FRESH FROM Munnar

For years， we had heard about how green Munnar was but， by it being in Kerala， that didn’t evoke much surprise. But when I heard about its cool weather， away from the usual hot and humid of this state， I took the first opportunity to visit， got the children to skip school， and caught the very early flight from Bangalore to Cochin.

We landed groggy-eyed but eager to reach sterling resorts， where we were booked for two nights. A fourhour drive on good roads allowed us to soak in the charming morning sights of children trekking up to school， young people heading to work. No rush though， everything seemed to be happening at a calm， smalltown pace. Stopping at a small restaurant enroute for breakfast recharged us. One delicious plate of idiyappam， two giant-sized dosas， two teas and a coffee later， we walked out having spent less than 100 bucks.

You see Munnar’s commercial district before the real views seduce you but at this early hour there are few temptations， as shops are still closed. Some miles uphill on steep and winding （but still good） roads， we reach the resort. We have been allotted a little cottage unit， and as the door opens， squeals of delight escape the children. To be honest， it’s far from luxurious， but the neat and clean little kitchenette in the living room and the bedroom with views of the hills make me sigh with contentment as well.

We decide to explore the hillstation without wasting any time. Our destination is the highest point in Munnar， which is also the highest tea plantation in the world. Called Kollukkumalai， this range soars to 7，850 ft above sea level. Our luck with good roads ends abruptly， as the higher our jeep climbed， the bigger became the jolts and bumps！

The valley below can be seen as through a wide-angle lens. The beauty of the land is awe-inspiring and if you allow your imagination to do its work you might believe you have landed on another planet. No houses can be seen anywhere. The ground seems to be covered with a green carpet laid out like a giant undulating jigsaw puzzle. These are in fact the famed tea plantations， where trees are allowed to grow up to knee length in order to easily pluck the top three leaves every week. The rest of the leaves stay on and the trees are periodically pruned by armies of unseen workers. Only the top three leaves？ No wonder tea prices have hit the roof！

Locals tell us these plantations were laid out by the British in 1935 but are now owned by the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations， some by the Tatas， Harrison Malayalam and others. As we climb higher， we realise our big mistake： no sweaters. It gets colder and colder and by the time we reach the pinnacle， we’re in the claws of a freezing winter while sunshiny summer reigns below. On the other side the distant Kodaikanal hills make for a gorgeous sight on normal days. We can see nothing but mist and clouds， but still experience an exhilarating high—quite literally！

Having left Bangalore at an unearthly hour of 3 a.m.， we decided to stay put at the resort for the rest of the evening. Dinner at Anaipar， the multi-cuisine restaurant， was an assorted buffet. Piping hot rotis， parathas， steamed rice， biryani and a spread of basic salads do the job adequately. On learning that my son is a paneer freak， the chef rustled up a paneer butter masala at the last moment—and it was truly as good as any I’d had in Delhi.

Friendly managers have arranged for us to go for a leisurely drive the next day， and after a wonderful breakfast of traditional puttu， we head for the mandatory dam visit. Called Mudupatty， this dam is about 35 km from the resort. The dam is a great attraction for honeymooning couples especially as motorboats can be hired for 350 for a lovely 20-minute ride. Midway through our ride， though， the fuel ran out and we were stranded for 10 exciting minutes before another boatman rescued us！ There’s a government-owned garden nearby where you can buy saplings and seeds of a huge variety of blooms.

Ashort distance away is echo point and it’s no different from any other touristy spot anywhere in the world—trinkets and loads of junk that you’d never look at otherwise now seems worth taking home as a momento. We could have trekked but we opted to go for a night safari at Chinar Wildlife Sanctuary and hence needed to conserve some energy. A villager selling passion fruit and fresh carrots waved our car down and generously offered us the stuff to sample. The children actually ate carrots and I wondered whether being amidst nature changes your food consumption pattern for the better！

Back at the resort I went for a Kerala massage while the children turned into zombies in front of the TV. At dinnertime the chef had put out a special Chinese meal for us， but unfortunately we have to rush off for the 3-hour ride into the wild and I’m certain we disappointed him. It was going to be a cold night in the jungle and this time we went prepared with jackets. We passed by several quiet villages on a super-bumpy pitch-dark road. A 10-acre protected sandalwood forest somewhere along the way is fenced off and not accessible to tourists. Much as I wished for a tiger to emerge in the darkness， no cat obliged even as we drove quietly deeper and deeper into the forest. We did spot a mother elephant with her baby， a huge porcupine， and a truly gorgeous owl. We returned to the resort， the children thrilled having seen the animals and that they’d stayed awake till 3 a.m.

On our last day in Munnar， we opted for lunch at Sadhya， the restaurant named after the meal that Malayalees prepare during festivals and special occasions. Served on palm leaves， it consists of rice， lentils， varieties of vegetables each better tasting than the other， to end with some extraordinary payasam.

Before we set out for Cochin airport for our journey back to Bangalore， I did a little tour of Sterling’s 14-acre property. Construction work is going on quietly to add nine guest rooms and three more suites to the existing inventory of 125 cottages. We head out and shop for spices and tea in the commercial district before driving non-stop towards Cochin. At the spanking clean airport， we are checked in and I am surprised with the super efficiency of the Jet Airways staff. I had left behind my book on the flight while coming in from Bangalore and when I asked for it at the check-in counter， the girl immediately rattled off the title and told me to wait. On signing a ledger I received the book intact！

For now， Munnar was behind us. What we carried in our bags was some lovely tea， double strong. Like the other hillstation， Ooty， Munnar is famous for homemade chocolates too so of course we were taking some of these back. And of course cashew nuts for which Kerala is well known. And an ayurvedic oil bottle for muscular pains. What we carried in our hearts was the friendliness of the locals and the fantasy that perhaps that is really another such planet somewhere， unspoiled and green， with misty mountains and clean lakes. If there isn’t， I guess it’s best to head for Munnar.

At A Glance

Getting There

Fly to cochin or Trivandrum， both of which are somewhat equidistant to Munnar， four to five hours by road. You can also drive from coimbatore， in Tamil nadu， about six hours away.

When To Go

The weather is pleasant most months， although during the monsoon the rain may not let up for hours， if not days.

Must Do

Stay

Fort Munnar： overlooking plantations， just 28 rooms. Cost： 4，490 for a room；

Affordable： Sterling resorts： 20 minutes from town. You can stay even if you are not a member， though you may not get the cottage. cost： 2，999 for a family of four， on a current offer. Tel： （044） 6693 7000

Eat

Kerala fish curry， which you can try at Sadhya or any other restaurants in the city. Vegetarians may find limited options.

Shop

In the main commercial street in Munnar for huge variety of spices， oils， condiments and home-made chocolates.

See

Build in the time to visit a tea factory.