remember the time (RR not MJ)

I am reminded of my Munnar trip as I start to plan the summer vacation. Munnar is a beautiful place, as much mystical as it is serene. I had gone with my husband and a cousins' family. My husband's cousin married my cousin and so the term -cousins' family. They have two lovely daughters.
We went in the month of December actually on the 1st of December 2005 and returned on the 6th of December. We started out from a place called Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu by road. The car was an Indigoed Tata Indigo.

We took a long route to Munnar via Salem and Trichur, as the roads were a mess due to very heavy rains in the months of October and November in Tamil Nadu.
The journey was very pleasant and we had a good time listening to some nice music, with some of us shaking our bellys even.
We stayed overnight at Trichur in Hotel Elite International. The next morning we visited a clean and traditional Gurvayoorappan temple at Trichur and headed out towards Munnar. The 150 kilometres took us almost 5 hours to make, with a stopover at a keralite restaurant for a delicious keralite lunch, the receipes of which I cared to pick but not make as yet;
topped with a quick water-fall wash.

The route was cold and misty. The hills and the view stupendous and the impression -everlasting.

Our destination was the Club Mahindra Resort, supposedly in Munnar but actually 18 kms away from the town.
When we finally got to CMR after a few misdirections, we were thrilled. The place is ideal for a romantic and leisurely vacation but I had 4 Khabab Mein Haddis (4- Khababs with bones) ------just kidding.

The CMR is spread out over acres and acres of greenery and tea-estates with even a lake passing through. The rooms are well done and the restaurant is very good too, offering a wide variety of dishes. The prices work out reasonable for the members.
There are other sources of entertainment too.
Long walks with good companions- a must.
Echo point (the picture above) ---a sight-seeing option----worth it. The speed boat ride-- fascinating.
The dangerous twists, turns and twirls of the speed boat --very very thrilling and very very addictive.

On the final day a Theme Dinner is served. That weekend was the turn of culinary delights of Chettinadu. A Karagattam dancer displayed his histrionics as well. He did a fantastic balancing act of having a huge brass pot on his head and dancing with it & dared even to stand on four glass soft drink bottles with it.

The most cherished memory for me--sitting outside the room, on the comfortable wooden seats drinking in the heavenly view and sipping the simmering hot cups of black tea with sugar and just a dash of lemon through the early morning into the late nights and sometimes even chat with those around.

The return was through the Udmalpet route- very slow but far more scenic and picturesque.
Stayed overnight at Erode in Hotel Meridien. We were sapped by the time we reached Erode.
Returned to Tiruvannamalai on the afternoon of the 6th.

A long haul but a memory for a life-time.

Thanks dear cousins- U made this possible as u chose to be a member of CMR.

P.S. : Trichur and Erode good stopover points with good hotels.