Munnar, a not that high up hill station in the Western Ghats, is where India gets most of its tea. That means that the surroundings are completely covered in plantations, all parceled out to Manupady or Tata or some other big company. The beautiful surroundings also means that there are touts galore to take you to X hotel or to offer you Y tour. And of course, my tout was Babu. He helped me find a great hotel for the cheapest price I could find, which also had a nice garden to sit and chill in. And then, he sold me on a tour. I bargained him down from 1000 Rs to 700. And funnily enough, he didn't take me. His cousin, Dinesh, did. We saw dams and lakes made by dams and an elephant working and a place called Top Station, which overlooks the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. I learned that Leonardo Dicaprio is shooting a film in Munnar, and I saw one of the sets being constructed. Of course, though Leo was also in Munnar, he was too good to stay at my hotel.
I also went to a place called Eravikulam National Park, which is home to the rare Nilgiri Tahr, tiny mountain goats that are so cute, you'd really just want to take one home with you in the luggage (though you probably wouldn't get past Customs). I convinced the ticket guy that I was Gujarati in order to pay the Indian price, and every time I came near a ranger, I had to bring up the accent. I hung out with an Italian couple, Simona and Alessandro, and we were lucky for each other. After hearing from people leaving the park that we wouldn't see anything, I spotted the first of the Tahr. Simona and I approached it slowly and cautiously, and literally got to within two meters of it before it decided to move. And it didn't bolt. It just got up and walked a couple of feet. Really, these creatures have nothing to fear, and therefore never seemed worried about us. On the way to the top, we came across a group of young men, all wearing blue beanies in the great heat, who wanted us in their picture. They showed us a temple, and really created enough noise and chaos to frighten away the fearless Tahrs. Simona spotted another Tahr once we left the crazy Blue-Hat men. We also came amazingly close to this one. My time in the park was short, but it was worth it. Tahrs and Blue Hats...a great combo.
Still, the best part about Munnar was the people I met. Okay, I didn't really spend more than an hour with Simona and Alessandro (though amazingly enough I just bumped into them at this particular internet cafe in Mysore one week after I last saw them!). However, there were a few other people I chilled with. Mark (number three), from Leeds in England, was staying at my hotel. I met him and we immediately got along. We dined together for most meals and basically had a good time. Nooria, a soft-spoken girl from Switzerland, was also cool. She laughed a lot, and particularly at my jokes. Too bad I never got to say good-bye, though I was able to convince her to stay an extra day. No, not even Nooria. The real kicker was the person who accompanied her to Munnar.
So, my first night there, I really didn't have much to do. I had just eaten dinner, and I decided to catch up on some journal writing. Luckily, my room was right next to the garden area, and I had decided to keep my window open. Even with my headphones on, I heard a few voices speaking in English. Always eager to meet other foreigners, I took off the headphones and listened more clearly. The male voice caught my attention immediately. I knew that voice! I jumped out of bed and walked outside. All I saw was Rajiv (the employee) and Nooria standing in a doorway. Rajiv was talking, and I didn't want to disturb him. So, I turned around and started to walk away, thinking that perhaps I had been mistaken. Rajiv then stops and asks if I needed anything. I said no, I'm alright. I turn back around and suddenly I hear someone yell out, "Sapan!!!!" I turn back to see the person I thought it was, Inaki (the crazy Basque from the Alleppey houseboat), run up to me and give me a big hug. It turns out that Nooria and Inaki met on the beach in Alleppey, and he had convinced her to come to Munnar instead of to Periyar. They were staying in a terrible room down in the city, and had randomly bumped into Rajiv. He offerred them some tea and invited them to see the hotel. So, they came. And at 9 o'clock that night, we found each other. We stayed chatting. I randomly saw them again at Top Station the next day. We dined and had fun. I got to know Inaki much better. And it made my time in Munnar much the better.
On my last day there, I decided to go on my own little trek down to Attukkad Waterfalls through some tea plantations. I followed the basic map, but then had to find my way. I climbed down and down through the plantations. Every time the path forked, I decided to go to the right, toward the direction of the river. After a while, after having descended maybe 500 meters, I finally heard water rushing. I went faster and faster, only to reach a dead end at a house. The water, though not the waterfall, was only about 10 meters below me. The only way to get there would have been by illegally passing through the bushes themselves, instead of walking on the designated paths like I had been doing. After coming all this way and descending about 800 meters, it seemed a shame to give up. But, my sense of law and ownership told me otherwise. Maybe I was just afraid of getting into trouble. So, I turned around and tromped back up through the midday heat. Some village kids caught up to me and offerred me two of the cutest kittens ever. I wanted them, but I couldn't take them. Hopefully they won't be neglected or turned into strays. The day was long, tiring, a little bit of a letdown, but still quite fulfilling.
Three friends, Nilgiri Tahr, and lots of tea. Munnar was definitely worth it.
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