The first time I went to Kerala was in 2010. Having lived in Bangalore for five years and knowing that I will be leaving in a few months for uncharted territories (I was graduating that year and starting work), made it important to see and enjoy all that was there. Hence, the trip to Munnar.
Avi and I took an overnight bus from Bangalore and reached Munnar some time in the morning. The drive after Theni was beautiful as we entered the narrow roads on the hills and could see the tea estates and the waterfalls. Though it was May, it was slightly cold and the joy of being at a hill station was already seeping in.
We stayed at a small hotel in Devikulam, approximately 5 kms from Munnar town. The decision was initially taken to save money (we were college kids) but turned out to be a great one. While Munnar town is crowded and noisy, Devikulam is a small quiet hill station.
The hotel was located beautifully in the middle of greenery, just off the road, served brilliant Pakoras in the rain and had really bad sound-proofing. We enjoyed the food, the weather, beauty and the noisiness of kids staying at the hotel in the same spirit.
I fell in love with Munnar on my first walk from Devikulam to Munnar city. We did not have a car with us and therefore, decided to walk to the town to find some mode of transport in and around Munnar. The road goes through tea estates and woods. Instead of heading straight to see the tourist spots I decided to walk into the woods. The woods and hills hold wonderful surprises as we found ponds with beautiful views that were not mentioned in any guidebook. We took diversions into the hills and generally spend a good couple of hours covering the small distance.
We finally ran into an auto rickshaw driver who agreed to take us around for 400 rupees a day. Thus, we started the journey to Mattupetty Dam, Kundala Lake and various hill points.
Mattupetty Dam was beautiful. The water from the lake reflected the green hills and made it a great place for boating. It is famous for being so deep that Indian navy does its diving practice here. We clicked photos to our heart's content, enjoyed the breeze and did some boating.
After the lake, we decided to see the waterfalls around Munnar. Attukal waterfall stood out among them. While it is usually dry during summers, we were lucky as it had been raining for last few days. The passage to the base of waterfall is narrow and allows very few cars to be parked. We walked to the base of the waterfall and sat listening to the sound of water. I have always found it quite invigorating to sit next to water. A small shop nearby was serving tea and Maggi which made my day. We returned to the town in the evening to gorge on everything from beef roast to Spanish omelette.
We had set aside a day for visiting Eravikulam National Park which is famous for Nilgiri Tahr and the views of Anamudi peak. Private vehicles are not allowed in the park. It uses its own buses to ferry the visitors and queues for the bus can be very long in peak season. The park is often closed between February to April as it is the breeding season for Nilgiri Tahr.
We reached early and spent the day there. Nilgiri Tahrs at this national park are very comfortable with people. We walked with them, played with them and even took photos of their calves. We got to see a wide range of plants, flowers and birds. The national park is also famous for its butterflies but we could not see any at that time. The view of Anamudi is beautiful. It is situated right in the middle of the tourist section of the national park and we drove around the majestic black hill that appeared to be frozen in time.
Munnar and the memories of Munnar never cease to amaze. The tea gardens, the rains, the waterfalls, the hills, hot Maggi while shivering, bright sun-light in the afternoon and above all a quietness strange to a city dweller like me will remain in the memory and be a reason to come back again and again.
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