Munnar - Shopping

I guess with so many tea plantations around, you can't help but buy some. We did as well but to be very frank I don't see much of a difference except that the brew turns out to be slightly bitter if the tea powder is used in same proportion as the local Taj Mahal brand. We are yet to try the cardamom flavored one but I don't have high hopes.

The other ubiquitous items have to be the Kerala Halwa, home-made chocolates and medicinal oils. The Halwa in the Kerala version of what we call, at least in Mumbai, Badami Halwa - only less chewy. It comes in several flavors such as mango, pineapple and dry fruit. I guess you can give it a try once. I am not a big fan of home-made chocolates either. We had bought some in Ooty years ago and upon cracking one open had come across a human hair inside. So this time I stayed away from it all. As far as medicinal oils go, the one that we bought in Ooty had turned out to be very effective. So this time around we bought oil for treating cramps and muscle pain.

You could buy Sandal soaps but they won't be much different than Mysore Sandal soap. We got 2 types of Agarbattis - the Jasmine one wasn't anything to write home about but the lavender one has a beautiful fragrance so I guess it all depends on luck. The shops sell various kinds of spices, even cute boxes containing assorted ones but I didn't buy any. If you are fond of pickles you can get a good variety here - even non-veg pickles. Since I wasn't sure if they would be allowed in carry-on luggage I didn't buy any.

The only item I will insist that you buy is the chips - banana and jackfruit ones. I am sure Mumbaikars would wonder what's special about them because you can get the same in many shops and roadside thelas in the city. But the chips sold in Munnar are tastier and crispier. Take my word for it. We are already regretting not buying more. I also regret not buying Sandal perfume despite seeing its vials in many shops.

But hey, I have already decided that I will go to Ambady again sometime next year - just for relaxing, with absolutely no sightseeing. I am sure I am going to end up buying lots of chips, a bit of Kerala Halwa and a vial or two of Sandal perfume :-)

Munnar - Sightseeing Summary

So, if I were to re-plan my itinerary here's how I would go about it.

Make sure the two waterfalls are covered on your way into Munnar. CSI Church of Munnar is a must-visit followed by Anaimudi. The tea factory can be skipped unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

I am not sure if the Lukkom falls and Sandalwood forest (the drive to the forest is pretty long but very beautiful) can be covered on the same day. Make sure to visit the flower/botanical garden.

Check boating timings before you visit Mutupatty dam. Since we never made it to Kundala lake I cannot say anything about it. If you have visited Echo points anywhere else, the one here can be safely given a miss.

There is an elephant safari place that we went to visit but didn't opt for it as I wasn't too sure about the way they strapped the visitors to the elephant's back. Definitely not recommended for senior citizens.

Muniyara caves are at a short distance from the Sandalwood forest so if you decide to visit the forest, cover a few extra miles to take a look.But be forewarned that you could be disappointed.

Muniyara Caves

We had been welcomed with a spicy tea concoction at Ambady Estate when we first arrived. On inquiring about its ingredients we had been told that apart from spices like cardamom and pepper it also contained some palm jaggery. Since then we had been in search of palm jaggery - I vaguely remembered coming across a dessert recipe containing it and I was hell-bent on carrying some jaggery with me.

On our way to the sandalwood forest we had seen signs of a government-run shop and jaggery was listed among the things sold there. So after we left the forest, our driver took us there. At the entrance itself the board said Rajiv Gandhi Nature Park. Interesting! During my brief research of tourist places in and around Munnar I had come across this name but when I had asked the driver earlier he had told me that the park is in Tamilnadu. So I was very surprised to see the board here. It was difficult to gauge the area of the park. But entry fee was paltry Rs. 10 per person so we paid and entered. The park is not big.....it will take you about 15 minutes to cover the whole area on foot. There was no soul in sight apart from us. A solitary hut, found to be empty upon close inspection stood in the middle of it. I could not fathom its purpose. There are a few benches put up under a bunch of banyan trees. As we sat there for a few moments I wondered when was the last time someone might have sat on the benches and who would come next after us. Were we destined to be here or was it just a coincidence? You don't have the time to ponder over such things in the daily grind of life but when you go vacation and don't have to think about piling work and deadlines these things somehow manage to amuse you. And puzzle you.

As we got up we noticed a couple of monkeys who had perhaps come about to say their goodbyes. We inquired if the shop had palm jaggery. They didn't but they were selling sandal soaps. I was surprised when the shopkeeper told me they cost Rs. 35 a piece. I had seen them being sold at Rs. 45 elsewhere. 'This is a government shop' he said and smiled. I smiled back. Well, sometimes the government does give you a pleasant surprise.

As we drove towards the cave, at first I thought that the driver isn't sure about where we are going. He parked the car outside what looked like a government school and we started on foot. Caves? Here? We followed without a word. The school had a recess and quite a few students were roaming about - girls and boys in separate groups. From the curious expressions on their faces it was clear that not many tourists end up here.

But I couldn't see the caves. Turned out that was so because they weren't really caves. They are basically shelters put together by putting huge stone slabs together on a high slope. The slope was at the back of that school and there were about 7-8 such short structures. The driver told us that some holy men in some long-forgotten past had used them to perform their penance. He said that there were no earth-movers and cranes in those days and so the men had carried the huge stone slabs by themselves. Okay, they must have possessed superhuman strength (and some serious muscles!) to have been able to do that. Most of these caves are in a totally neglected state now as they are not on any tourist map. The view though was very commanding. I wondered how they were able to get any penance done. I would probably have spent all my time looking at that view. I must confess that I was a bit disappointed but hey, there is something about seeing something that not many people have laid eyes on, even though it is in a state of decline.

As we walked back the students were returning to their classes. Some of them used broken English to ask us where we were from. I wonder if they still talk about us anytime as we sometimes talk about them and the small village of Muniyara. If you are in Munnar and have some time do try to visit this place. It is not anything that is grand or magnificent. It is just a piece of history that is rapidly vanishing. Go there to see it before it disappears altogether. Go there to meet these children who may be from a small village but aren't shy. Go there to rest your eyes on the landscape that must have surely changed since the days the holy men looked at it. Go there to see what a village called Muniyara looks like.

The car started its journey back to Munnar and I realized that our trip was over. Tomorrow we would be flying back to the chaos, pollution and noise of Mumbai. We made our purchases in Munnar market as the fog rolled from the valley onto the road. In no time I was back in the cottage and the little garden at the back. I was greedily looking at everything I could before the sun set - the valley, the tea garden in the distance, the trees around the cottage, the grass beneath my feet. Sure, I was going to be around tomorrow morning but I wasn't going to be here tomorrow evening. And things do look different at different times of the day, don't they? I was glad I wasn't returning home on a Sunday. It would have been impossible to get into the daily routine the next day - sort of being yanked from one planet to another. As the darkness gathered around me and the cicadas started their daily orchestra I knew it in my heart that I was going to feel like a stranger in the life that I used to call my own for a long time to come.

Sandalwood Forest

'We should have got a packed lunch with us' I said to myself, probably for the nth time. It had been more than an hour since we had left the waterfalls to go to the forest. The road was beautiful, affording us a view of the deep valley below. At one point, we stopped the car and stood looking at the silent deserted valley below. There was literally no one around except us, our driver and a woman looking for drywood somewhere down the valley. I would never have thought this possible anywhere in India. Small villages appeared at regular intervals but none of them seemed to have any restaurants of any kind, just houses and churches.

I sometimes wonder what the lady manning the shop at one such village must have thought about us. There was some kind of checkpoint up ahead so the car had slowed down. It had barely rolled to a stop when we jumped out and headed for the shop. I have never been so delighted at the sight of chocolates and biscuits. We bought 5-stars and Perks and started eating even before we made it back to the car. Either that or the driver could no longer ignore the rumblings sounds our stomachs must be making because he said that he knew a place where we could have lunch.

Marayoor

Marayoor was a village, slightly bigger than the ones we had come across en route. And there was a reasonable-looking restaurant, Sandal Breeze Hotel, where someone actually greeted us at the door. I dreaded the prospect of facing another thali meal. Though it felt as if I could devour an elephant or two, I knew a Thali is simply not my cup of tea :-) Fortunately they didn't seem to have that kind of compulsion but when I asked for their menu, the server looked puzzled. He ran off to fetch someone. That manager explained to us that since the hotel was opened recently they don't have the printed menu as of now. Hmm, a new hotel....that explains the greeting at the door. The server rattled off whatever was on offer. Chicken Biryani seemed like a safe bet so we ended up ordering that. It wasn't gourmet but it wasn't bad either. It had all the trappings of a biryani - chicken, boiled egg, masala and rice. Okay, fried onion was missing but it was seasoned well and the meat was cooked right. So no complaints. The price was ridiculously low. Now that the lunch was done, we started for the forest.

What comes to your mind when you hear the words 'Sandalwood Forest'? Rows and rows of the trees and the breeze heavy with their heady aroma, right? I knew it would be too good to be true. So here's the deal - it's a regular forest interspersed with Sandalwood trees. Just look out for the trees with a darker bark. The road goes right through the forest so you can get down and take up a small jungle trail on either side of the road. We did and walked for a considerable distance. The path appeared well-trodden but I don't think many tourists must be coming here. In a way it was good. I was rather tired of the crowd that we had run into at practically every place we visited the day before and in the morning. This solitude was a welcome one. Already the thought that we would be leaving tomorrow was weighing on my mind. It seemed well nigh impossible to tear myself away from all the peace, quiet and beauty that I had got immersed into for the past 2 days. Mumbai seemed like a planet from a distant galaxy, light years away. A place I didn't want to return to.

With a heart that was growing heavier by the minute I started our journey towards the last place on today's itinerary - Muniyara Caves.

Luckom water falls

First, a word of caution to the visitor - if you can't stomach the sight of topless men with potbellies frolicking about in water, give this place a miss. Unfortunately, no one warned us. In a way I am glad they didn't because it is a beautiful waterfall - gallons of snowy-white water, frothing, gurgling, rushing about in a hurry, the rays of the late-morning sun glittering at its edges. You feel energized, you feel fresh and you feel younger.

I had this sudden urge to go wade through the water just to be able to feel its rush, its touch against my skin. But there was a warning that the water level could rise at any moment. I am not sure if the people already in water had read it but I sure wasn't going to take any chances. I just dipped my toes in a small stream on our way back. The water was ice-cold. There was no way I could have waded in.

There are a couple of shops selling biscuits, chips, juices and beverages. But if you are looking for ice-cold beverages you might find yourself out of luck. Many of the shops don't have electricity.

2 places visited, 2 more to go - Sandalwood Forest and Muniyara caves.

The Botanical Garden

We had seen this park/garden the day before but when the driver had asked us if we wanted to visit, we had declined. It seemed like a good idea to begin the 2nd day's sightseeing with this park.

It's a pretty huge area with lots of open spaces, greenery and flowers about. But what caught our attention were 3 separate groups - each containing a couple (newly-wedded from the looks of it!) and a photographer. The photographer would stop occasionally and ask the couple to pose against a tree here, a bush there. And some of the poses were so comic (to put it more plainly, suitable only in Hindi movies!) that it was all we could do not to burst into peals of laughter. I have no idea why would someone want to spend time, money and energy to do something like this. But hey, it takes all kinds to make this world, right?

Okay, so there isn't much to do here if you are not the 'can-wander-aimlessly' type. As soon as we left the couples and their photographers to their own devices, there wasn't a soul in sight - a sight for the sore eyes, at least for someone coming from a metro. So you can enjoy walking in solitude, play on the set of swings attached to 2 big trees, sit on the benches and listen to the bulbuls as they sing about in the trees. In short, just while away the time without wondering about where you have to go next. I badly needed this.

There is a shop just before the entrance/exit selling the usual suspects - halwa, homemade chocolates, sandalwood soaps and medicinal oils. As we had decided to visit the Munnar market place on our way back in the evening we just took a look and left.

There was activity in the adjoining cottage, I could certainly hear voices and they were not that of the housekeeping crew. When I stepped into the garden I saw a teenage girl occupying the chair in front of the other cottage. She was wearing a burqa but no Hijab (cloth covering the face) and was staring at me with frank curiosity.

"Hi" I said.
"Hi" she responded and smiled.
"You came just now?" I knew the question was rather inane but anything to break the ice.
She nodded but added, to my dismay "No speak English".
"Oh" I was disappointed.
Before I could ask her if she could speak Hindi she asked 'Can you speak Arabic?'.

I hope my face didn't register the surprise that I felt at these words. Why on earth would I, an Indian and a Hindu at that, would speak Arabic? Then I realized that I didn't have my bindi on my forehead - the telltale sign of a Hindu.

So I shook my head to indicate I didn't and asked her where she is from. Turned out  she was from Saudi Arabia. 'You from India?' she asked and I nodded this time.

Then we both fell silent. I knew there were thousand things I wanted to ask this girl but language can be such a cruel barrier. So we both just sat there till it got dark, each wrapped in our thoughts.

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, the prayer call rose from the valley below and for a few moments at least everything seemed just right with this world.

Mattupetty Dam & Echo point

I have only this much to say to you - if you want to include Mattupetty Dam in your sightseeing, make sure you find out what the timings for boating are. Unfortunately for us, our driver informed us that boating would be closed for the day by the time we make it there when we were already on our way. So we just strolled along the banks of the dam, took a cursory look at the shops lining both sides of the street and turned back.

An unexpected bonus on our way to the dam was the sighting of a trio of "wild" elephants near the roadside. :-)

Nothing much to see at the Echo Point as well except for a lot of tourists and their photo-sessions. There is something to be said about the lack of civic manners of Indians but I will refrain from saying much here. We didn't spend even 10 minutes here.

If shouting some inane phrase at the top of your voice and hearing its echo is not something that excites you, then give this place a miss.

We made a pit-stop at Saravana Bhavan for tea and headed back to Ambady. I was already looking forward to relaxing in the back garden.

Anaimudi, Munnar

Our next stop for the day was Anaimudi which Google tells me is South India's highest peak at 8841 ft. The other attraction here is Nilgiri Tahr - a goat-like animal that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills. The driver stopped the car in front of a government tourist office in a market and told us where to get the tickets. He said that we will have to travel the rest of the distance in forest department's minibuses as private vehicles are not allowed to ply on Anaimudi. I was happy to oblige as that meant less pollution and traffic at the site. This joy was short-lived though as I did see 1-2 rickshaws there later.

So we bought our tickets and boarded the first in the group of buses standing in front of the office. The bus filled up in no time and soon we were on our way. The drop in the temperature was immediately evident but wasn't harsh enough to warrant fishing out any warm clothes. We were taken to the top and disembarked there. The weather was a curious mix - it was sunny enough to miss wearing a cap but the air was cold. The valley at present was shrouded in mist or low-lying clouds, I couldn't decide what. I was overjoyed at the first sighting of the Tahr. But later realized that they are a pretty common site here. We could also see the plants of Neelkurinji (Strobilanthes  Kunthiana) that bloom once in 12 years and are natives of the the shola forests in the Western Ghats of South India of which Anaimudi is a part. Alas, no flowers were in bloom right now for us. :-(

As we reached the top, the mist/clouds suddenly parted giving us a panoramic view of the valley below. A small waterfall came cascading down the peak. We could see groups of people climbing but no one had yet reached our level so we had the entire landscape to ourselves. We listened to the water gurgle merrily in a shallow pool as the sunlight played off its edges, marveled at the beauty of the wild flowers that sat basking in the morning glory in clumps or all by themselves, talked to the Tahrs as they frolicked about without giving us a second glance, watched the lazy clouds wind their way through the valley and sat there savoring, once again, absolute peace and tranquility.

Of course, from where we were sitting we could also see the serpentine queue waiting for the return buses and hence started climbing down reluctantly. As we waited we decided to have an ice-cream. The attendant at the shop kept the wrapper and handed the ice-cream to us. I didn't mind it one bit as I know tourists cannot be trusted not to throw garbage around.

Fortunately, the wait for the bus wasn't tiring. Within no time we were back to the market. The driver told us he knew a good place where we could have lunch and so we left immediately.

Unfortunately, I don't recollect the name of the restaurant where we had Thali meal that afternoon. I liked almost all the items in it but the quantity of rice scared the hell out of me. I don't personally know anyone who can consume so much of rice in one go :-) I moved the bowl of rice out of the thali even before I began to eat.

With a full tummy we started for the rest of the two stops in our itinerary - Mattupetty Dam & Echo point.