Come to Munnar and tell me you think there's no God.

Again, dug out from a journal, way back from 2006. Went there again in July '09. but that's another day, another blog.

What new things can I tell you about Kerala? Everything has already been said, written, shot, filmed and shared. Yes. It is enchanting. It is beautiful. It is everything the brochures promise. And then some. So let’s talk about the ‘then some.’

Let’s talk about Munnar. You might have seen it on the big screen if you’ve seen Nishabd. At the expense of sounding pompous, I have to say that we discovered its beauty much before the big screen did. For those who didn’t catch the movie, Munnar is a wonderful little hill station tucked between the unending spans of tea estates, most of which are owned by the Tatas. It’s clean, green with very few people and virtually no tourists. In other words, it’s like Simla or Mussoorrie, only 20 years back in time.

The first thing we did in Munnar was head over to the Mattupetty dam where the district authorities provide boating facilities. If that’s not your thing, you can hire speedboats or motorboats to splash your way up and down the Kundla River. The River is very placid, clean and did I mention there aren’t too many people around? The dam itself is a quiet little tourist spot, very family friendly. You can take home various kinds of teas from the makeshift market. We tried the chocolate and masala teas but they were a little too exotic for my rather discerning palate.

Now let’s move on to Thekkadi. While walking towards Periyar we realised that Thekkadi, at least the stretch that leads to Periyar, has some of the most wonderful hotels in the nation. None of them that we could afford but it’s always nice to see unique and esoteric architecture, particularly when it’s in your own country.

Now, I’m neither claustrophobic nor am I agoraphobic. Yet, I’m not very good with being in closed quarters with too many people. However, I managed to forget all that and took in the sights and sounds of the Periyar sanctuary. Not to mention breathe in the fresh and light air of the place. I think my carbon filled lungs took time to adjust to the unfamiliar feel of clean air. After almost gliding on water for an hour and taking pictures of interesting trees, we spotted a herd of majestic elephants. They were happily going from one part of the sanctuary to another with a bunch of their adorable calves playing around them. You could hear a flurry of clicks between the ‘oohs!’ and the ‘awws!’ And I’m secure enough to admit that some of those swoons were mine.

I know how everyone keeps saying that they’ll definitely be back to see more of Kerala. But I had the opportunity to do just that four months ago. Although I was there for work and our stay was limited to Alleppey, it was no less memorable. Before leaving for Kerala, my producer, Sudipta, kept warning me that the men are a little too friendly there. And apparently they have a peculiar habit of poking women with umbrellas! Perhaps it was their idea of flirting. But on landing there I was relieved to see that the place had not changed much at all. And the only man poking women with an umbrella was our director. I’d love to mention his name but the poor guy’s married.

I’m not one to preach and tell people how to live their lives. But if you are planning a trip to Kerala, look beyond the tourist maps. And you might find a discreet little missionary school in Alappuzha. The charming and perfectly behaved students there love Nestle Munch chocolates. And though, they’d be more than willing to share, why not buy a whole box, if not more?