Day 12: Tue 21 Nov 17 - Kumily to Kuttikanam, 57 km

Day 12: Tue 21 Nov 17 - Kumily to Kuttikanam, 57 km - total so far: 814 km

November 20, 2017

22 to 31 deg fine and mainly sunny.

Felt a little weary in the legs this morning, don’t know why?

Bob and Trio elected to do the wildlife safari this morning leaving at 6am. It wasn’t worth the time or money they said. Phil and I opted for a walk around town instead, starting at 6:30am. The first stop was a tiny coffee shop where we got two coffees for less than $1. They were worth a lot more, it was a great start to the day.

We are in a very Christian region of India here with churches, Christian schools and monuments everywhere. However there are also plenty of mosques and Hindu temples. Let’s pray they all continue to live beside each other in harmony.

A lovely fresh brekky back on the rooftop at the Guest House followed.

We ended up heading out about 10:35am for the relatively short but sweet ride to the plantation resort at Kuttikanam. But first there was some more hills to climb, some rather big ones actually, some really big ones!! Passed some coffee and pepper plantations as we were exiting the town. A cuppa awaited at the top of the first mountain for those who were ready for one. I had drank my fill, and more at brekky.

Onwards we peddled, sometimes barely making any headway due to the steepness of the climb. Every turn took us higher and higher into the heart of the tea growing region. What beautiful scenery awaited us; with every twist and turn there’d be another potential spectacular photo. We could have spent the whole day within a few Kms it was so beautiful. Pity I only have an iPhone to take pictures.

Did a guided tour of the Connemara Tea Plantation Factory and our local guide spoke great English and explained everything so well.

Stopped for lunch soon afterwards and wasn’t it a cracker; deep fried whole fish, curried beef, curried veg, Indian bread and all the sauces and spices you could eat. We certainly haven’t gone hungry on this tour, thanks to Mike’s extensive local knowledge. We were all a bit cautious about eating too much food as we knew that more steep mountains were ahead.

As it turned out the day was even tougher than I imagined; and I love hills! But even I was so glad when the support vehicle turned into the Misty Mountain Tea Plantation Resort. We were right behind it. A lovely cold watermelon drink was waiting for us.

All I wanted was a shower and to get my washing duties out of the way. Beaut room.

Kuttikkanam, is a hill station in Idukki district, Kerala, southern India. It is 3,500 feet (1,066m) above sea level and surrounded by lush green tea plantations. It is within the territory of Peermade. Kanjirappally and Mundakkayam are the nearest towns.

Today the Resort lived up to its name as the mist rolled in about the same time we arrived, 5:20pm. Dinner was an in-house affair, delicious and very ethnic. Bed followed soon after.