Tea and Spices of South India
MUNNAR TEA
Munnar is at the heart of South India's largest tea producing region.
Recognized as a health resort, it is surrounded by rolling hills, carpeted with tea plantations trimmed and sculpted like ornamental hedges. The landscapes are magnificent, especially when veils of mist cling to the tops of the mountains. The town retains its colonial charm with neat bungalows, cottages, flower-filled gardens and the smell of fresh spices, tea and roasted coffee beans.
Located between 1600 and 2700 meters above sea level, Munnar enjoys a refreshing climate. The winter mornings are clear and the rains abundant during the monsoon. It is thus easier to understand why the British made it their summer capital at the end of the 19th century. You can still feel their presence when you visit the small Christ Church, built in a neo-Gothic style in 1911 with granite imported from England. It is the oldest church in Munnar and it contains a series of plaques commemorating the first foreign tea planters. The missals of the first Scottish planter pioneers are hidden there, the caretaker will be happy to show them to you.
Munnar gets its name from its strategic location at the confluence of three rivers. Everything here is conducive to discovery, on foot or by bicycle. Between the Eravikulam National Park, which shelters the last Nilgiri Tahr or Nilgiri Ibex, and the surrounding lakes, the tea and spice plantations and the villages placed in the heart of this emerald sea, the possibilities are legion.
You cannot leave Munnar without having shopped for tea and spices from South India, a paradise in this field where you will find ginger, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, cloves, nutmeg, and many more. They are the best for your cooking and the best way to remember Munnar when you get home.
THEKKADY SPICES
Located on the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this stop is a good option to break the long distance to be covered through the Western Ghats and which separates Madurai from the west coast of the subcontinent.
It is here that the traveller will find one of India's largest nature reserves. It is located on the shores of the artificial lake of Periyar formed by the construction of a dam in 1895. The reservoir, which winds around the surrounding wooded hills, provides a permanent source of water for the local fauna. Although the park was originally a tiger reserve, the traveller comes here mainly to observe the wild elephants that come to drink at the edge of the lake.
The national park covers a total protected area of 925 km² and is renowned for its rich flora and fauna. The forest, made up of teak, rosewood, sandalwood, mango trees, tamarinds, banyan trees, bamboo, among others, is home to nearly 60 species of mammals. These include the rare Bengal tiger and Nilgiri tahr but also the Indian elephant, the gaur, the sambar, the wild hog, the Indian giant squirrel, the barking deer or the lion-tailed macaque.
About 265 species of birds are also present there. Common and rare birds can be seen including Malabar great hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Nilgiri flycatcher, black bazaar, Nilgiri thrush, lesser spider hunter, Brahmin kite, great hornbill , etc. Finally, note the presence of 27 species of amphibians, 45 species of reptiles and 38 species of fish.
It is during a boat trip on the calm waters of the lake that all these natural riches can be observed. The traveller can then discover spices and medicinal plants, the main activity of Kumily and the town closest to the park. Among the best known are cardamom, pepper, coffee, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, turmeric (or curcuma), ginger, vanilla, and many more.…..
