Since I reached my condominium in Kochi in the middle of June, I had a strong desire to visit Munnar in the neighbouring district. The rainy season had begun throughout Kerala, heavy rains lashing the entire state. The authorities were forced to ban fishing boats from going to the rough sea. It was quite different from several places in North India, where the day temperature hovered around 50 degrees celsius, causing heatwaves and diseases.
Munnar is a town in the Western Ghats mountain range. When the British ruled the country, the elite used to visit the district and enjoy the natural beauty in the cool climate that prevailed throughout the year.
Some of us had the opportunity to see Neelakurinji plants in full bloom, a rare sight available only once in twelve years in Munnar. There was no need for air conditioners in houses or high-charging hotels as the place was at an elevation of around 1600 metres. The only factories were those manufacturing tea that did not increase the temperature much.
Munnar was also a perfect destination for my newlywed granddaughter and her husband, though they had visited it several times. They had sufficient time to plan a long honeymoon trip to other destinations. It was not difficult to make others in the family agree to the visit of Munnar for a couple of days.
It was raining from the beginning of the journey in the morning, forcing my son to increase the speed of the car wipers to the maximum to see the road ahead. Buildings and compound walls stood close to the highway, necessitating drivers to be alert.
On the way to Munnar, we came across dense forests with frequent signs warning about wild elephants crossing the road, but we did not come across any. I remember the only wildlife I saw was a giant squirrel jumping from one branch to another of a tree outside my hotel room early one morning. The branches of trees standing close to the road had broken in the wind and heavy rain and fallen on the road, making the drivers cautious.
Sprawling tea gardens told us that we had entered the Idukki district. Even in the rains, women wearing plastic raincoats were picking tender leaves of tea plants with machines and filling the bags they carried on their backs. People standing among the plants were getting photographed by others in the group. There were also several tourists getting photographed in front of narrow waterfalls tumbling down the hills. Some even allowed cascading water to fall on their bodies while being photographed.
The temperature suddenly came down to 19 degrees Celsius. The whole area was misty, smoke-like clouds passing closely, momentarily removing most of the plantations and rolling grasslands from view. When the mist cleared, we clicked again with a clear background.
One of the destinations we had decided on was the Mattupetty Dam, a place we had visited many times. The mesmerizing views of the surrounding hills and the reservoir were beckoning us again. It was also decided to visit the Eravikulam National Park to see groups of Nilgiri tahr, who could climb steep rocks.
It was a recharged group that returned to Kochi.