Day Two: The Oohs and Aahs!
The real adventure started now. Our day started with lazy kicks all around, everyone poking the other one to get up, twas still 5:00 in the morning. Lazily we packed our crumpled clothes lying here and there and dragged ourselves out of the room to receive a blast of rejuvenating air freshening our spirits. Something special in store was awaiting us.
Few hours after we had left the hustle and bustle of the city, immersed in blissful trance of scenic beauties all around, we halted at Pepper County restaurant to our first break. We had some dosas and uttapam for snacks and a cup of coffee afterwards. The food, as expected, had traditional South Indian taste, with sambhar masala ozzing out of every nook and corner of the dosas. It still fulfilled its function that was to relieve us from our epidemic state. The coffee afterwards was good and refreshing and morning chit-chats in mystic surroundings, without office worries is always a welcome change. After loitering around here and there for a few quick glimpses and snaps, we packed ourselves back into the cab for our ride ahead.
Along the route, after crossing the slithering Periyar river, we halted at the sight of Cheeyappara waterfalls, very close to the road. We asked our driver to pause for a few moments, to stretch ourselves and to enjoy the surroundings. Upon getting closer to the falls we found some enthusiasts already bathing in it. Soon thereafter, shedding our inhibitions, we also jumped into it's shallow depths, joining others. The water was cold but manageable. Shivering, shouting and enjoying ourselves for an hour or so, we set ahead to Munnar.
Before Munnar, we paused at spice gardens, something everyone had mentioned. So we took a stroll in the gardens pausing at Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Pepper, Turmeric, Ginger, Sandal Wood, Arrow Root, Eldoberry, Mulberry, Gooseberry and umpteen more plants than I would ever remember.
Flower on a banana tree 
A plant having flowers similar to a fish ( cannot remember the name) Munnar in simple words was beautiful and serene. Lush green tea plantations alongside road were overlooking the valleys and the lakes. All of us were ogling and drooling over the green carpet fields all around. For a moment, it seemed we would burst out of cars and run into the fields with paranoia. Squirming around the roads for an hour or two, we reached a Tea Processing plant, apparently upon insistence of our driver. Some of the guys inside were demonstrating something like how they oxidize the tea leaves and they grind it and then history of Munnar. The exhilaration of rejoining with our long lost love had such a profound and deep impact on us, that sitting on last bench soon we were found snoring at our loudest best, completely oblivious of what was going around. After some time ( obviously unbeknown, the time that passed), someone poked us mentioning that the lecture was over and we can have our cups of free ginger tea. Wow! that was very informative and useful I thought, said "Thank you" and ran towards the sign pointing "Free Tea this way'.We headed for lunch thereafter, expecting Pratul to join us anytime soon, he was delayed and had missed on everything we had done so far. After resting for a while, we left for lake Madupaty. The lake/dam was spread over a vast expanse of hillocks and islands in between, shadowed by trees lurching out of the islands and shores. We stopped on the Dam bridge to get a quick glimpse of gates and water gushing out of it. Pratul, Manu, Bhatt and Mittal tried there hands on shooting balloons (using gun) while I was left to shoot them(using camera of course ;) ).Later, our Safari driver suggested us ( once again), that we take a motor boat ride. We barely managed to reach the spot, to get last minute tickets before it closed for the day. The ride was uber-cool, but even more enchanting was the beautiful surroundings of the lake. The lands afar were the greenest with huge trees atop islands swaying romantically, hugging the winds. Naked roots half basking in sun, half bathing, were laid leisurely. And as the waves swooshed and whizzed around us, the serenity that laid beyond us knocked us out of our senses.
Suddenly, the motor boat paused and driver asked us for our camera. I paused - " er ! what? " and by the time I realized he was standing facing us, maneuvering the boat with his leg right and left, producing gust of waves for clicks.
The day worn out beautifully, and we planned to look for some place to rest for the night before day 3 starts bellowing in our ears. But the party had not ended yet. We found a cottage a few distance away from the main stays. The owner consented to arrange for a night bonfire for us. After unpacking our luggage we went to see an ayurvedic massage parlor, got ourselves some relaxing head and body massage, came back freshened ourselves and laid ourselves besides fire, discussing our escapades throughout the day, plans for the next day and things left to do. As the night passed and chirping of crickets was reduced to whimper, we were still out there, although it got a bit more chilly now. Occasionally throwing pieces of wood in the fire to keep it alive, singing and giggling around, encumbering our tiredness, we chatted late into the night. Sometime around 1:00 p.m. we dragged ourselves onto our beds, dead and exhausted, we slept peacefully. I don't exactly remember the dreams, but somewhere I was still there in Munnar floating amidst the green carpet valleys, hooting amok the hills, enchanted by the scenic surroundings.
Night seeping into
We left for Kumarakom early Morning after breakfast. We had scheduled our meet with the houseboat guide at 1:00 p.m.. Navigating through the circuitous route, hurrying down the hills, to the planes. Most of our journey during this part passed away sleeping. The hangover of previous day was not over yet.
Briefly halting at tea stalls and restaurants for a quick munch, we reached the designated spot exactly at One PM. After haggling with the driver over how much total amounted to, we unloaded our stuff to get a quick glimpse into our houseboat.
Our journey was to cover one round to Vembanad lake and return at 10:00 a.m. in the morning. As we set sailing, the view of adjoining shores, and overhanging grooves slowly faded into mist and an air of sudden serenity dawned on us. It was still afternoon and one galore outside our houseboats was enough to make us believe it, but the air had a humid smell and somewhat organic aroma. With nothing in sight ahead and behind us, we lost our sense of timings and sat nonchalantly, hanging along the railings gazing into horizon in front of us.
One legacy, which I carried from my institute was friends who understood you very well and with whom you connected very well but sometimes sounded ridiculously nerdy and geeky. During the course of our journey someone, somewhere, sometime mentioned how much this boat might cost? And then, started an analysis of cost of buying, cost of maintenance, rent it would generate, its future value, how much would it cost if we were to purchase it in 10 years time and so on and so forth.
Don't know how long it lasted, and as it might sound disgustingly boring and eerily spooky to a lot of fellas, it's always worth the time for nerdy ones like us. From cost analysis we went to dumb-charades for some time. Pratul had a torrid time to convince others to agree, that his movie was genuine (Faulaad) and his other concerns were genuine too. In between all this hullabaloo, I was thrown out of the game for giving movies titled - "One two ka Four", " Do aur Do Gyarah" and the likes, since everyone agreed they were not were not worthy of their time;). In the meantime someone narrated the complete story of a movie ( by gestures), made the audience to guess the actor and actress as well, but lost since nobody could still remember the title of that particular movie. Still we had an enjoyable time, guessing and fighting over correct ones and incorrect ones.
We halted at 4:00 p.m. for a break, had lunch comprising of fresh fish from lake, Bhindi and Lentils, if i remember correctly, of course Rice and some bread. The boat docked somewhere on the shores, to get refueled and supplies for later in the day. In the meantime our nerdy boys went ahead with catching fish using polythene bags and nails I guess. They had effectively planned to catch a fish by placing the bag in front of a school of fish, and lay their hands perfectly still, so that when any one fish enter the bag they will be able to close the mouth and catch the fish. Needless to say the plan failed miserably, with everyone ( pratul + manu) complaining aches in their shoulder for holding their hands still for such a long time.
Fish catching Spree.
After a break of an hour, we set sail again. This time moving slowly along the shores. A few distance ahead we caught glimpse of fishing nets, hung through bamboo sticks, a technique different from rest of the places for fishing. Murmuring, whispering, talking and swaying with the boat. We docked some time later, along other house boats, already buzzing with their night preparations.
Now, it so happened the boat drivers had mentioned sometime during our journey, that the lake would be very shallow where we'll be docking. And so we can jump into the lake if we wish to. So Manu Kapoor, who under normal circumstances would resist going anywhere near water, despise anything remotely related to bathing, whose notion of a healthy life would be staying in an utterly dirty hole, completely devoid of sunlight and fresh air, decided it was an opportune moment to rectify all those sins of past and took a holy plunge into the lake. The only thing he missed during the previous conversation was the driver stating bath when boat DOCKS. So, everyone was sitting in front of the boat waiting for it to halt. The bow(front end) had touched the platform and the boat's stern(rear end) was now moving towards it, making a circular motion with bow as the center point, so that eventually the boat would lie parallel to the docking platform.
Now before anyone realized, Manu jumped into the lake before the boat had stopped and apparently he had jumped from rear end of boat towards the platform. On hearing the splash the driver started shouting who jumped and where and before it actually dawned on him that Manu was between the boat and platform, the cook on the boat had rushed to the platform throwing a pole towards Manu to catch. He pulled our bathing enthusiast single handedly and blasted him for jumping in the lake without giving any second thoughts. The concern being jumping so close to the boat's rear end, which has propeller which pulls water in it and so might have pulled him as well. Reasonable I guess.
A boat resting behind usBut this did not deterred the rest of us from jumping into the lake, after enjoying for 15-20 mins we climbed back, took shower and freshened ourselves. After which we played poker for a while, soon it was time for dinner. After which we stretched ourselves outside talking late into the night. And so our day three was over and whining for a while for our trip getting over tomorrow we slept late into the night. 
Hero lag rahe ho bits !!! :D :D
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