10/22/10 Munnar

5 am and on queue the Muslim chants started up in Munnar.  Its very exotic I have to say!  I take my cold "tabot" shower in my $5/night hotel, pack some essentials and take off to do some trekking.  On my way to the tea plantations, I stopped by SN Restaurant(recommended by LP) for some breakfast.  There I had the best Masala Dosa I've ever eaten.  The Dosa was light and crisp with excellent potato (aloo) filling.  It was accompanied by small dishes of sauce: veg soup, chili paste, and a spicy rice/yogurt concoction.  All this made for one kick ass meal.  "Super" as the Indians would say it.  I washed the meal down with a cardamom milk tea.

Having satiated my hunger and my first proper meal in 36 hrs, I made my way to the Pothamedu Viewpoint to check out the tea estates.  Following the path outlined by LP, I found myself walking along paved roads straddling the estates.  "This is it?", I thought.  What I actually envisioned was walking in and amongst the the tea bushes.  I decided to backtrack and discovered a section where the barbed wire fencing had been trampled on.  That was my sign!  I discreetly made my way through.  Soon I was joined by a Swiss couple and together we forged on and upwards!  It was a bit misty this morning but the fog seemed to roll in and out rather quickly allowing us fantastic views of the tea bushes hugging the hillsides.  The tea bushes themselves were neatly trimmed and of various shapes.  They seemed to fit together along the landscape like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.  After a little difficulty deciphering which path to take to the top, we finally made it.  There we met a British couple with their guide.  I had initially considered spending 1,500 Rs ($35) to hire a guide but immensely glad I didn't.  The only bummer so far was that the fog had rolled in and stayed put blocking any views of the countryside.  It also began to drizzle so the Swiss couple and I decided to make a beeline back to the bottom.  After making it back to the road, we wished each other safe travels and parted ways.

On my way back into town, I decided to investigate other hotels recommended by LP as the one I was currently staying was extremely "budget"!  More so than the YWCA in Ooty.  I found my way to JJ Cottage, took a quick tour of the rooms, was quoted 400 Rs ($8) and instantly decided to check out of Kaipallil Homestay.  Upon returning to JJ, I took my first hot shower in 4 days.  The room was immaculately clean and well constructed with stylish wood paneling.   After my shower, I made my way back to SN Restaurant to have an awesome Veg Biryani.  The meal was accompanied by small servings of yogurt with red onions and spices, chutney, and a chili ginger paste.  Wow!

Returning to the hotel, I lounged a bit with a milk tea in hand and had a pleasant conversation with Eric, the on-site manager.  His family owns the impeccably maintained establishment and have been in operation for the past 10 years.

I need to mention that I got leeched while trekking through the damp tea estates!  Yup, after taking my shower in JJ, I discovered my right ankle dripping with blood.  I tried cleaning it at first thinking it was probably from a sharp branch in the tea estates.  But it wouldn't stop bleeding so I surmised that it was probably from a leech. (anti-coagulant).  I later found the bugger under my boot and dispensed with it down the toilet.  Now I have to wash my sock and shoe which is caked in blood!