Munnar..A Touch of Heaven

I can still remember approaching Munnar...It had been a long nights journey from Bangalore . This had been one of those completely unplanned departures. I was in Bangalore visiting a friend and our original plan was to go to Ooty: A very famous hill station in the south. However as luck would have it, most of the buses were overbooked - what with it being prime holiday season and all that! That's when Nefi first suggested Munnar to me. I had never heard of Munnar before and I must admit I was more than a little skeptical , but I couldn't resist Nefi's quaint little Bangalorean quip "Don't worry Ma, I'm sure it will be great" ( all bangaloreans punctuate their sentences with 'MA', it's a term of endearment ). So before we knew it we were on a bus headed south to Munnar. At one point in the journey we realised we weren't even sure whether Munnar was in Kerala or Tamil Nadu! All we knew is that we were a 100 miles from Bangalore and there was no turning back.

So like I was saying, we were approaching munnar. It was around 11 in the morning. The landscape around us had turned to a blanket of green. The calming sounds of gurgling brooks and gushing waterfalls engulfed us. The air grew fresher and with every breath, so did our spirits. Munnar is a nature-lovers paradise. What I liked most about it is its rustic fee

l, unlike most other hill stations that have been commercialised/ 'civilized'. We found ourselves in a cosy little room and threw our bags down and went to explore the town.

First Stop - Find a guide or at least have him find us ( more like he followed us till we gave in :) ). I mean you can't blame the lot - they have to make a living!

Second Stop - Food. We spotted a decent looking restaurant in the city centre. Right at once our guide warned us against the restaturant - very costly he says . But what the hell - we were tourists and were determined to act the part. So despite our guide's warning we entered that restaurant, kept our fingers crossed and opened the menu card with a little apprehension . Beef Fry and Rice - 30 rupees ! I had forgotten that far away from Bombay in a little corner of india 30 rupees is a lot of money to some people. I made a mental note to value every penny I have and without wasting too much time tucked right into the beef fry! Of course, at this point any uncertainty we felt regarding which state in India we were in was laid to rest - Kerala is the only place in India that serves beef in a restaurant.

As soon as the meal was done and our bellies satisfied - we wasted no time and decided to head straight for a waterfall. Then again our guide must have thought that being from Bombay we had never seen a waterfall in our l

ife; cause the first place he took us was little more than a trickle coming down the mountain side. But even though it was not what we were looking for our eagerness got the better of us and we decided to abandon our only guide and trek it out on our own. The rest of the day was blissfull paradise - had Buddha wanted to find Nirvana faster he should have come down south. Never has there been a more spiritual place. So quiet - so peacful - so completely frozen in time. Even a restless soul like me is commanded to be still. And in that moment a sense of complete peace.

In the evening time me and my two fellow travellers decided to take a walk round the city centre. There is not much entertainment in a little town like Munnar. The only social meeting points for people are the church , the temple and the little tea stall where our enthusiastic Kerela brethren can discuss politics with a fervour like no other. The little white church perched atop the hill looked so quaint and cute that I just had to stop by for a while. I entered the church and found myself a spot. From where I sat; I saw a strange sight: men and woman had occupied different pews. Another reminder ; how so little in India has changed and probably never will.

Out trip concluded at the most gorgeous and isolated waterfall I have ever been to. Completely off the beaten track with no signs of civilisation for miles around, an ideal spot for a romantic getaway. But for now I had to concede to enjoying the magnificence of it with my friend Nefi .Nevertheless - the image and the sounds stayed with me long after I had left Munnar. To quote Phoebe from "Friends", if ever I had a 'happy place' - it would be right there - under those falls.

For oft when on my couch i lie,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
they flash upon that inward eye,
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills....
And fondly remember those munnar hills....