We are addicted to certain things in life, sometimes for no particular reason. It may be a place, a person or a thing. My husband and I are addicted to Munnar, the beautiful hill station in Kerala. Though the state has multiple backwater retreats, it is Munnar that holds a fascination for us. It was in the year 2001 that we had our first encounter with the hill station. We embarked on our road journey from Tiruchy to Munnar in our newly bought car with our two small children. That was my husband’s first self-driving venture on ghat roads.
As we crossed Theni, the scene outside changed completely. The climate became salubrious and we were enveloped by greenery. As we crossed the windy ghat road, we reached Munnar greeted by the multiple sprawling tea estates owned by Harrisons Malayalam and Tata Tea. The whole town looked as though it was covered with a green blanket. We instantly fell in love with the place. Those were the days when the region was less commercialised. Though it did not have that many sight-seeing spots to offer, the pristine beauty of the place entranced us.
We also took a trip to Kolukkumalai in a jeep. The road was bumpy. At the top of the hill, there was an old tea factory where we were offered a hot cuppa that tasted divine in the spine-chilling cold up there. From then on we have been frequent visitors to the region. We have found to our delight that the place has something new to offer us every time.
Once we had been there during the December vacation when the region was covered in mist. Its beauty was jaw-dropping. We spotted two pachyderms at night near where we stayed. Our family is planning to celebrate the 2020 New Year in the Munnar region and we are already excited over what would be in store for us this time.