MUNNAR

We packed up and drove through the bustling streets of Mumbai ready for the next part of our adventure.

After a short flight to Cochin on Indigo air (think easyjet) we landed and made our way to where our personal driver was waiting in the sunshine. He loaded our bags onto the roof and secured them tightly. So far so good ....

We then spent the next 5 hours in the back of the car, swopping seats now and again as waves of travel sickness hit coupled with heat and overwhelming tiredness.

We made our way through the small villages and towns each with their own quirky uniqueness, still a bursting rainbow of colour with prayer flags, stalls and advertisments. There were still the manic drivers, overtaking and each competing for a stretch of road but in less volume and a much more laid back way ... A far cry from the madness of Mumbai!

We finally broke out of the villages engulfed by a sea of green. It was stunning palms, various trees and dense jungle lined the winding roads complimented with delicate flowers weaving in and out of the undergrowth. Gone were the city smells replaced with fresh air, wild spices, aromatic flora and err Cows!

We spiralled up and around the mountain side a new landscape greeting and blowing us away at each turn. Acres of tea plantations stretched out like a lush green carpet in perfect formation.

We stopped to admire Valaka Waterfalls. A picture of natural beauty, grabbing a well earned coffee (ginger and pepper, strong,burns,gorgeous!) We managed to avoid the monkeys who were used to tourists and always on the lookout to pinch some food or get up to mischief.

We climbed higher and higher until we were in the clouds. In places the road had been washed away and badly damaged, or there was a herd of cows having a rest and blocking the way. There were a couple of accidents too nothing major thankfully and not suprising either given the state of the road and the bad driving but luckily our driver was brilliant and we eventually re-entered civilisation and came to a standstill at the Green Ridge Hotel in Munnar.

It was really nice, 2-3 stars, clean and basic with a great coffee shop and even better picture perfect views. We checked out our rooms and crashed for a while to recover from endless hours of vehicle torture.

We found a great locals restaurant Sree Krishna or SN Restaurant which was recommended by our trusty guide "lonely Planet - India" The new bible.

It was what you would imagine a prison canteen to be like. It was very stark with long metal tables and chairs, everyone was really friendly and attentive once we got past the "Are there really white people coming to eat here?" expressions.

We all ordered our first Thali and Oh my god it was amazing. (still the best thing we have eaten so far.)

You start with Hot and Sour soup, then you each get a large round metal tray with 6 small metal bowls filled with a different pickle, puree, chutney, curd and a random sweet rice pudding like desert. You then get 2 large metal dishes containing different curries and a huge portion of rice to share between two, countless roti's and a green salad all of which got refilled endlessly. It was amazing and we all disgarded the cutlery and ate it traditional Indian style with our right hand, mushing, dipping and shovelling it in until we had to be rolled back to our hotel.

The whole thing cost 2.85 (pounds) with drinks - Unbelievable- Highly recommended.

The next day we got up early as we were told by our driver that we had sightseeing tours within the package. ( within the package meaning he would take us to various sights, we had to pay to get in and he probably got comission.) but it was all part of the fun and we happily went along with it.

The first destination on the whistle stop tour was Eravikulam National Park, home to the famous endagered but very tame Nilgiri Tahr (A type of mountain goat.)

We had to get on a small mimi bus with other eager tourists and wind our way through the breathtaking scenery, (a saving grace by all accounts) up to a point where we could begin our walk to meet Billy Goat Gruff. We did this just as the heavens opened.

After walking for twenty minutes on rough terrain, in heavy rain, with not a tame bloody goat in sight we a reached a sign that read "Here is the limit" Well it really was! We all just burst into laughter and started the long walk back and onto the fun bus after stopping for the obligatory cardamon Chai (tea)

Back in the car we made our way towards town for a tour of the tea museum. This was suprisingly really good. After a couple of rooms outlining the history of tea production and export and a few stuffed animal heads??? which made for some great comedy photos, we were shown around a scaled down version of a tea production plant and taken through the process the leaves were put through to make our tea bags. It was interesting and although not tea lovers the tea we had at the end was great. Cardamon tea is my new addiction!!

It was back in the car again after a quick lunch break and off to see the munnar dam where the driver wanted us to take a boat trip. None of us were "feeling the love" and skipped the trip content with taking in the scenery and browsing the market stalls with a much needed coffee.

On the way back we stopped at a tea plantation and had a go at picking the leaves. It was fab for a bit of fun but we would not like to do it as a living. Spending day after day breaking your back, hot and soaking wet, getting scratched and bitten, not to mention the snakes. It really makes you appreciate a cuppa!

Back at the hotel we chilled in the coffee shop and listened to some top tunes and got ready for tea all really shattered.

Steve and Dan got a rickshaw to buy umberellas as it had been raining solidly for hours and showed no signs of stopping.

We all headed into town, a busy little place considering we were on top of a mountain. We had a wander and made our way to shree Krishna had some food and headed to bed ready for an early start.

Next day we prepared ourselves for another 4 hours in the car. Bags secured and caffiened out we began winding our way back down the mountain surveying the breathtaking scenery before we came across another fabulous,high, fast running angry waterfall that shone with beams of colour.

Steve and Dan thought it would be a good idea to take a shower at the bottom of it. They climbed onto a ledge and it took literally seconds before they were drenched, the continual rain didn't help matters, but they said it was the most refreshing and amazing feeling. We weren't convinced especially as we had another 3 hours to go in the car, but it did look good.

We continued the drive waving Munnar goodbye and heading onto Thekkady.