Our last breakfast in India. I misread the time on my watch (should have put my glasses on) so we were up and about an hour before breakfast started but this was brewing in the Restaurant and it was delicious. I had 3 cups and it certainly cleared the sinuses. In fact the cold symptoms disappeared rapidly (although the cold may just have run its course I guess)
Chukka Kaappi - Its made with coffee powder, crushed peppercorns, cumin, basil and lots of fresh ginger - all boiled together and strained then sweetened slightly. Very spicy and comforting
One last walk around the gardens photographing the wildlife. More of the large squirrels here, I think they're called Malabar Squirrels
and a Wagtail - with freshly caught breakfast
This place isn't called Tall Trees for nothing .... and many of them are very old
Another lovely lady gardener
The restaurant is 5000 above Mean Sea Level (which doesn't mean much to me, but it certainly felt a 'long way up')
Bags packed for the homeward journey we set off at 10am to visit the Tata Tea Museum in Munnar.
There are demonstrations of CTC tea processing (Crush Tear and Curl) with small-scale machinery showing the different stages of cutting and sorting.
and this Gandhi look-alike guide was a real comedian as he talked us through the benefits and healing powers of tea - and the correct way to infuse the leaves
We then sat through a promotional video extolling the virtues of the Tata Group and their benevolence to their staff. The Tata Group have fingers in many pies - as well as Tata and Tetley tea (and various other brands) they own Jaguar/Landrover, Taj Hotels, airlines, insurance companies .. in fact you name it, they probably own it or invest in it.
The Tata Tea museum was interesting and houses a small collection of original machines and artefacts from the old Planter bungalows. I particularly liked the photographs showing life in the early days when Munnar was transformed from an uninhabited stretch of forest to a huge plantation area.
I love these old photos
The old monorail transport system - single track to guide the wagons but pulled by horse or bullock cart. Saved having to lay two rails - ingenious eh?
the machinery/equipment was all shipped out from England and having experienced these steep, winding roads in the relative comfort of an air conditioned coach, I can only guess at the hard work involved in manhandling these to the hilltop plantations.
Some of the roads don't look much different now
and the telephone system which I guess is the precursor to the dolls eye switchboards which were still in use in some offices when I started work in the 70s.
and there was a shop where just about every imaginable type of tea was stocked. We bought Masala, cardamom, chai and Ginger varieties
I don't drink much tea. I prefer coffee (but only the instant sort, not the strong beans that David favours) maybe now I've heard so much about the healthy properties of tea I'll try drinking more of it
one of the lotus flowers in the ornamental fish pond outside the shop
and a beautiful dog who was obviously feeding pups. She came to see us whilst we waited outside the tea shop for our coach ... so she got lots of attention (and food) such a pretty little thing and with a very waggy tail
Back on the road for another couple of hours. At the next 'comfort break' stop I watched the workmen next door. This guy's job was sifting/sieving the cement which he did by emptying sacks onto a wired rack which seemed very laborious but I guess in India one thing they aren't short of is manpower
Note the lack of mask, goggles or safety boots
Jungle Myna birds
Red Whiskered Bulbul
and I think this must be an Indian sparrow!
There is always something to see from the coach window, although its not always easy to photograph the sights because of glare/reflections on windows, speed of the coach or obstructions from other vehicles on the road. I've taken sooo many pictures during this tour that it will take me forever to download them from the travel computer and categorise them.. I hope to cull them and save perhaps 25% of the better pictures for future reference.
Scenes like this will probably never make it onto the drawing board but they just reflect the nature of the country. Expect the unexpected is the phrase that springs to mind
We stopped at a hotel near Cochin airport to freshen up, change into comfortable 'flying' clothes and use the facilities.
Just look at the name of the hotel - Well, they say 'it pays to advertise'!!
Chukka Kaappi - Its made with coffee powder, crushed peppercorns, cumin, basil and lots of fresh ginger - all boiled together and strained then sweetened slightly. Very spicy and comforting
One last walk around the gardens photographing the wildlife. More of the large squirrels here, I think they're called Malabar Squirrels
This place isn't called Tall Trees for nothing .... and many of them are very old
Another lovely lady gardener
The restaurant is 5000 above Mean Sea Level (which doesn't mean much to me, but it certainly felt a 'long way up')
Bags packed for the homeward journey we set off at 10am to visit the Tata Tea Museum in Munnar.
There are demonstrations of CTC tea processing (Crush Tear and Curl) with small-scale machinery showing the different stages of cutting and sorting.
and this Gandhi look-alike guide was a real comedian as he talked us through the benefits and healing powers of tea - and the correct way to infuse the leaves
We then sat through a promotional video extolling the virtues of the Tata Group and their benevolence to their staff. The Tata Group have fingers in many pies - as well as Tata and Tetley tea (and various other brands) they own Jaguar/Landrover, Taj Hotels, airlines, insurance companies .. in fact you name it, they probably own it or invest in it.
The Tata Tea museum was interesting and houses a small collection of original machines and artefacts from the old Planter bungalows. I particularly liked the photographs showing life in the early days when Munnar was transformed from an uninhabited stretch of forest to a huge plantation area.
I love these old photos
The old monorail transport system - single track to guide the wagons but pulled by horse or bullock cart. Saved having to lay two rails - ingenious eh?
the machinery/equipment was all shipped out from England and having experienced these steep, winding roads in the relative comfort of an air conditioned coach, I can only guess at the hard work involved in manhandling these to the hilltop plantations.
Some of the roads don't look much different now
and the telephone system which I guess is the precursor to the dolls eye switchboards which were still in use in some offices when I started work in the 70s.
and there was a shop where just about every imaginable type of tea was stocked. We bought Masala, cardamom, chai and Ginger varieties
I don't drink much tea. I prefer coffee (but only the instant sort, not the strong beans that David favours) maybe now I've heard so much about the healthy properties of tea I'll try drinking more of it
one of the lotus flowers in the ornamental fish pond outside the shop
and a beautiful dog who was obviously feeding pups. She came to see us whilst we waited outside the tea shop for our coach ... so she got lots of attention (and food) such a pretty little thing and with a very waggy tail
Back on the road for another couple of hours. At the next 'comfort break' stop I watched the workmen next door. This guy's job was sifting/sieving the cement which he did by emptying sacks onto a wired rack which seemed very laborious but I guess in India one thing they aren't short of is manpower
Note the lack of mask, goggles or safety boots
Red Whiskered Bulbul
and I think this must be an Indian sparrow!
There is always something to see from the coach window, although its not always easy to photograph the sights because of glare/reflections on windows, speed of the coach or obstructions from other vehicles on the road. I've taken sooo many pictures during this tour that it will take me forever to download them from the travel computer and categorise them.. I hope to cull them and save perhaps 25% of the better pictures for future reference.
Scenes like this will probably never make it onto the drawing board but they just reflect the nature of the country. Expect the unexpected is the phrase that springs to mind
We stopped at a hotel near Cochin airport to freshen up, change into comfortable 'flying' clothes and use the facilities.
Just look at the name of the hotel - Well, they say 'it pays to advertise'!!
Fascinating again. I didn't know tea was so beneficial either, I am a coffee drinker too, NOT instant although mostly decaf because of hiatus hernia. I wonder why the cow was being transported. Great pictures and great memories for you both.
ReplyDeleteI didn't post all the photos I took of the 'educational notices' on the factory walls. Green tea is meant to be great as a slimming aid.
ReplyDeleteThere were two calves in the lorry with the cow as well