Year 3 -7 March 2026-Munnar -India
We had a good night’s sleep with no air con but just a pleasant ceiling fan gently wafting us. The curtains did not cover all the windows and I was woken by the light in the morning and there was a lot of bird chat which was lovely and melodic.
Our view from our room was looking through the vegetation -banana trees, shrubs, taller trees and forest and below us was a deep valley but we could see up the other side to a ridge which had a village on it and the bulb of a mosque. It started as a misty morning but with the heat the mist cleared.
We had breakfast at about 8.45am and we had arranged for our driver to pick us up about 9.30am to got to Munnar to meet our guide. Jules decided she would like to stay and relax by the pool. I therefore met the driver and headed off with him to Munnar. This took about 65 minutes and we went through little villages and the odd town and rural areas going up and down due to the hilly terrain. We did take the main road along the Anairangal reservoir which looked stunning in the sun and apparently wild elephants come down here and wade/swim across to the island.
We met the guide Matthew on the edge of Munnar in the middle of a tea plantation area and we agreed to take a hike and walk through the tea plantations. This was a lovely walk-through beautiful scenery and Matthew pointed out things on our walk. He showed me the tea trees -where some were 70-80 years old and with thick trunks and stems and others about 20 with thinner stems. The older ones will probably be replanted over the next few years. We looked at the leaves and the quality of some of the plants. Some trees will produce the white and green tea and the rest black tea.
We saw burrows created by porcupines who love to eat the roots and we saw the odd spine they had left behind. Elephants sometimes come through the tree plantations but not today. Apparently a tiger came through this region a number of weeks ago and killed a cow. Sadly we did not see it today. It was a great walk-through lovely scenery and we saw the ladies picking the tea. There were some using shears and others using chargeable cutters. They were all chatting away and having fun while working. Matthew thought they earnt 500 rupees- some £2 for an 8-hour shift. Office workers earn between 750-850 rupees a day. His mother used to be a tea picker and his father is a stone mason. We walked on round and found various streams coming through the plantations which had brick walls which they had to negotiate through which are the filters for the water. We stopped for a snack of fruit and then continued walking. We ended up walking through the shacks of the tea workers and their village until we came back to the main road again. It had been a great walk for two hours through the plantations with beautiful scenery.
We got back in the car to go to Munnar and had a proper coffee and some samosas for snacks. In a cafe We could not find the cobbler to mend my sandals which needed stitching. I therefore left my sandals with Matthew who was going to another town and hopefully they can be mended there.
I returned with the driver to the hotel which took about an hour through up and dale. It is so lush and a lovely area and quite cool in comparison to the coast.
When I got back Jules was by the pool and she had had a relaxing day. I joined her and we had a swim and enjoyed reading and relaxing further. I made some tea and we drunk it enjoying the view and birdsong and the lovely flowers of the trees and shrubs around the pool.
One of the staff Jakson was doing a sunset walk at 5.30pm so we went with him. He gave us a stick each and we walked down the track to the local village. He showed us various plants and trees on the way, cacao, banana, coffee, cashew, mango, jackfruit, and cardamon. He also pointed out various flowers and he recognised various birds and their songs. We met some villagers and the children came out to see us and to shake our hands. They were very friendly and we took their photo. They had made some spinning tops out of wood and string and they spun it on the road and were proud of this feat which was lovely. We saw the sunset and the sun was red as it sunk below the trees. We therefore returned for a shower and we had another good supper.
The picture of the day is the ladies picking the tea on my walk through the tea plantations.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.
I am looking for one crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town (mid June to end of July). If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com