The next stop on my two-week adventure in Kerala was Munnar. As we drove up through the mountains on our way to the official town of Munnar I found myself instantly in love. I was pretty much ready to find any excuse I could to stay in Munnar forever. The mountain are big and beautiful and covered in tea bushes. The patterns made by the tea plants make the hills look like a huge patchwork quilt. One guide book describes Munnar as having a Sound of Music backdrop and I couldn't agree more. In addition to it's fabulous beauty, Munnar has the benefit of being cool (I wore a light jacket at night!!). If you plan to see the waterfall and are coming from the top of the mountain, make sure you give yourself ample time and don't believe anyone who says it is only two kilometers. There's a very nice hotel on the way down, which I unfortunately forgot the name of but had nice food and looked way out of our price range. On the bus ride into Munnar we passed tons of amazing looking hotels hanging off the cliff, but I'm not sure if those were technically in Munnar or some tiny little towns.
Things seem to close early, at least in the off-season, but there are plenty of sights to see during the day including many gardens, damns and a waterfall. The central hub of town is a bit longer than walking distance from the KRSTC bus station/our guesthouse but there is food within easy walking distance.
Accomodations: JJ Cottage- This was a very nice place with reasonable prices. Three of us stayed in one room with a giant bed (which actually turned out to be 2 beds pushed together) and one of the cleanest and bluest bathrooms I saw anywhere in India. Our room came with a tv and a pretty strong ceiling fan, though unfortunately no window other than one in the bathroom. I was never able to get the water anywhere above chilly temperature despite our hostesses assurance that there was hot water always available. Our friends stayed in a room down the hall which also seemed adequately spaced and nice and clean. There was a bit of noise from a small temple located behind us, but other than that it was a very nice place, with a very sweet resident cat.
Eating: SN Resteraunt - This was the most convenient and least sketchy looking place to eat near us. The food was excellent and served quickly too. Prices are pretty reasonable for any meal. Meals are served on a banana leaf!
Silver Spoon- Further into the main part of town and best accessed by rickshaw if you are staying farther out in the outskirts but also with good food. We came in the afternoon and had to wait a very long time but their paneer was delicious. We were saddened by the fact that the Indian music stopped about 5 minutes after we arrived and was replaced by terrible western 90s music, presumably for our pleasure.
There are plenty of places which sell chocolates, spices and tea in Munnar for extremely good prices, all of which are excellent quality.
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