Kerala – day 6

Munnar

Tuesday, 4th April 2023

Today we woke up to music from the Hindu temple, which is right outside our window. We finally slept well because it’s pleasantly cool here. Munnar is situated at 1,600 meters above sea level, so the temperature at night is around 15°C (59°F), and during the day, it’s about 25°C (77°F).

We’re staying in an area about two kilometers from the town center, so we headed there first thing in the morning to rent a scooter. Before that, we had breakfast at a vegetarian restaurant, but it wasn’t very good. Jozef ordered an onion dosa and received a large pancake with a one chopped onion inside, accompanied by some sauces. The local rental shop was run by a Christian. Inside, there was a statue of the Virgin Mary, a rosary on the scooter, and the motorcycle rental logo was a combination of a dove and a rosary. Since it’s Easter, the shop is only open until Wednesday, so we’re renting the scooter for just two days. Since yesterday was my first time on a motorbike, I’m having some trouble getting on and off, but it’ll get better.

We head back to the accommodation to pick up our things and then make our way to Top Station. The road goes through tea plantations and the journey takes us two hours.

We took a lot of photos along the way and visited a tea factory. Jozef declared it was the worst tour he’s ever been on, not just related to tea. At Top Station, they charge a 20 INR entry fee for the viewpoint, and it’s about nothing, but everyone is taking pictures there.

There are also some monkeys, so we take photos of them.

Then we stop for lunch and have the local Chicken Biriyani (chicken with richly spiced rice). The ride back isn’t as exciting, and our butts are sore from the motorbike. We stop at a tea shop to buy some tea (so we can make it at our accommodation, as the restaurants only serve masala tea with milk), and we also order a tea there, hoping for loose-leaf tea, but it’s just a tea bag. We’re baffled.

The traffic in town is crazy, but Jozef has gotten used to driving on the left. We check out the markets and buy a watermelon. Near our accommodation, we saw a sign for espresso, so I go to check if it’s real. There’s no regular coffee anywhere, not even in the stores to buy, it’s all instant, and this is a place where coffee is grown. But in this café, they do have real coffee. Jozef wasn’t too impressed, but I’m happy and will go back tomorrow.

We wanted to visit a nearby national park, but it started raining halfway there, so we turned around and decided to at least stop by the tea museum. It was already closing, but after our tour experience, we probably wouldn’t have gone in anyway. It’s amusing to watch the Indians taking pictures by a few planted tea bushes when there are vast tea fields right along the road. It’s about an hour before sunset, but we don’t have any more close points of interest, so we call it a day and start planning for the next few days. For dinner, we have chicken fry, an omelette, and parotta.