and then has a one-night stand with her—a matter of which Lady Mabel suspects. She is a very pretty actress whom I have seen at work in a lot of other British TV too. Anyway, she is a compelling novelist and I am finding it difficult to put her novel down. 

I also did some blogging and made a quick call to my Dad and Russel.

Dinner in our Hotel:

Michelle returned from the spa about an hour later feeling a bit disappointed with the experience and  telling me that she preferred the Thai massage she’d had in Bangkok as that was far more gentle. She then left for the swimming pool and spent a while there. After her shower, we decided to have dinner, but as we had doggie bags from our two days in Munnar, we decided to finish those up. So we ended up eating prawn biryani and Mutton Dry Fry—a very delicious meal indeed and one that made us feel virtuous as we did not waste any food.

Michelle also listened to my Fulbright presentation as she had missed it when I had delivered it in Cochin—she was in Washington DC interviewing for a job and arrived late to the conference. She also told me that she really liked my presentation and has become quite fascinated with my work.

The two of us then got ready for bed but sat reading for a very long time as we were both absorbed in our books. It was after midnight when we wished each other goodnight and fell asleep after feeling fully satisfied with our few days’ excursion to Munnar.

Early tomorrow morning, we will wake up to have breakfast and then begin the long drive back to Cochin where Michelle will spend two days and I will board a flight for my returning journey to Bombay.

Until tomorrow...