Unfriendly Faces

Trip Start Dec 10, 2006
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Trip End Jan 07, 2007


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Sunday, December 31, 2006

Erin and I hired a driver from Kumily to Munnar for Rs1600.  Munnar is a city nestled in the mountains and is entirely surrounded by tea plantations.  We chose to hire a driver because the drive up is reputed to be spectacular, and we weren't disappointed.  The last 30-40Km gave some of the most fantastic scenery of the trip, with rolling hills, lake-filled valleys and mist shrouded mountains.  The buses have tinted windows and generally make it hard to fully take in the scenery, whereas the car allows us to stop along the way to take pictures or just lean out the window.  
Even before we got to the scenery the drive up was eventful.  First, we had to stop on the side of the road because it was blocked for a Communist Party rally.  I haven't seen that many hammer and sickle flags since the USSR fell.  The entire town was decked out in red flags and they were chanting something in unison.  A few towns later, we were stopped by another rally, this one much less friendly.  As we pulled over, a long line of people in Muslim dress marched by chanting about Saddam Hussein and America.  As they passed some began to shout in unison and shake fists at us.  I can safely say that it was one of the scarier experiences of the trip.  It seems some people in Kerala are unhappy about the execution of Saddam Hussein yesterday, for reasons we have not quite figured out.   He wasn't a friend of communists or Muslims, so the best guess is general anti-American sentiment.  Erin thought it may be motivated by anti-death penalty sentiment, however she realized India has the death penalty so who knows?  In Kumily there was also a 6 hour strike to protest the execution.
Our accommodation in Munnar is an actual, honest-to-god tree house.  It's in a little valley 14Km south of Munnar and is gorgeous.   We plan on spending New Year's day just relaxing and soaking in the view.  Happy New Year everyone!
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