Munnar to Kodaikanal - Tea Country!

We hired a driver to take us from Munnar to Kodaikanal as it was said to be a very winding and long bus ride. This was the view out the front window for much of the ride. Once we got over the automatic reaction to the visual input we relaxed (true everywhere in India and Sri Lanka). There is an amazing sense of co-operation on the road and an equally amazing ability on the part of the drivers to estimate how much space they have to maneuver.

Glorious mountain views - and since we had a driver we could actually stop to appreciate them.

 We watched the women cutting the tea and the tool they used explained how the bushes could be so evenly cut.

Not so hot up here in the highlands, but still the sun is strong and they are not in any shade. We learned that the workers make between $120-150 a month. Plus housing, utilities and medical. A day and a half off per week. Eight hour days ensured by the union. Days off for the religious holidays, of which there are many here in India! Vacations not really an option but there is flexibility for family emergencies.

Carrying the full bags down a long steep hill to the collection center. I thought of how Thich Naht Hahn teaches to look deeply. The amount of work that precedes our act of putting a tea bag into hot water is astonishing. From clearing the very steep hillsides to planting the bushes.  Watering. Fertilizing. Cutting. Carrying. Loading. Drying. Fermenting. Transporting. Packaging. All of it by mostly manual labor. I hope I shall remember these hard working and smiling people as I sip my cup the next time. And NEVER complain about the high price of tea!!

The geometry and patterns of the tea bushes were so appealing.

Down and down we wound to the plains for 2 hours. Then a welcome stop for coconut water from this lovely woman.

There were several other sellers along this stretch - but this woman had decorated her area with marigolds and a "fence" made from all the straws. When Glenn added to her installation by weaving his straw around the uprights she broke into the most beatific smile.

Another hour through the lowlands and then a climb back up for several more hours. We think it took about 2 hours to do 40 miles. We knew Bob Granner's house was 6-7 miles out of Kodai but the road kept getting smaller and smaller until it was more like a cow track. We pulled into a small parking area just as the road completely petered out and within seconds were greeted by these lovely ladies. The whole thing about servants is such a strange barrier for us. They are so precisely attuned to the needs of the people they serve. And it was such a stretch here and in the home we stay at in Sri Lanka to simply get up from the table after a meal, for example, and leave everything behind. Here it was even more formal as we were addressed as ma'am(mum) and sir.

Such a lovely sight after so much travel. Beautiful terraced gardens and lots of birds. And 2 kittens to play with!

Bob says they only do this for guests but I have a feeling that this artistry goes on all the time.

We visited the onsite pottery studio that Bob and others have started.

 And I got to try my hand at a long forgotten skill of throwing a pot. Not as forgotten as I had anticipated!

Breakfast on the porch with Bob and Jay. Not as cool as the jackets might indicate. Definitely a welcome respite.

Who would have thought that we'd be treated to a chamber music concert in a private home. Kodai is quite the cultural haven.

And we got to watch the villagers amazement as they watched a film crew at work. 

It was hard to leave such a haven of peace, good food, bird watching and interesting company. But a day in Madurai was calling before our return flight to Sri Lanka.