Munnar, Kerala

Sorry it's been so long since our last post! Here are some updates of the places we've visited and some of our experiences along the way...
From Fort Cochin we took a four hour taxi ride into the beautiful mountains and tea plantations of Munnar... not a bad place to be sick! We loved hiking around the plantations with our guide, Kumar, and meeting lots of interesting blokes on their travels through India. We even spotted some elephants on a foggy, misty morning hike, five hours up a steep cliff and through the unseasonal downpour of tropical rain. Unfortunately, we got very sick in the mountains and were forced to stay an extra three days there, surviving on chicken stock and toast and avoiding anything curryesque. All in all it was a good place to be stuck for a while and we came out alive and ready for the beach! Here are some funny highlights:
- Looking forward to a quiet, relaxing mountain retreat, we were greeted with three loud speakers blasting clamorous festival music outside of our window! Fortunately, our host at Olive Brook allowed us to switch rooms to the much mellower building on the other side of the hill.
- We took a gorgeous walk through the village and the tea plantations, and were able to see the village people prepare for the night's procession through the mountains (the festival coincided with Good Friday and Easter)
- With Matt sick in bed, Teri took a very confused taxi down into the town of Munnar and learned a quick lesson in communication when the taxi driver, after agreeing to "you will stay here, right?" left her at the ATM while he drove off to find a newspaper. Lesson: never ask leading questions! You'll always get a "yes" response.
- Amazing bugs and birds in the mountains--one morning saw a bird of prey swooping, floating through the trees and zig zagging down the hill below us, hunting for some forest critter.
- Learned how to make various Masala dishes from the cook at Olive Brook (our hotel) during his nightly demonstrations before dinner.