Munnar, Kerala, India

So we've been a little slow in writing up our post from Munnar, Kerala - the last leg of our travels before heading off to Dubai! Apologies, but we've been somewhat distracted by feeling a little melancholy at our 18 month adventure coming to an end and also very excited at the prospect of coming home and seeing family. So here it is - at long last... a little brief but complete all the same!

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Alas, the good weather (no rains) of Alleppey and Cochin didn't last us to Munnar. It poured for most of our 5 hour drive up the hill tops of Munnar in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Our driver kept promising us 'many many sights' along the way but it was all a wash out! I mean who wants to see waterfalls in the middle of a torrential downpour?!! Feeling a little bit hard done by, we headed straight for our hotel, catching a quick glimpse of the tea plantations views. After some dinner and TV, we went to sleep praying for better weather the following day.



Our prayers were answered and the rain stayed away just long enough for us to race round the viewpoints and sights before we commenced our long drive back to Cochin for our flight to Bombay. We breakfasted on dosas and utthapams - yum!, I could get used to this!! Munnar is known for its tea plantations... I have some vague memories of these from when we were in Indonesia but the vast vistas were quite breath-taking. The tea plantation bushes looked like green thick clouds; from a distance, a hill of tea looked like a lush green shaggy carpet.

Next up, we visited a spice garden where we saw all sorts of household spices and fruits growing in the wild. There were green, red and black peppercorns all growing from the same single plant. Pineappples, ginger, guava, strawberries and aubergines. We smelled fresh basil, ajwain, curry leaves and lemon balm.

Finally, and what a befitting end to our travels, Alkesh and I decided to take the plunge and ride an elephant. I know morally / ethically it is questionable and I could debate the matter for some time, but when faced with the opportunity I got all giggly and decided it had to be done. We'd missed the chance in Thailand, found it too expensive in Angkor but finally in Kerala - we had our chance. Despite Indian elephants being smaller than their African counterparts we'd seen on Safari in Kruger, it was still a massive beast. We rode the elephant as he plodded through the jungle... cheekily stopping at several points to feast on the fallen down branches. It was good fun!



From here, we return to Cochin for our flight to Bombay. 2 sleeps in a nice Bandra hotel ordering room service and last-minute shopping before we catch our penultimate flight, early in the morning to see Neeta, Jilan, Siana and baby Joshan in Dubai. Hoorah!

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And there you have it - our final official post of the Alkesh and Navita World Tour 2010! Thank you to you all for sticking with us - we've loved sharing our experiences with you. Alkesh and I are very very grateful for being able to live out this dream and pray thanks for having stayed safe and well throughout our journey.