This part of our trip is focused less on big historic sites and more on getting more familiar with the local nature. Day and night, as it includes camping. We are finally going to use those sleeping bags we have been carting around for the last month.
We have done four all-day hikes around the area near Munnar. All of them involved packed lunches, hiking up rocky slopes and down gravel screes in the heat of the day, and at some altitude.
I found a length of eucalyptus wood at the beginning of hike #2 which was a great help for the rest of our hikes. One of our group was laid ill for 3 of the 4 days, and two more had falls. Nothing serious, but blood was shed. Thankfully, we all had capacious medical kits and no lasting damage is expected.
Along the way, we learned about the birds and plants that call this place home. Although we did not clap eyes on wild elephants or jackals, we saw their footprints, excrement and carnage on deer bones respectively. We found porcupine quills, heard bird songs, and experienced mountain tops, grasslands, tea plantations and shola forests. the most interesting thing I learned about the environment is that nothing eats tea plants. No animal, bird, insect - nothing.
We achieved the summit of Messapulimala, south India's second highest peak (at 2640 metres) and gazed over at Anamudi, 55 metres higher but off-limits in its protected site. We passed through many national parks bordering the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which boast wild rhododendrons that bloomed scarlet but had the toughest leaves of any rhodo. I've ever experienced. Lots of wild flowers, butterflies and insects. Amazing views.
Camping was not nearly as rustic as I was expecting it to be. For one thing, our tents were already set up for us, with our bags delivered, so we only had to hike with day packs. We each had a foam mattress about 5cm thick. There were flush toilets and cold water showers.
Almost as soon as we returned to camp after each day of hiking, a large bucket of hot water was made available for us to pour into small pans for washing. Hot tea and a snack were placed in front of us: fresh banana fritters, or vegetable patties, or onion pakoras. The Kingfisher beer we had brought from town was placed in a river to cool, and dinner was presented to us every night with soup, rice and a couple of curried items. In the morning, tea was brought to each of our tents a half hour before breakfast was ready. Water was boiled and then cooled to be safe for us to decant into our drinking water bottles. Then we were sent on our hiking way with metal plates and cups for our mid-hike snack and multi-dish lunch that was carried by one of our guides who hiked the same trails with us, but having to lug around all those tiffins full of food and soup as well.
Our first camp had a pond with lilies and frogs. Our second camp was at a school. We had a robust fire every night to hold back the cool night air, and the stars were amazing. It was grand.
We have done four all-day hikes around the area near Munnar. All of them involved packed lunches, hiking up rocky slopes and down gravel screes in the heat of the day, and at some altitude.
I found a length of eucalyptus wood at the beginning of hike #2 which was a great help for the rest of our hikes. One of our group was laid ill for 3 of the 4 days, and two more had falls. Nothing serious, but blood was shed. Thankfully, we all had capacious medical kits and no lasting damage is expected.
Along the way, we learned about the birds and plants that call this place home. Although we did not clap eyes on wild elephants or jackals, we saw their footprints, excrement and carnage on deer bones respectively. We found porcupine quills, heard bird songs, and experienced mountain tops, grasslands, tea plantations and shola forests. the most interesting thing I learned about the environment is that nothing eats tea plants. No animal, bird, insect - nothing.
We achieved the summit of Messapulimala, south India's second highest peak (at 2640 metres) and gazed over at Anamudi, 55 metres higher but off-limits in its protected site. We passed through many national parks bordering the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which boast wild rhododendrons that bloomed scarlet but had the toughest leaves of any rhodo. I've ever experienced. Lots of wild flowers, butterflies and insects. Amazing views.
Camping was not nearly as rustic as I was expecting it to be. For one thing, our tents were already set up for us, with our bags delivered, so we only had to hike with day packs. We each had a foam mattress about 5cm thick. There were flush toilets and cold water showers.
Almost as soon as we returned to camp after each day of hiking, a large bucket of hot water was made available for us to pour into small pans for washing. Hot tea and a snack were placed in front of us: fresh banana fritters, or vegetable patties, or onion pakoras. The Kingfisher beer we had brought from town was placed in a river to cool, and dinner was presented to us every night with soup, rice and a couple of curried items. In the morning, tea was brought to each of our tents a half hour before breakfast was ready. Water was boiled and then cooled to be safe for us to decant into our drinking water bottles. Then we were sent on our hiking way with metal plates and cups for our mid-hike snack and multi-dish lunch that was carried by one of our guides who hiked the same trails with us, but having to lug around all those tiffins full of food and soup as well.
Our first camp had a pond with lilies and frogs. Our second camp was at a school. We had a robust fire every night to hold back the cool night air, and the stars were amazing. It was grand.
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| steep and hot |
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| but what a great view |
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| inukshuks in India |
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| gorgeous tea fields |
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| hiking among the tea |
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| jeep to day's start |
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| snack break |
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| one of the gentle slopes |
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| views of our trail below |
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| icy mountain streams... |
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| tea and banana fritters |
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| camp 1 |
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| more tents than campers that night |
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| floral inner lining of our tent was very pretty in the light |
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| sunset over the lily pond set the frogs going |
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| tea brought to our tent! |
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| another jeep to another starting point |
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| one of many many steep bits |
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| at the summit of Messapulimala |
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| the view from atop Messapulimala |
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| lunch in the shade |
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| eucalyptus wood fire |
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| Our bucket of hot water for washing |
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| wonderful views of tea fields, grasslands, eucalyptus groves, shola forests and rocky mountains |
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| wild rhododendrons |
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| camping at the school after hours |
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| Mount Messapulimala on the right - we were there! |
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| wild hypericum |
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| wild flowers in every colour |
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| ditto |
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| giant wild poinsettas these were also planted at the end of tea rows - the contrast between green and red was stunning |
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| getting dirt out of a wound with a needle - patient was very brave |
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| our camp crew |
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