Munnar, Kerala, India. Part II

Early morning sun painting the Western Ghats

Our rental villa near Munnar was far from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis of Bangalore, where our sojourn started and every morning on this three-week trek, we would wake early before the sun could show itself. While this was very early by western standards, India is already getting ready for the long arduous day ahead.

Still, country sounds differ from big city sounds, even in India. In Munnar, the roosters were already beckoning the day to begin. In the distance you could hear the cough of someone shaking off the cold smoky night, a pot being banged around in preparation of the morning chai, the unmistakable sound of the little 3-cylinder auto-rickshaw engines sputtering to life.

Early Morning moon

My wife and I headed out into the crisp dark morning, through the tea fields. We were hoping to see some wild elephants, foraging in the early morning, but they were probably higher up in the dense forests where there is still some unspoiled virgin forests left.

We walked up the path to a higher ridge and witnessed a low fog, hugging the terrain, flowing over the top of the mountain and into the valley, something my small camera at the time could not capture well, but let me tell you it was spectacular.

Fog dropping off the Western Ghats and into the valley

India has some fascinating birds, and on this morning, we were hard on the heels of locating the most incredible sound coming from the Malabar Whistling Thrush. Although we did not see it due to the fact that it was up high in the forest canopy and that it was so dark, we did get to hear its distinctive call, filling the early morning with an almost eerie, yet beautiful echoing sound.

By the time we got back to the villa, the sun was cresting the mountain range and the light was better. The little village was even more awake. A woman was drawing a kolam, a form of painting that is drawn using rice powder or chalk powder by female members of the family in front of their home. Kolam are thought to bestow prosperity to homes. It is widely practiced by Hindus in South India. A Kolam is a geometric line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.

Local woman drawing her kolam by hand from memory

Every morning in Southern India, millions of women draw Kolam on the ground with white rice powder and sometimes with colored powder. Through the day, the drawings get walked on, rained out, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day. Every morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, the universal purifier, and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The Kolam are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. I’ll show more Kolam throughout the trip.

Breakfast was ready when we arrived, Auntie and Uncle now having woke and come down for our morning chai and sustenance having been prepared by Dahs with his ever-present smile.

Come back next time to read about the day’s events and see photos from beautiful Munnar!

young neighbors playing football down the small lane

neighbor boy and his dog

Anyone will pop out of the tea fileds

The suns rays popping over the mountains

Another view of the villa

 

Copyright 2019 Michael Roseberry. Photos were taken with Canon Powershot SD750.

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