MUNNAR DIARIES – DAY 4 – 9 SEPTEMBER 2022 - IN MUNNAR

The weather this day promised to be the worst of the four that I had been in the idyllic place, Munnar - the rain was heavier, the fog was thicker and ground was slushier. To top it all, floodgates of tourists seemed to have been breached too. There were more guests at the hotel and they were booked out for the weekend. I was told that most hotels and resorts in Munnar were fully booked for the two days after Onam. I was glad that I had had a few days of quiet before this day.

Deciding to brave all the elements mentioned above, I started the day a bit late after breakfast. Last evening I had spied a war memorial in Munnar Town, but didn't have the place to park and explore. This morning I went there first. It commemorates the contribution of the tea plantation executives to the cause of World War II. Many followed the first batch of 18 who enlisted for war service. Though the tea plantations were in its infancy large quantity of tea were also shipped for those who fought the war. In time, a convalescence centre was also set up in Munnar for those wounded in the war as the salubrious climate of Munnar was expected to aid a speedier recovery. It was also during the war that the Munnar-Kodaikkanal road was built as a getaway route in case of need.

After a few minutes at the memorial I went to the CSI Church, on Old Munnar Hill, which commands a superb sweep of Munnar Town. The church, built in 1910 from rough rock hewn granite from the hill, was the result of a grand love story of Eleanor Isabel May and her husband, Henry Knight, a tea plantation employee. Fascinated by the evening walks on Old Munnar Hill, Eleanor expressed her desire to be buried there upon her death, which came upon her at the tender age of 24 from cholera. Thus came the first grave of the cemetery upon the Hill and a church followed. Truly, the Taj Mahal of Munnar - such an expression of love and grief!

The young sacristan told me that though the roof of the church had been replaced three times in the past, the basic structure had remained the same. The rough rocks used for the walls were hewn from nearby areas and the pews were the ones brought in from Ireland in the early 20th century. Even though a decorated rope prevented access to the altar the young man permitted me to approach the altar, pray there and take photographs.

I had to skip a walk to the Nayamakkad waterfalls and the Anamudi peak view due to the weather. The rain had intensified and the must had become thicker. When I reached the Eravikulam National Park, the place was choc-a-bloc with neither a place to park nor the possibility of moving around in peace. I motored on to the Lakkam waterfalls, which is part of the Eravikulam stream and the National Park. It is one of the important tributaries of Pambar River. Bathing was prohibited because of the heavy flow and hence, not many visitors took the entrance ticket to go up to see the falls!

I got some quiet time in the company of the roaring falls and the swirling waters. There are tea stalls and small cafes catering to needs of visitors. There is a large population of simians too in the area. I had a couple of excellent banana fritters and a cup of hot ginger tea in one of the stalls. It was pathetic to see the vendors imploring visitors not to feed the monkeys anywhere near the stalls as they would then raid them later. However, all these fell on deaf ears of those who were only interested to take photos and videos of their 'close encounters with their ancestors'. Must say that the simians seemed to 'appreciate' the indiscipline of their 'more evolved' mates!

The number of tourists, despite the poor weather, seemed to be on the increase with every passing hour. On the way back to Munnar I decided to try my luck to visit the Eravikulam National Park. I was surprised to be waved into the parking lot inside the National Park. There were buses, tempos and cars of various sizes in the parking lot, which was busy. The queues of visitors looked forbidding. One of the staff told me that I shouldn't bother about the number as they would get cleared quickly. I bought the Rs. 200 entrance ticket and joined a serpentine queue, which was to board a Forest Department bus to be taken to the top of the Park. One of the staff, seeing that I am not part of a group, took me to the head of one of the queues! I expected people to object to such action, but none did and I was soon boarding a bus.

The ten minute bus ride deposited its 31 passengers at the Park museum. From there we had to trudge uphill for about a kilometre in swirling fog and sweeping rain. No wonder that vendors selling plastic ponchos did excellent business! On the way is a magnificent sheet of waterfall, fields of Neelakurunji waiting to bloom in 2030 and lovely meadows. Many elderly people rented battery operated carts to get uphill. But walking, even in the rain, is an unforgettable experience. Besides the Nilgiri Tahr, for which the National Park is famous for, elephants, leopard, tigers and many other animals find a home in this 97 square kilometre protected environment, the first National Park of Kerala, established in the property resumed by the state from Kannan Devan Hill Plantations, KDHP, in 1971.

My luck with sighting animals is wretched. On a recent visit to Botswana, despite visiting many national parks, all I got to see were a few elephants, deer and giraffe! This day too I feared the worst as I saw the behind of one Tahr quickly turning a corner and vanishing to some place where I could not pursue it. I meandered around taking in the lovely views and lung-fulls of clean air when one of the guards told me that I would be able to see a group of deer a short distance from where I was standing. I hurried there lest I missed them yet again. It was not to be, fortunately. These mountain goats are not shy animals. They intrepidly stood near the fence, even posing. I had my fill, taking photos and observing the animals at close quarters. The rain teased the visitors right through. When they put on the poncho it stops and when they pull it off after looking skywards it pours! The Park is well maintained and is certainly well worth a visit. Moreover, the conveyance arrangement made by the Forest Department, in its ten buses, is adequate and optimises the footfalls to the Park.

Close to Munnar Town is the Nallathunny tea estate, which has a tea museum, established by Tata Tea in 2005. Most of the early settlers in Munnar were connected to tea plantations and the museum chronicles the growth of the region and the plantations. The museum is home to relics of a bygone era, the Munnar-Kundaly light railway, period furniture, iconic photographs and tales of the tea plantations of Munnar. A half hour documentary takes one through the developments of the plantations. The transition from the rudimentary tea roller to the modern fully-automated tea factory is an interesting demonstration at the museum. So is the process of tea making. The Ripple Tea outlet, attached to the museum, sells a variety of teas, spices and honey.

Having ended the tour of Munnar this, in driving rain, I stopped by at the Roman Catholic Church for a few minutes of prayer and quiet thanksgiving for the lovely four day sojourn in this idyll, the beautiful Munnar. There are many more places to see and visit. They are, God willing, left for another visit.