Kerala. The Southernmost state of India. Most literate state of India. Matriarchal Society (mother’s name carries the family name). Spoken Language: Malayalam. Must-Buy: Kanchipuram Saris and Stalls made from banana leaves. Must-eat: Fresh fish. 34.8 million people rich. Capital: Thiruvananthapuram.
They say God lives in nature. Beauty can uplift a tired soul, heal a broken heart, instill it with purpose, even a coughing-up-a-storm with tattered coughing chest type of a person I had become by day 9 of India.
It was January 1st of 2019. A clean slate (even if carrying the same burden of problems). A fresh start even if just another day. But without a shard of a doubt, a brand-new destination awaited us (from a new culture to new sights).
And at 9 a.m., we were above the clouds, an unnamed hope tugged in our hearts. The pilot was kind enough to tell us of the mountain ranges under the plane, and I clicked one too many photos.
Setting foot at Cochin Airport, THE FIRST SOLAR AIRPORT OF THE WORLD, we were amazed by the cleanliness of the airport. Search for a speck of dust would disappoint, and one could comb one’s hair through the reflection in the shiny, dark floor.
The name of our driver was Ajmal, the man who slept in the car, all four nights, with family in Cochin but comes to Munnar weekly.
And even the littlest of hearts noted the lush greenness of the region. The banana trees sprawled the landscape where rivers cut through with the volume I had only seen in rivers of America. A vast majority of rivers in India were drying up, and welcoming the contrast, I had not forgotten what happened in Kerala just a few months before we set foot in it – deep flooding. So, nature has its mysterious ways.
Munnar is three or so hours east of Cochin, away from the coast, home to the tea plantations. A small town. A simple town.
Driving to Munnar…
Our first stop was to get fruits, only fruits were comforting to my tattered throat. Second stop? Waterfall! The base of this waterfall was dirty but the sound, the sight was refreshing for my sore eyes. We spent a few moments before resuming our journey to Munnar but now that the mountains had begun, so did waterfalls crashing along the sides of these giants, the plantations, the lakes in the mysterious valleys below, the lookout points and the coughing mess had forgotten the discomfort of a cough.
Munnar. 38K population. Former resort for British Raj elite established in late 19th century.
To top the beauty of wildflowers along a mountain, was a dose of culture, a dance show, Kathakali which means demonstration of a story through dance. Last order of business was coffee and this night, after previous two was first I slept some of it between the pangs of illnesses with heart happy with joy, happy to be in the presence of clouds where dreams surely come true, illnesses surely heal, sins surely wash away just by looking at a mountain painted pink by rising sun.
Memories from the first day …
We rose with the sun, warmed with a buffet breakfast to behold more lakes, dams, the top station in Tamil Nadu (neighboring state) wrapped in clouds. Our souls were getting cleansed by the sounds and sights of nature, even mother and baby elephants eating by the lakeside in the valley beneath us. Pure and utter bliss.
Not included in the photos is the elephant ride we took – bumpy and probably will not do again but it was an experience for the children, riding and then, feeding the giant mammal.
We wrapped this day with hearts full. Next day, was still unchartered because a statewide strike was declared. Strike? That is, expect all shops, restaurants, etc., to close. Expect violence. Why? Because of inequality between men and women that is nurtured in India, even in the most beautiful of all places. A temple was open for years only to men because women are considered impure because of their monthly cycle. Women fought for their rights and Supreme Court sided with them. So, lawfully, two women accompanied by police, entered the temple. The BJP government, the ruling party of India, our prime minister’s party, declared the strike in protest.
What would we do on a day we were to visit the national park near Munnar and make the 3-4 hour journey back to the coast to Kumarakom? Could we do it? Would we see lunatics on streets making highways un-passable? All because man does not consider all equal.