Kerala Trip - Day 5
Day 5* I set off on an early morning walk, up through the plantation. It's absolutely peaceful, a stillness that can only be felt in the mornings.
* Did I hear someone say tea?
* I head back down to the rooms. Everyone is already gathering outside their rooms for their morning cup. I've come to love tea, especially when surrounded by family.
* Periyar Tiger Reserve and boat trip on the lake is the plan for the day. I must say that I'm not all that enthusiastic about it. I love nature, but have always been a scared of wildlife, even when it's in the distance. But I simply cannot miss the experience of it all!
* We don't see any animals at all, except for a birds, butterflies and a wild boar that was tied up near the shore. Oh well!
* We have lunch in Kumli and go spice shopping. There's a spice festival going on and we head there to buy some spices. I find some lovely organic tea from Poang and buy 3 boxes of it.
* In keeping with the theme of the book I am reading The Kindness of Strangers, I decide to buy a couple of books to donate to the library at Cardamom Club, where we are staying. I buy The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux and Wise And Otherwise: A Salute To Life by Sudha Murthy for Cardamom Club
* We see a Kathakali performance and see the elaborate way how they put on their makeup and clothes before.
{Edited to add }* The owner of the resort George Cherian takes a few of us on a walk though the cardamom plantation. It's a wonderful experience, to part the plants with our hands as we walk, ducking down to avoid the fronds, learning about the harvesting cycles. We see a bison footprint and the famous Malabari squirrel high up in a tree.
* We have a bonfire at the resort and the other guests join us as well. The atmosphere is so relaxed that I sing my first song :-)
Comments
But I'm inspired... so will look at doing something.. this summer.. (something!!??!!)
Patricia, thanks so much. Yes, we really did have a fantastic time and being able to relive it all is super-great as well :-)
We were actually going to go for a short weekend break to Ooty, while we were in Blr for Xmas and NYE. Bit by bit the group kept getting bigger and then someone forwarded some fantastic photos of kettuvellums and said why not kerala...and so it was!
If you're heading to India in the summer, then the hills of Kerala are great, although it is monsoon time!
so which song did you sing?;)
lovely pics and it seems your having fun travelling all the time... !!!!
cheers... your on my blog roll 1!!!!
traveling with family can be so much fun *SOMETIMES :)
Chitra, Lol, I wanted to sing Country Roads, but couldn't remember all the words, so I sang "Itsy-bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini". Unless I am at a bonfire, I'll probably never sing again! I'm thanking my lucky stars it did not get recorded :-)
hitch writer: thanks so much. I really try to enjoy my travels, rather than pack in as much as I can just for the sake of crossing them off my list.
Shranya, Lol this trip was with my in-laws and is the third such trip. Everyone was in a great mood, very relaxed and it all worked out very well. I love, love, love traveling with my parents too.