A Journey to The Soul of Kerala

 I have to admit I have a somewhat academic relationship with travel. I do like the idea of traveling but I don’t seem to get out much, or at least not as much as I would like to. After putting a lot of thought into it me and my friends took the decision that I will be  going to Munnar . We managed to set off by 6:30 AM which I thought was a good deal. The highways were excellent, the traffic not too dense and the view just kept getting better and better. Given our estimated 9 hours of driving time, we took several breaks to stretch our legs, to eat some grub or to use the washrooms. 

After driving on nearly arrow straight highways, the sight of the twisty mountain roads with hardly any traffic fuelled our enthusiasm for driving. After pushing our cars through several rolling bends we met a sight so spectacular that we had to stop. The pristine mountain air with its distinctive smell, the cool surroundings which were nearly 10℃ cooler than the plains, the mist descending into the valley, it all lit up our spirits and everyone was cracking a big wide smile despite being a bit travel-worn and having another hour or two of driving left. We arrived at our accommodations, a lovely resort next to the Ponmudi reservoir in Rajakkad, Kerala. We just had enough energy to have dinner and retire for the day. Somewhat anticipating this, we had decided to use the services of a tour guide on the first day, to help us find the best sights and activities at Munnar. We woke up, got ready lazily and had a sumptuous breakfast while looking out to this view. We were kind of getting used to this pace of things, when our guide arrived. Now, for urban dwellers who are forever dashing off from one place to another in the usual course of their lives, when the time comes for a holiday in the mountains, less is probably more. Evidently, it was not a view endorsed by our guide. In his endeavour to provide maximum satisfaction, we were nearly whisked from place to place so that we could beat the rush and enjoy the sights and activities at the next venue. This especially did not go well with the kids who reminded us of what Newton posited about inertia and external force, every time there was to be a change of scene. 

The entirety of the spectacle  misty hill tops, tea estates on the slopes and the water gushing through so many different paths proved to be impossible to capture in a single still picture. Completely captivated, we lingered languidly while having hot tea and fried savouries served up by a modest eatery just by the falls. After gloating over the awesome-ness of our planet, we reluctantly left Attukad Falls and proceeded into Munnar town for lunch.

Knowing it was to be our last evening, we stopped over at the Kallimali viewpoint near the resort to admire another angle of the Ponmudi reservoir.

Then somewhere, reality hit us. Our vacation was going to be over soon. The trip definitely confirmed to us the beauty of the planet we live in. And after the trip back home scrolling through the photos all I could think about was about the beauty of Kerala and why it is clearly the God’s own country.