Cup of Tea anyone

Trip Start Feb 15, 2006
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15
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Trip End Feb 16, 2007


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Flag of India  ,
Tuesday, April 11, 2006

It feels like we have driven a million miles most of which through fields of tea. It took six hours to get here by bus and we stayed at JJ Cottage which is in our guide book. Munnar is the Tea capital of India and if my family were here I'm sure they would drink the place dry!!

Munnar has great scenery and amazing views but by 8pm we were like fish out of water; everything closes and all we could do was go back to our room and have an early night.

Next day we walk to the tea museum to see how tea is made and in the afternoon we take a rikshaw to the view point where there is a coffee and cinnamon plantation it was quite bizarre. We buy a ticket for 25 rupees and start the trek down following the arrows. A few plants have name tags and before we know it we have reached the exit sign! I still don't know what a coffee plant looks like and have no idea what we have just done so save your rupees if you come here. After here we call at Blossom Park where we meet and Indian couple from Mysore. They were on a see-saw and asked Ben to take a photo for them. Inside the park there is a zip line slide, we see the couple again and boy do we laugh. He reminds me of Shab from back home with his contagious smile and wicked laugh.

On our last day we hired a car and driver to do the sight seeing bit, he picks us up at 9am and we drive through more tea. We meet ladies picking tea, weighing it in and sitting at the road side having lunch. They have to pick 14kg a day to earn 84 rupees for that days work. 84 rupees is £1.12 or there about. Can you imagine getting out of your bed to do a days work for £1.12? In the afternoon we go to Eravikulam National Park to see the Nilgiri tahr (a type of mountain goat) and bump into the honeymoon couple again, who insist on taking our picture over and over. The entrance fee has been hiked up to 200 rupees each plus 20 for the bus up and another 25 for the camera. Indian nationals pay 20 rupees full stop. It's not worth the expense so keep your money in your purse unless of course you have a thing for mountain goats! Just as we get back in the car the heavens open and the roads become rivers as it rains hard for hours.

We had bad news today, Ben's Grandpa died on the 11 April so we need a few days to our selves.

Early night again. Next stop Kumily.

To be continued. .
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