Kerala Diaries - Munnar

Green, green and green. All around I could see the greenery. The peace and calm. The serenity that brought the right charm. That’s what it felt like during my trip to Kerala. And it all began at Munnar.

It started with the idea of a solo trip. Taking inspiration from my colleagues and learning about the experiences of solo travelers, I had decided to go on a solo trip and the first place that came to mind was Munnar. My parents had, in the past, gone on a trip to Kerala and spoke highly about it. While it took time to bring my thoughts to action, there wouldn’t have been a better period to do so than to go on the trip during my Birthday week. A much needed break and the first experience of being on my own, it all culminated in a late-night flight landing and a taxi ride to remember.

Late Night Scare

From Kochi airport to where I was going to stay, the journey was 3-4 hours long. And not because the roads were bad or that there would be traffic but because the distance was that long. Landing around 10 pm and waiting for a taxi, to my surprise most of the drivers were canceling my ride and weren’t ready to go. And this was true for both Ola and Uber services. I thought that I might not reach the hotel and would have to find temporary accommodation in the middle of the night. But at long last, one driver agreed to the intercity travel. But there’s a catch.

Upon arriving at the airport, he asked me where I was headed to. When I informed him, he said that he would have canceled the ride as well had he known the location I was going to and that it was a one-way ride. But then he said that I could cancel the ride and he could still drop me at my location but at a lesser cost. Tired and in need of rest, I agreed to it. But only half an hour later during my journey, did I realize that this could be dangerous. The driver could have easily taken me elsewhere, or taken a longer route or could have caused me harm. In fear of any bad scenario, I shared my location with my family to keep a track of where I was and how far the location was. The driver tried to chat with me, trying to know if I was alone. I lied to him that my friends were waiting for me at the hotel. I guess that was my saving grace. Who knows what the outcome could have been had I informed him that I was alone and traveling solo?

It was more than an hour and I couldn’t sleep or rest up as my fears and worried family kept me awake. The driver informed me that this was a norm wherein taxi drivers would cancel the ride but would anyways drop the person at the location. What it would mean is that the driver keeps all the money without the companies knowing that the driver had given someone a ride. He informed me that the taxi drivers were doing this as the companies had stopped paying to them for the petrol charges for a ride back from Munnar to Kochi while most of the tourists were only taking one-way rides. This meant that the drivers had to pay the petrol cost since there were fewer tourists taking rides back from Munnar and they also had to share their cut of the money with the companies. If the tourists paid online (which happened most of the time), then there would be slight delays in payment. I would have felt further sympathy for the driver had I known this earlier but my fears and constant vigilance made sure that I wouldn’t during the ride.

It was almost 3 hours into the journey and I started feeling comfortable. The driver had his opportunities to have his way during the journey but I realized he was genuinely doing his best to drop me at the location. Once I felt relaxed, I started talking to him about his life, where he lived and what were his suggestions for the journey. As we were climbing up the hill road, I allayed my fears to him about falling off the road in the dead of the night. But he was an experienced driver and he informed me that only the inexperienced have gotten into accidents and have fallen to their deaths. The night was foggy but I truly started to enjoy my experience as the only sounds that I could hear were of the car and the wind blowing against it.

One final hurdle & a lesson

As I reached the hotel, it was cold enough for me to enjoy the natural weather. But when I asked the receptionist about my room, they informed me that all of them were occupied! It was already late in the night and I didn’t have the strength to shout or fight. Thankfully, the manager present realized that they had gotten a mail about my booking but hadn’t processed it. They gave me a temporary arrangement in a room which wasn’t too great but I had to take it because there was no other choice at the moment. Still feeling cold and tired from my journey, I was half asleep and in a room that didn’t give me the feeling that I was going to enjoy the hotel experience. After all, it was where the staff members would sleep!

But thankfully, as promised by the manager, the very next day I was upgraded to a room luxurious enough for 2 people to stay in and was provided the best of services. He apologized for his mistake and promised that he would ensure there were no more lapses on his end. I lay back on the bed and decided to explore the area later in the day as the exhaustion had caught up and I needed a much-deserved rest. But it also made me realize that I should always double-check on the arrangements I planned and made, whether it’s done online or via phone. Thus I checked with all my hotels if the rooms were booked accordingly and if there would be any issues. Rest assured, this was the final hurdle I had faced in the journey and one among many lessons learned throughout this journey.

Surrounded by green

My first stop as per the suggestion of the hotel managers was to the dam close to the hotel. They informed that there were shared rickshaw services to reach the location. But just upon stepping out of the hotel, I could start seeing the greenery. Living in a grey jungle for most of my life, it was a relief to my eyes and mind to find myself surrounded by nature even in a famous tourist location. The sun shine high and the only noises that I could hear were those of the wind, the birds and the leaves ruffling against each other.

Even during my journey towards the dam, all I could see were the hills upon which grew plants of all varieties on it, a sight for my sore my eyes. When I reached the dam, the water was not only clear but the scenery was one that I would like to have yet again in my life.

Walking up the road, I wanted to take in all the beauty that my current environment was offering me and the fresh air that was filling my lungs. Although I was getting tired, I didn’t want to stop walking while capturing this beauty with my very eyes and my camera.

Eventually I reached a spot where they were offering boat rides including a jetty ride. But not only could I afford it, the larger boat ride meant that I needed a group to go along with. Hence I couldn’t do it and had to settle with just clicking a photo of the spot.

But close to the dock, there was a funzone park for me to spend my time. For a cheap ticket price of Rs 150, one could participate in various activities present at the park. This included rope bridge crossing, tire bridge crossing, watching a 4D movie, high striker and bowling among other activities. This helped me as some of the activities were challenging while others could be utilized to spend leisure time.

Its monkey business all the way!

My final stop was the tea factory that was close to the park. Most of the plants that I was actually seeing were tea leaves being grown across the hill. It was also an opportune time for me to buy tea for my mother whose favourite delicacy is ginger tea.

And that was how I spent my one and only day at Munnar. I definitely felt that I should have reserved more days as I could have explored far more than what I did. Plus I could have enjoyed the cold weather even more than I did. But whatever said and then, it made me realize that I should have planned my days better but at the same time, I can easily enjoy visiting places without the need to pre-plan it. As the night set in, I went back on a solo rickshaw ride back to the hotel and what I definitely learnt that day and throughout the week was that just like in Mumbai, people are willing to help you when you need it.

Until next time Munnar!