TRAVELOGUE – THE HILLS IN GOD’S OWN COUNTRY

The hills of Munnar with their world famous tea plantation

We stay in the northern part of India and an overnight trip can take us to a host of beautiful and idyllic hill stations, very popular destination for us whenever we are in holiday mood. So when a friend of mine invited a bunch of us from all over the country to a hill resort in Kerala, I can honestly confess now, I was not expecting much. The company would be great no doubt but how pleasant can the hills be Deep South? We would have enjoyed the backwaters, I thought. I have a long standing love affair with them and have returned to them on five previous occasions and have often punctuated them with visits to Ayurvedic spas for Shirodhara (stress buster drip on forehead), Elakizhi (fomentation therapy with herbal leaves) and Njavarakizhi (special Ayurvedic full-body massage therapy with Njavara rice cooked in milk and herbs). But Kerala hills, this was my first experience.

We reached Kochi, Cochin for the old timers, after a change of flight at Mumbai. It was 9PM and we took a taxi to the guest house of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, where our friend had booked our overnight accommodation. Fresh from a good night sleep and a sumptuous breakfast in the cafeteria we were taken to the Plastic Surgery department where our friend Dr. Subramani Iyer was busy taking his morning rounds. We were offered a generous conducted tour of the department by our young friend Mohit, who was with us in Lucknow while pursuing his Plastic Surgery training. Dr. Iyer and Dr. Mohit are a part of the famous team which conducted the first and the second double hand transplants in India, and we were introduced to both these patients, who are now employed in their department!

A giant statue of Sushruta welcomes patients in Amrita Institute
of Medical Sciences

Our other friends were reaching Kochi in the morning and were collecting one by one at Lotus 8, our venue for lunch, bang opposite the Cochin International Airport. We reached there with Mohit and met them and had a 9 course lunch which left us filled to the brim. An air-conditioned mini bus was arranged for our onward journey to a place called Munnar, and needless to say, we were all exited.

Munnar is 130 km from Kochi and we were expecting a 4 hours bus ride. The road was blind in some places and there were a lot of trucks and buses that seemed to whisk pass us as if they owned the road. Although the National Highway is smooth (NH 49), it is narrow, twisty and curvy. Almost halfway we reached the town of 

A refreshing waterfall on our way to Munna 

Kothamangalam and we were told that we were still 80 km away from Munnar. Between Kothamangalam and next town "Adimali" the weather started changing as we were leaving the busy cities behind. Now we were experiencing a beautiful cool drive through a natural forest. Alongside, we could see many refreshing waterfalls and we stopped at one of them for coffee/tea break. Adimali, a small town in the foothills is just 30 Km from Munnar but driving along the winding roads became slow and we took almost an hour to reach Munnar town. Around 22 km from Adimali, the scenery changed completely and we started seeing the tea plantations on both sides of the road and a panoramic view of the western ghats. As we had a clear sky this view was truly mesmerizing!.

Munnar - breathtakingly beautiful - a haven of peace and tranquility - the idyllic tourist destination in God's own country. Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations ­ pristine valleys and mountains­ exotic species of

The unique flora and fauna

flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests ­ aroma of spice scented cool air ­ welcome the visitors.  The hills, the mist, the valleys, the streams, the waterfalls, tea plantations, rare flora and fauna.... all this makes it simply gorgeous.

But we were still nowhere near our destination, and the sun was already threatening to set. We had to reach Deep wood Resort, which we were told, was just 15 minutes drive from Munnar Bus station, which we crossed as soon as we entered the small town. We were driving towards Pulimuttil Estate where the resort was located and by the time we crossed its gate it became pitch dark. Our driver craftily drove our bus along the up and down winding and undulating roads inside the estate to reach the reception. Once registered, we were transported to the dining area for a welcome drink and then to our respective bungalows by jeeps.

B4 our allotted bungalow with breathtaking greenery all around!

After freshening up we were back in the dining area for an extended hospitality session where our spouses planned their next day while we set our agenda for our official meeting. The dinner that followed was lavish – fish, chicken, pork and a host of vegetarian dishes. The owners of the resort were planning the inauguration of a very special section of this resort the next day and they too joined us for dinner. We all were invited to the next evening’s extravaganza by our gracious hosts!

Our gang on arrival

And after proper relaxation

This is a very special getaway, ideal for the stressed out travelers who are looking for peace of mind. The nerve centre is the dining area and you can take your food/drink to a nearby machan and enjoy the wilderness while eating. The individual living spaces are luxurious. We stayed in B4 and this had a common lounge room with a television, a jungle facing balcony with rocking chairs and a swing! The bedrooms are neat and tastefully decorated and the bath has running hot and cold water.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. We have a meeting in the forenoon and our spouses will be going out to explore Munnar on a guided tour. Will keep you posted.