The Neelakurinji Fever @ Munnar

Packed my bags, headed to the airport for a fun trip with family AND friends. A sneaked away long weekend after a crazy, exhilarating, workaholic month! Travel beckoned me... and so did family.

Reached Kochi Airport at 9 pm and the quaint little airport captured my heart right away! Booked an Ola, the courteous driver came in almost immediately and we were on our way to Rama Verma Club where the rest of the family waited.

We boarded our tempo traveller - 10 of us and 2 kids in tow - on the road trip from Kochi to Munnar. We took a good 7 hours and not simply because the road was a bit under the weather with recent rains... we sauntered at every nook and cranny that promised us delectable kerala fare... sampling appam n egg curry, medu vada, dosas in breakfast; kerala parota, fish fry, korma curry and payasam in lunch and sipping on coffee every once in a while.

We reached our stay - Club Mahindra, Munnar - wowing the tea gardens and basking in the awesome climate that made us forget Mumbai in a snap!

We stopped over at Periakanal Waterfalls to drink in the beauty of the falls... walk through the tea bushes and eat banana bhajjis!!!

En route to the Lockhardt Tea Factory, we enjoyed the clouds playing hide and seek with the mountains... looking like tufts of cotton stuck on the scruffy brown hills - like those neat projects in kids’ scrapbooks.

The factory was huge and gave quote a bit of insight on how tea is made - the orthodox (or the old fashioned) way! With the smell of tea in our heads, we HAD to taste some and so we did!

We called it a day with authentic southy lunch at Alibaba & 41 dishes... but not before going for the elephant ride and the Madupatty Dam - a scenic indulgence we didn’t want to miss!

The resolve to see the elusive Neelakurinji flowers was intense and we were elated to get our slot for the day. The jeep driver promised a bumpy ride complimentary to the tour and bumpy it was!!

And then we trekked up the hill with showers to greet us just as we reached the top.... feeling accomplished, drenched, excited all at once... age 4 to 66 altogether! The clouds blocked and unblocked our view building up the hype to yet another notch! And we saw the purple beauties though... some washed away, the survivors swaying to the rain but letting us have a peak till they bloomed again 12 years later!

And the day ended only with the therapeutic, soothing Kerala massage with the magic oils and healing hands that seem to soak up all the hurts and aches that you claim to have.

Amazing 4 days at Munnar, Kerala. We laughed, we cried, we fought, we patched up, we were hale and hearty and then caught on some sniffles - all in a day’s work! Must visit.

The climate, the scenic surroundings, the people - they all catch at your heartstrings and you find your serenity and adrenaline rush both at this little heaven tucked away amidst nowhere.