Tea, Forts and Houseboats - India Three Ways

India is a delight to the senses, with its colorful patterned scenery, jovial people, and brilliant saris; its flavorful food and constant sounds -- be it soothing sounds of the jungle or the incessant honking as cars jostle for space along the narrow roads. 

We were last in India in 2009 when we visited the large towns of Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Agra (Taj Mahal).  Our current visit brought us to the southwestern part of India and the region of Kerala. Kerala is less hectic, cleaner, and more orderly but just as full of life as the other parts of India we have visited in the past.  This time, we ported in Cochin and quickly left its sweltering heat for the cool mountains of Munnar, about a 4-hour drive up narrow, twisting roads to the East of Cochin.  If you look back to our blog post about Sri Lanka, you might see some similarities with the road travel there. 

Munnar

Munnar sits at about 5,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by thousands of acres of tea plantations.  Textured green fields cover the contoured mountains in every direction.  Munnar is a destination that attracts locals from Cochin escaping the heat and vacationing honeymooners and families from all over India.  We stayed at Chancey’s Windy Woods and since there were few foreigners at the resort, we had a truly Indian experience with wonderful cuisine.  The hotel was set on a mountainside with 4 distinct buildings that were connected by a maze of elevators and stairwells.  We got our exercise by trekking up the man-made jungle path, complete with waterfalls and bridges, which wove its way under the buildings from our room up to the lobby.   It was an 8-story climb from our room up to the lobby (or three different elevators)!

Rather than try to navigate the very very windy roads full of crazy traffic, we hired a driver for our two days in Munnar and explored the tea plantations, high mountain lookouts, reservoirs, and spice gardens.  The tea and spice tours were interesting and we saw where so many of our foods and spices come from and how they can heal us as part of the Indian Aryuvedic tradition.

The second day, we were entertained at Dream Land, an adventure park where we could try 25 activities including riding mechanical bulls, walking the tight rope over a pond, climbing rope walls and attempting obstacle courses.  It was good fun and provided some much needed exercise.   After a VERY oily massage, we went to the local martial arts show where young men demonstrated their skills in fighting with swords, spears and sticks in addition to acrobatics where they flipped over top of Jay and Ryan (and six (!) other people) and through fiery rings. 

Allepy Houseboats

After three nights in the mountains, we headed back to the coast to explore Kerala’s extensive backwaters with 550 miles of lakes and channels.  1,200 houseboats take visitors on daytrips and overnight excursions on the tranquil waterways that weave through immense rice fields and small villages.  Our two-bedroom houseboat had a large air-conditioned, glass walled sitting room where we played games, ate meals and enjoyed the scenery as we cruised around the backwaters. 

We docked for the evening alongside one of the villages, which backed up on literally miles of rice paddies.  The homes lined the channel and were connected by a dirt path running in front of them.  Christy took an early morning walk down the dirt path and witnessed how the local people started their day.  People were bathing, swimming, washing dishes and brushing their teeth along the channel.  One couple loaded their round basket boat with bananas while others played with their children before breakfast.  It seemed out of place when a man walked by while taking on his cell phone.  As in many parts of the world, in India it seems that the cell phone is the one ubiquitous technology that bridges the gap between 100 years ago and today!

Fort Cochin

We spent our last day and night in Fort Cochin, which was packed with tourists and retained a European feel from the colonial era. We went from among Indians on their vacations to among foreign tourists in the lap of luxury. Kerala is trending towards being a “dry” state and Munnar and Allepy were leading the charge so it was nice to find a glass of wine and a cooling swimming pool at the Old Harbour Hotel.

We adventured out in the sweltering heat to try our hand at the large Chinese fishing nets that line the harbor.  After casting the net, we each grabbed a rope line and heaved as hard as we could to lift the net into the air.  Alas, it was not the season to catch fish in the harbor, so no fish for us. 

During our visit we had a taste of life in Kerala for a few days.  India is so vast and diverse that we always find ourselves saying that we need months, not days, to explore even the smallest corner of this fascinating country.