Tea hills of Munnar
It’s sunrise in Munnar. We are waiting for our breakfast in the top roof terrace of the Gruënberg, surrounded by flowers and books. Our eyes are getting lost in the infinite tea plantations . We can only see different tonalities of green making waves on the mountains. This is amazing !!
The weather and the ambient are so different here in Kerala… We left the hot, chaotic and only-temples Tamil Nadu and now we are in the middle of the Indian nature. What a change! After breakfast, we walk through the tea plantations and have a trek with a lovely guide: Ravi. This man knows every single leaf of Munnar, by name, surname and even age if you dare to ask! His wife instead, works in the tea fields and his son, Gowthem Ravi, soon will become a great guide just like his father.
During the trekking we meet this couple from the north of India, Raj and Tania, and we enjoy discovering all the different leaves, fruits and animals together. After this calm morning, we change completely the good-vibes doing a “tour” to all the main points of Munnar (Top Station, Ecko Point and others). What a terrible decision ! The road is full of cars and people because of the Onam Festival (check out what is it at the end of this post)… So everybody is on holidays!
We even have a little accident during this long and stressing road trip (a car crashes against the back of our taxi). Everyone is good, no need for papers, but you know, wasn’t pleasant. Well, this is India! After some long hours in a line of cars, we envy the awesome and relaxed morning we had. We definitely prefer to walk the mountains rather than be sitting in a car waiting to get to the “point of interest” which luckily, were just as amazing as the rest of the landscape of Munnar.
An indian elephant we were lucky to see next to the road
I also see my first wild elephant. He is eating grass just a few meters away from the road as if nobody was there ! On the road, we also manage to see some families of monkeys, huge tall trees and the biggest beehives I’ve ever seen. Welcome to the jungle! One of the most important things I’ve realized, though, is that riding an elephant is NOT fun! Don’t contribute in keeping this cruel entertainment alive. It’s way better to see them free 🙂
The next morning we have a long and beautiful trekking with the young Gowthem Ravi on the Seven Malai or Seven Hills. 100% recomended!!! From the smallest hill to the tallest one, this trekking shows a breathtaking landscape full of beauty in every corner !
View from the top of the Seven Malai
Munnar is a TEA PARADISE !!!
Oh yes, btw! What is Onam Festival?
Onam (Malayalam: ഓണം) is a festival celebrated in Kerala for 4 days in Aug-Sep and marks the commemoration of home-coming of the King Mahabali. They also pray to the fifth incarnation lord Vishnu, known as Vamana. We went to see Kathakali theatre, a traditional dance-theatre that tells the story of the Mahabharata, very popular during Onam. What a surprising and strange experience!
A mask of the Kathakali show
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