Our journey today was 175km (109 miles) and we traveled almost completely across Kerala. It took all day. It was a journey of 1,000 twists. Kerala roads after all. We are on our way to the coast soon, to surf … swell permitting.
We stopped in Munnar to transfer from jeep to minivan, and the town was so busy and congested we took a tuk-tuk to lunch!! Look at those smiles. Makes me smile.
For kicks I took bus and truck photos on the drive to make a collage. Here it is :) such good words of wisdom: Rome wasn’t built in a day!! Smile, Laugh & Travel!! Reset, Retry, Refocus Never Give Up!! Karma is a boomerang!! I never lose, I either Win or Learn!! On the way into the hills I swear the phrases were all macho-to-the-max, somehow on this journey the world gave us words of wisdom and inspiration.
And a collage of roadside shacks, because why not?
And lastly, a collage of Indian life as seen on the road. A lot of draped men in these parts of the world. Draped women too.
We arrived at sunset. The rubber tree wrappings were glowing in the evening light.
On the way to the coast we’re spending a couple of nights in a heritage bungalow on a 140 acre rubber plantation. Rubber grows on trees!! OMG did not know. Discovered this fun fact earlier this week, near Vagamon. The bungalow used to be the residence for the planter and was built in 1848. It is stunning and lovely and cozy. All meals are prepared for us. In India eat Indian. The food is out of this world.
We strolled through the plantation. Rubber is harvested by collecting the liquid in cups on the trees. Men walk around and drain the cups into buckets, see photo second row below on the left. This is also gecko country.
We had an impromptu rubber factory tour. The factory is on the plantation and prepares all its produce for sale to India and China. The factory manager also manages the guesthouse. His wife and daughter work at the guesthouse. I can’t get the song “Bob worked at a button factory” out of my head whenever we visit a factory. IYKYK.
Old rubber trees are cut down and chopped into firewood to fuel the kilns - to make rubber!!!
I did another plantation loop listening to Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. Stumbled upon a good quote that feels very related to my journey of Unbecoming “You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge”. Deep thoughts in the woods, I mean in a rubber plantation.
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