Collecting worry lines and singing “Life is a grind” had become an everyday-norm for me till the time I took a snap decision to punctuate life with some fun and good food. And we (moi, mom, and pa) found ourselves heaving our way back to Kerala, our homeland. Here is an attempt at painting an account of the journey through God’s own country (truly!!!). *
*Starting off with some train tidbits, we traveled by the new-fangled all-AC Kurla - Kochuveli Garib Rath Express. The first thing that you will notice about this train is that there is an additional berth attached to the window side space (that has obviously has increased the coach capacity and added to Laloo’s revenue). The only flip side is that four people would have to share a row on one side and that makes it a tad uncomfortable.
The food served in the train was good, though I missed the goodies that we used to buy at every station courtesy the window pass-through of the regular non A/C trains. These woes apart, the AC ride was fairly good. We got down at Ernakulam, the bustling city of North Kerala to catch a bus to our destination, Munnar. It took about 4 hours to reach Munnar, and the path definitely was ridden with a lot of twists and turns. I was happy to find that the clime was cool here, though not very chilly. Unlike other vacation spots, Munnar is not completely commercialized and therefore it does manage to mesmerize you with its cherubic and innocent looks.
The next day, we embarked on the journey to espy the tea plantations (said to be the key attraction of Munnar). These plantations shrouded in fog and spread far across the terrain offered a beautiful view. It seemed as if nature had a whisked a welcome-mat for all those eager to admire its beauty and glory. These tea plantations owned by Tata offer jobs to more than 40000 people. We heard that tending after the tea plants is no easy task, for the saplings are under constant attack from pests and even from the mist! In addition, the tea plants have to be trimmed every 20 days and cut every five years. As we drove through the swirling paths to observe the plantations, my heart was constantly in limbo. And on looking down, I would have nearly choked in a dead swoon, for we were on the top most points of Munnar. For those who don’t know, you can take the routes from Munnar to Madupatty, Coimbature, Cochin, and Thekkady to explore further. On our way to Madupatty, we saw machans (houses nested in tall trees) and were told that these were built by the advisasis dwelling there. And I wondered how cool it would be to live in the midst of nature...rippling water, picturesque terrains, verdant meadows. Unlike we city dwellers who constantly feel the need to break free from the city’s shrill sounds and polluted air, people living there may not even need to sling the vacation bag and tread on to places far and wide!
We passed by the photo/echo/top view/shooting points replete with unspoilt natural surroundings. We also saw the cardamom and coffee plantations on the way to Cochin. The Attukudu Water falls was a comfy retreat, as we squatted on the rocks and dipped our feet in the cold waters. We also went the Coimbature direction to Rajmallai that houses the Eravikulam National Park. A good three hours drive from this place is the Chinnar wild life sanctuary that has a watch tower from where you get an aerial view of the entire area. But you have to climb a stagerring 100 steps to get there! We also passed the Sandal Wood forest, and were informed that one of these trees could have fetched a few lakh rupees for its owner!!!
We stayed a few days in Munnar, and soaked in the warm hospitality of the place and also savored the delicious food made from Munnar’s fine spices. Then, we retreated to Ernakulam, from where we took a train to Guruvayoor. This place, famous for the Krishna temple, attracts hordes of tourists every year. A serpentine queue of devotees is a familiar sight here. It is heartening to see so many people waiting patiently under the scorching sun to offer their prayers. Our last leg of journey was the Cochin city, where we shopped and ate to our heart’s content. Mom was particularly happy to have tasted the authentic meen curry that is made in the earthern pots. Overall, this trip was amazing and an adrenalin race from start to finish!! And so yes, I am now ready to face the rat race of the city life.