Munnar a.k.a CLOUD NINE – A travalogue

en-route munnar

I must admit, I wasn’t exactly ‘enthralled’ by the prospect of visiting Munnar for the seventh time, but being the travel freak I was, and having had a forgettable series of university exams, I could not say NO to the opportunity to merge with the wild[or whatever is remaining of it].
What started badly[a rear wheel puncture killing an hour], soon turned out to be a joy ride,certainly living up to its ‘ drive through the clouds’ tag .Being a very famous hill station and a favourite among the north Indian travel enthusiasts , Munnar was bound to be lively and dense , and it certainly seemed to be the case with our first destination, the Eravikulam national park.
The two hour wait for the Kerala tourism’s bus to arrive can be easily dealt with the mangoes! YES, u get fabulous Salem mangoes at Munnar!

They say,the best comes after a long wait,and Rajamala seemed to underline the very statement.Embedded in the clouds,Rajamala is certainly a treat for the eyes[i.e whenever the clouds make way] and the trip in the bus, is a remarkable journey through the best of western Ghats. Once there, you are almost bound to run into the Nilgiri Thars[an endemic species found only in certain parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala] , one among the very few animals that can survive in such harsh conditions.
Sadly, you don’t get to do the complete trek, as a portion of the mountain is owned by TATA. Hang around, and yield yourself to the delightful silence and the cold,moist and light mountain air, which is truly unique to Rajamala. Make sure to meet the forest guard who shall give you a free class on the adverse of effects the eucalyptus trees[ which draw a tremendous amount of water from the soil through transpiration],the advent of TATA,and the British times.
The water oozing from the mountain top is refreshingly cool and enhances the whole climb. The mist settling and the view of the city far below makes you want to lean back on an arm chair and settle there for eternity.
As it is with any good destination ,time flies and soon we were back in our bus,with fresh memories worth keeping a life time.Thali meals from a good veg hotel in the heart of the town and we were replenished and ready for our next stop, the ‘Echo point’.[for all you sweet lovers, try that Rs.8 peda and all other chocolates available at the town. Its very very good!]

‘Echo point’ is a far cry from the rich,green pastures,the silver stream and the heavenly tress of yesteryear. Instead it has been converted by the ever looting man into a dry wasteland, with absolutely nothing to cherish for the nature lover. If you wanna buy silly bangles,horrible coffee,and fake DVDs, ‘Echo point’ is the place to be, but then why travel to the abode of the Gods when all these are easily available elsewhere[and at a cheaper rate too].Be sure to put ‘Echo point’ in your ‘give this a miss’ list unless you have intentions to witness man’s impact on environment first hand!

After painfully succumbing to the ‘echoes of the new’, not even the Maatupetti dam could liven my spirit, as the thought of what the place would had been before the human invasion kept disturbing me.
After a short walk through the dam, we were back in the bus and NOT longing to go back home.The journey back was good and the food from Zaina’s certainly lived upto the expectations.
Monumental buildings, the tractor pick ups, the crystal stream and the classic green and white tea factories of the hill station are a treat to the traveler’s eye.They say God had one eye in Heaven when He crafted Munnar.And the beauty of the place is, it never seizes to amaze you.Just another element of the very Incredible India.