An impromptu trip to Munnar
Both in my first and second visits to Kerala, I had Munnar in the itinerary and missed - both times. Third trip to Kerala is confined to Munnar.
It was one of those times where I realize happiness comes from within, so does sadness. Few months ago, even though everything was going exactly as I wished and I had the best I could, in given situation, I was feeling low & frustrated. The fact that I have no control nor contribution to the results made me feel extremely helpless - the feeling I dread the most. Few years ago, an adventure sport would have help me out - I believe going closer to death would make me feel more alive and make anything else seem petty. However, I am no longer regular with my fitness activities & work out sessions and I am not dumb to endanger myself, trying out an adventure without required practice and fitness. Next best thing I could think of is travel, my new found passion, and Munnar was top in list of relaxing destinations.
My sister came to visit as she got few days off from college and, along with my cousin, we planned the trip on a total whim. We know the more we think the more we hesitate, so almost immediately booked the bus tickets.
Next came the accommodation - comfort always played a major role, whenever I choose accommodation, even for a short term. However, this time, we wanted more than comfort - a bit of luxury, if not more. On checking few resorts, we narrowed down to 2. Every resort we came across is at least 20km away from the main bus station. Of the two resorts we called to check out the commute options, one helped us out a lot - they told us that there's a request stop nearby and texted us the details as we were not able to pronounce the names very well (needless to say we booked our stay in that resort and I recommend it my friends who are planning to visit Munnar).
We reached very early in the morning and took an auto rickshaw to the resort which was located in beautiful location and was perfect fit to our requirements.
It was way too early to our check in time and we had to wait for a couple of hours as our room required cleaning. We left our luggage at the reception, got freshened up in common wash room and had breakfast. They have different type of buffet - breakfast is unlimited, but we have to place our order at least half hour before. Even though we were informed that the buffet charges apply, they only charged for the dishes we ordered. In addition to regular South Indian breakfast, we got bread and few varieties of omelettes (we wanted few more omelettes and we were hesitant to ask as the breakfast time crossed, but they gladly obliged 😍).
After breakfast, we were led to the game room to pass time until the room got ready.
About an hour later, we got checked into our room - we even got an upgrade out of charge, off-season visits have their perks 🤑. I immediately crashed while my sisters dressed up and started the photo shoot - the balcony over the cliff is the perfect backdrop 🖼. Couple of hours later I woke up super hungry which was quite surprising considering the huge breakfast we had. We ordered room service and got ready to step out.
At the reception, we inquired about the sight seeing options. They mentioned we could either take a taxi or an auto rickshaw. As it was already late afternoon, we decided to take auto rickshaw and consider taking taxi next day (since we will have to take our bags and go to the main town to catch our bus next night).
Being start of Summer and it didn't rain in a very long time, waterfalls and lakes weren't full. We instead went to view points.
And tea garden (duh!).
Next we went to tea museum where we were shown various steps involved in preparing tea and how different varieties are processed. The tour happens in batches and we were not allowed to take pics inside. While waiting for our batch to begin we went in to another small museum housing items used few decades ago. I remember some of these in my grandfather's place when I was a little girl.
From there we went to an almost empty reservoir.
On the way back, we stopped at a spice garden and instead of going in, we shopped in attached store and bought shampoos (Kerala is quite famous for their hair care products) and soaps 🙂.
We planned to eat out, but couldn't find any restaurants in the area, mostly tea stalls with some snacks which, though delicious, are not filling.
We reached the resort exhausted and had dinner at the restaurant.
So hungry, we realized we would have wanted a pic of the beautiful fish dish, only after swallowing it.
Next day, we again had a heavy breakfast and, contemplating to cancel the travel booking and extend the stay for another day, halfheartedly got ready and checked out. I'm not sure if it is normal in Munnar, but the stairs are bit uncomfortable and tiring. Since the restaurant is halfway down the stairs, I don't think there is a way to avoid them which could be an issue for few - other than that, it is a perfect place to stay.
After previous day experiences, we decided to take auto rickshaw, instead of cab as originally intended, as it seemed more suitable for the roads and it had enough space for our bags.
On the way to city, we made couple of stops - one bridge which on other end had a lake. There are steps to climb down to the lake and above the stairs there's an open area with assorted shops (more like food counters). We had few bags of mango and pineapple pieces 😍.
We also stopped at an open area where there are lots of elephants 🐘. They were roaming around in open area and it felt nice to see that they aren't confined.
It was way past noon by the time we reached the town where we made the final stop of the tour - the flower garden. Even though it isn't the biggest garden, it seemed huge due to optimal space utilization 😃. We spent good amount of time there though it was quite sunny.
Finally, the dehydration sucked up our enthusiasm too and we started back. It was close to evening and our rickshaw dropped us near the bus station. We had our lunch in nearby restaurant and started off to our routine lives😪.
Feeling the need to get away wasn't an uncommon occurrence - planning for a trip and waiting for it and dealing with things which don't go as planned, at those times, could make travelling feel more frustrating than pleasant. That was the first time, I was able to sneak away when I wanted to, totally at the spur of moment. In addition to helping me feel refreshed, this trip made my creative nature resurface. Taking a step back made me look at bigger picture and tackle the situation in different direction - I did not just resolve the issue, but also got appreciations from my team and management💃😁.
It was one of those times where I realize happiness comes from within, so does sadness. Few months ago, even though everything was going exactly as I wished and I had the best I could, in given situation, I was feeling low & frustrated. The fact that I have no control nor contribution to the results made me feel extremely helpless - the feeling I dread the most. Few years ago, an adventure sport would have help me out - I believe going closer to death would make me feel more alive and make anything else seem petty. However, I am no longer regular with my fitness activities & work out sessions and I am not dumb to endanger myself, trying out an adventure without required practice and fitness. Next best thing I could think of is travel, my new found passion, and Munnar was top in list of relaxing destinations.
My sister came to visit as she got few days off from college and, along with my cousin, we planned the trip on a total whim. We know the more we think the more we hesitate, so almost immediately booked the bus tickets.
Next came the accommodation - comfort always played a major role, whenever I choose accommodation, even for a short term. However, this time, we wanted more than comfort - a bit of luxury, if not more. On checking few resorts, we narrowed down to 2. Every resort we came across is at least 20km away from the main bus station. Of the two resorts we called to check out the commute options, one helped us out a lot - they told us that there's a request stop nearby and texted us the details as we were not able to pronounce the names very well (needless to say we booked our stay in that resort and I recommend it my friends who are planning to visit Munnar).
We reached very early in the morning and took an auto rickshaw to the resort which was located in beautiful location and was perfect fit to our requirements.
It was way too early to our check in time and we had to wait for a couple of hours as our room required cleaning. We left our luggage at the reception, got freshened up in common wash room and had breakfast. They have different type of buffet - breakfast is unlimited, but we have to place our order at least half hour before. Even though we were informed that the buffet charges apply, they only charged for the dishes we ordered. In addition to regular South Indian breakfast, we got bread and few varieties of omelettes (we wanted few more omelettes and we were hesitant to ask as the breakfast time crossed, but they gladly obliged 😍).
After breakfast, we were led to the game room to pass time until the room got ready.
About an hour later, we got checked into our room - we even got an upgrade out of charge, off-season visits have their perks 🤑. I immediately crashed while my sisters dressed up and started the photo shoot - the balcony over the cliff is the perfect backdrop 🖼. Couple of hours later I woke up super hungry which was quite surprising considering the huge breakfast we had. We ordered room service and got ready to step out.
At the reception, we inquired about the sight seeing options. They mentioned we could either take a taxi or an auto rickshaw. As it was already late afternoon, we decided to take auto rickshaw and consider taking taxi next day (since we will have to take our bags and go to the main town to catch our bus next night).
Being start of Summer and it didn't rain in a very long time, waterfalls and lakes weren't full. We instead went to view points.
And tea garden (duh!).
Next we went to tea museum where we were shown various steps involved in preparing tea and how different varieties are processed. The tour happens in batches and we were not allowed to take pics inside. While waiting for our batch to begin we went in to another small museum housing items used few decades ago. I remember some of these in my grandfather's place when I was a little girl.
From there we went to an almost empty reservoir.
We planned to eat out, but couldn't find any restaurants in the area, mostly tea stalls with some snacks which, though delicious, are not filling.
We reached the resort exhausted and had dinner at the restaurant.
So hungry, we realized we would have wanted a pic of the beautiful fish dish, only after swallowing it.
Next day, we again had a heavy breakfast and, contemplating to cancel the travel booking and extend the stay for another day, halfheartedly got ready and checked out. I'm not sure if it is normal in Munnar, but the stairs are bit uncomfortable and tiring. Since the restaurant is halfway down the stairs, I don't think there is a way to avoid them which could be an issue for few - other than that, it is a perfect place to stay.
After previous day experiences, we decided to take auto rickshaw, instead of cab as originally intended, as it seemed more suitable for the roads and it had enough space for our bags.
On the way to city, we made couple of stops - one bridge which on other end had a lake. There are steps to climb down to the lake and above the stairs there's an open area with assorted shops (more like food counters). We had few bags of mango and pineapple pieces 😍.
We also stopped at an open area where there are lots of elephants 🐘. They were roaming around in open area and it felt nice to see that they aren't confined.
It was way past noon by the time we reached the town where we made the final stop of the tour - the flower garden. Even though it isn't the biggest garden, it seemed huge due to optimal space utilization 😃. We spent good amount of time there though it was quite sunny.
Finally, the dehydration sucked up our enthusiasm too and we started back. It was close to evening and our rickshaw dropped us near the bus station. We had our lunch in nearby restaurant and started off to our routine lives😪.
Feeling the need to get away wasn't an uncommon occurrence - planning for a trip and waiting for it and dealing with things which don't go as planned, at those times, could make travelling feel more frustrating than pleasant. That was the first time, I was able to sneak away when I wanted to, totally at the spur of moment. In addition to helping me feel refreshed, this trip made my creative nature resurface. Taking a step back made me look at bigger picture and tackle the situation in different direction - I did not just resolve the issue, but also got appreciations from my team and management💃😁.
Comments
Post a Comment