Elephants & Tigers & Bears.....oh my!

Trip Start Dec 26, 2008
1
12
27
Trip End Feb 06, 2009


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
Ashley Bungalow
(Kovalam hotels)

Flag of India  , Kerala,
Friday, January 9, 2009

The next day dawned bright and clear, and after another pot of the local tea, a hearty breakfast and an update on bowel movements, Salven took us to the tea factory.  There, the manager showed us around and explained to us the processes followed and the equipment used.  It's a small factory, and the manager told us that it had only been open again - as had the plantation - for a year, so things were still being renovated and brought up to speed.  The Ashley Estate is an organic plantation, and as a result, it takes longer to get up and running to generate a sufficient yield for sale.  Until then, they sell their output at auction, where big tea houses such as Tetley and PG Tips buy their crop and blend it in with other teas to produce the teabags we all buy in the store.  Not ideal, as the manager commented, but what can you do until your yield is big enough?  Tea sold as non-organic fetches 40 rupees a kilo - organic tea can fetch up to 400 rupees a kilo.  Big difference, and it's admirable that the Ashley Estate owners have gone this way, and are willing to take a hit until they can turn their manufacture into a profit. 

Mel had been feeling under the weather for the last couple of days, but when she broke into a fever, it was decided that she needed to go to the hospital to rule out Malaria.  Therefore, the afternoon found four our us - me, Ted, Sally & Ben - heading to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, while Mel & Matt headed to the hospital.  Trans Indus, the company through whom this part of the trip was arranged, were fabulous in arranging for a rep to meet them in Thekkady and take them to the hospital.  (She's absolutely fine - will be shortly winging her way back to Switzerland - it wasn't Malaria, probably just a stomach bug, so they put her on a shed load of antibiotics; the concern was because they weren't taking anti-malaria meds on the recommendation of their doctor.  Bless her, she's been a trooper!!!!).

While Mel & Matt were navigating the Indian health system, the four of us took a boat trip through the sanctuary.  Sally really, really wanted to see an elephant and a tiger, but would have been happy with just an elephant.....and she got her wish.  It was in the distance, as the boat didn't get too close to shore for fear or disturbing & upsetting the animals, but we saw an elephant.  We also saw a shed load of monkeys - they are pretty funny, but not when you are eating an ice cream, or when they wee on you as Ted & Ben found out to their chagrin!!!!! - otters, antelope and bison.  Unfortunately no tigers, but as there are only around 45 of them on the reserver and they are pretty camera shy, it was to be expected.  However, all in all, it was a pretty successful trip.

Salven, along with Matt & Mel who had been in an out of the hospital within 2 hours from admittance, through diagnosis and discharge, met us in the car park and we headed back through the hills to the Bungalow for more excellent food, good conversation and a rousing game of Hearts (which I won - I think I may have found a card game that I actually enjoy and am pretty good at!!!!) before turning in.  No axe murderers this night, fortunately :-) :-)
Slideshow Print this entry