September 26 - Munar, India

Ron finally dealt with his mullet. Munar seemed to be an excellent choice for a hair cut and shave. And it looks great. Some of you may already know, I rarely tell Ron what to wear. BUT, I have been known to beg for him to spend more than $8 and get a good hair cut. This cut and shave cost him about CAN$1 with the added benefit of providing the family with some entertainment.

Munar was a great little town with a fabulous local market, a great barber shop, all surrounded by thousands upon thousands of acres of tea plantations. We were actually disappointed we hadn’t taken one day less in Kumily and one more day in Munar. Our homestay was not anything to mention and too far out of town.

The drive from Kumily to Munar was an eye popping experience. The road was tiny and very windy. Each curve offered a new view into the hills with seemingly miles upon miles of tea. We came across a number of incredible views down the steep luscious green valleys. Dotted amongst the rows of tea plants were brightly dressed men and women picking, bundling, spraying (never really did find out exactly what they were spraying?) and socializing. We learned a tea plant will last one hundred years and yield leaves ripe for picking often. The amount of labour needed to run a plantation was unimaginable. The plant roots are strong and prevent erosion on the steep, very moist hillsides they are planted on. We didn’t have time to head out on a trek which is what we probably would have done given more time. Instead we headed into town to visit the Tea Museum and demonstration Tea Factory, yes really we did and Ron came too. We would never have guessed it in advance, but the stop was well worthwhile. I will never look at a tea bag the same again now that I know how it came to be.

The next morning offered time to quickly wander through the town again and for Ron to find his hair cut. I’m pretty sure we were going against the norm being an audience of four woman crowding into the tiny shop (filled with men only) to watch. Men and women seem to do everything separate from each other here in India but I will touch more on that later. I plan to depart from my reporting mode and try to write some of my random thoughts and observations from spending time in India. There are so many.

Food. There was a lot of talk about the food in Southern India. We found the food to be good although I’m not sure we really bumped into either the host or the restaurant offering the best of the best. The food in Kerala and Goa is definitely different from northern India as there is a great deal of Portuguese influence. It was amazing to have black pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom flavouring our meals so close to where it has been grown. They even offer a little beef down there. But, the girls were starting to struggle a bit, having a rough time embracing every dish set before them. I have to give them huge credit. Remember, I was the child who ate bologna and French’s Mustard sandwiches (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the first 10 years of my life. My love for food and willingness to try most things came much later in my life. So, Sadie & Anna are doing pretty well but their choices are still limited. It was time to find something to fill them up.

We left Kerala ready for the next chapter but really glad we had made the trip down, despite the threat of rain. The reward was unseasonably dry weather.