Munnar – the paradise hill station of Kerala, is about 140 kms from Kochi or about 130 kms from Ernakulam. We started from Ernakulam for Munnar by a local cab, at 5.30 a.m., hired from our hotel. The charges are for to and fro journey. Don’t forget to visit the temple of Chhotanikkara early in the morning. Here we got to see the diety being brought into the temple on an “AMBARI” to the beats of the chandas and the nadaswarams. Photography is banned so much so that if they find you shooting from outside, you are fined; so be careful.
It took us a long time to reach Munnar through the misty roads which curved in a serpentine manner enough to give your tummy a roll. For the travel sick, do take a lot of anti-emetics like avomin, or avil. The air steadily becomes cooler, as the road climbs. We went in the month of April, so it was refreshingly cool. After some halts for our breakfast and nature calls, we arrived in Munnar at about 9.00 a.m.
The first thing that struck us as soon as we got down from the car was the cold breeze. Such a big difference in temperature. There were clouds in the skies. A reminder of the rainy days in Munnar and we were not prepared for it. Advance booking of accommodation is a must as tourist season is throughout the year in Munnar due to its weather and beauty. Our hotel was Poopada – whatever that means – booked from Mumbai well in advance. Not too bad but a medium budget hotel.There are a lot of hotels in Munnar, from the low budget to the star rated hotels. Poopada is about 1.5 km from the market and town area far away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic. The view was not bad but not so splendid. The food here is as per order so it is advised to go to the market where there are a number of good eateries. May be during the tourist season, they dole out their best dishes. We checked in on the first day and refreshed ourselves, then set out in search of eateries. We did find one quite close, and had a sumptuous breakfast of pathiri and chana masala. Kerala food tastes great and one must have local food wherever they go, since we seldom get to eat this type of food in our daily life.
We decided to scout the area on foot, and with a few enquiries reached the main bazaar area about 1.5 kms from our place. The highway is broad but there is no footpath, so be careful to avoid the oncoming traffic. We reached the outskirts in about 15 mins. and we saw the huge retail outlet of the Tata Tea Factory. Most of Munnar is covered by tea estates and most tea estates are owned by the Tata Tea Company. The trip down the market was an experience. Quaint circular market, with stalls of all possible vegetables and fruits in the center of the town and modern shops on the opposite side of the market across the road which circles the market. Next to the Tata Tea retail outlet, we saw a number of jeeps parked for tourists to be taken around Munnar.
After a thorough scouting of the market place, we decided to hire one of the jeeps to take us around Munnar. The prices vary from person to person, you may need to bargain as per your needs. Fix the time of departure and arrival from your hotel (pick-up), and take name and the mobile number of the driver. You also should note down the vehicle number, just in case.
The second day we set out to see Munnar in all its glory and beauty. The jeep arrived at the perfect time as scheduled and we set off immediately without any delay. A lot of interesting spots were to be covered in one day. I wondered if this is possible. The jeep set off and once we left the residential areas, we were surrounded by verdant green of the tea estates on either side of the road. The road twisted and turned like a snake, and we swayed in the jeep on either side. The first halt was in the middle of nowhere. The driver, asked us to alight and took us on the opposite side where he halted under a tree. Pointing up he said – Honey bee tree. We looked up and were wonderstruck. A multitude of hives on one single tree. The driver - a local tried his best to explain in his broken English but we couldn’t follow. We just kept staring at the hives and the buzzing bees. No wonder he called it the HONEY BEE TREE.
Our next halt was at a waterfalls, the water was not as much as we expected but it was a nice sight. After spending a few moments, we reached Maddupetty Dam. A huge reservoir and a lovely sight. The scenic beauty is simply astounding. You can see the eucalyptus plantations on the other side of the banks. Lots of wading birds can also be seen. There is an Echo Point where people shout and holler to hear their own echoes. There is boating facility in the waters of the reservoir.
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The next stop was the Arch Dam, a beautiful architectural feat. Built by the British, the dam is in the shape of a big arch. The water is not so much like the Maddupetty Dam, though there are beautiful boats, shikaras, lying idle. There are a lot of coffee plantations here. The ambience is great, perhaps after the rains, the dam gets full and the beauty is enhanced. April, is a dry season.
There is a Swiss Chocolate factory but the entry is prohibited. With permission, one can visit the Tata Tea Factory which is on the way. You can see the tea pickers busy with their job of picking up the tea leaves. We met a few of them on the way who were sorting and weighing the tea leaves freshly plucked. These leaves were then bundled and taken to the factory.
We reached our last destination – Mountain Top - the highest point of Munnar. The rain had started to greet us here. We had to pack our cameras and video equipment to avoid fogging. Without any rainwear, we began a slow climb on foot, then a steep descent to a flat narrow ridge with a railing as guard. The winds here were howling and the rain came in torrents. We got drenched to the skin. But the view was heavenly. Our guide showed us the road which joined the neighbouring Kodaikanal. We rested for some time savouring the beauty of nature at it best, then had a cup of tea in a small shack, still drenched and shivering with cold. Fortunately the rains stopped as we returned back to our jeep. We spent a good one hour at this point.
We returned back to our hotel as we were late, and had to skip the last destination – Blossom Park. During our return, we halted at a lot of places where we got to see beautiful scenes. The driver halted at one point on the road and told us – Amrutanjan Plant – he climbed the slopes like a monkey and came down with a few twigs of a plant with large leaves. The leaves when crushed smelled like the Amrutanjan Balm. The natives put these leaves in boiling water before just a bath.
We reached our hotel at about 6.00 p.m. tired but happy. The next day we went to Aravikulam, the place famous for the Nilgiri Tahrs. We did see a lot of the wild mountain goats which are now in the endangered species list. Do not miss this opportunity. It took us a long time to move around and see these shy animals. Being endangered, the authorities are very strict. There is an entry fee in the national park.
In the evening, we set off to see the Blossom Park, a beautiful garden, which can be accessed by foot too. It was just about 2 kms from our hotel. The park is huge and has a large variety of flowers of different hues and species. There are a few amusement items too. But a walk through the park takes almost an hour to see the flowers. An ideal name for a garden.
Our journey had ended here. There are a lot of other tourist places around Munnar, but that may be in my next visit. We had food in most of the good hotels here. The rates are comparable and competitive with the rates of Mumbai hotels.
The tourist season is in November to March, and off season in April – May. So if you can wait, April is the best, both with respect to the crowds, and the costs. Off season costs are lesser than the seasonal costs. Hotels offer both local and continental foods, there are a variety of hotels to choose from. Medical facility is also good. Tatas’ have their hospital in Munnar, and has a good staff too.
You get a lot of local stuff to bring home. Tea, coffee, spices, coconut water concentrate – not available everywhere - , arts and crafts, honey are a few to mention.
Your visit to Kerala is never complete unless you visit Munnar – A Paradise On Earth.
