Head for the Hills . . .

Saturday, we’re off to the hills where it’s supposed to be cooler.  Just east and slightly north of Varkala are the Southern Ghats, part of the long mountain range to which the Brits retreated to escape the heat. 

We are a full car:  Haksar, Sabeena, Saifa, Eifson, Tim, me, and the driver.  Destination, the Ponmundi Reserve, about a 2-hour drive.   It is a daunting trip; apparently I’m not the only one subject to carsickness!  We had to stop twice.  Haksar’s son and his wife were both carsick and after vomiting by the side of the road seemed to recover quickly!  That necessitated musical seats, except for me – I stayed planted in the center of the backseat!  I’ve learned that it is the one spot that’s safe.

Ponmundi Reserve is at about 6600’ and reaching the top meant 22 hairpin turns, each one labeled.  This little old lady was selling some kind of fruit by the side of the road - I have no idea how she even got there, or if she even sold anything!!

The view from the top is quite thrilling and panoramic.

It is a bit cooler and definitely less humid.

Wait, what is this??  It’s a film set!  We can’t resist rubber-necking for a bit.

They’re take a break (the actress is inside the grass hut) and Tim swears the male lead, lounging bare-chested on the porch, is getting an impromptu pedicure!

On the way back down, we see a cattle auction and stop to photograph a tea plantation.  

Then it’s off to a nearby waterfall.  Little do we realize that it’s over a 1km hike up the mountain to the actual waterfall!  We make it about two thirds of the way and then decide that we can forego seeing it – we are back in the land of ‘feels like 113 degrees F’ and it’s draining.

We cannot go another meter . . .

Time for lunch, one of those ‘eat with your hands’  family restaurants.  The bill for all seven of us – 650 rupees – about $10.  Interesting, there is a metal jug on the table with a watery liquid tinted pale pink.  Apparently, this is an ayurvedic potion that you drink before a meal to aid digestion.  It’s warm, and all we want is gallons of cold water!  Apparently, drinking cold water before eating is a very bad thing.  Who knew??

We stop to meet Haksar’s three sisters and a brother-in-law, all much older than he.  They serve us juice and jack fruit, which is wonderful.  Jack fruit grows on trees, is about the size of a small watermelon and the outside is completely covered with bumps.  The pieces of fruit are small, shaped like a big potato chip, and the color of peaches.  Never seen these in the US.  Very tasty.

Then it’s off to see his cousin whom he calls brother.  Big, well-furnished house down a dirt road.  The cousin’s son goes to school in the US – ‘corn country’ he tells us – the University of Iowa. 

Last stop, the Peyyar Dam.  Very small by our standards.  Tim estimates it might generate enough power to supply a small - very small - town!   Note how low the water level is; monsoon season is almost here and no doubt the water level will reach up to the tree line.

As we walk away from our vantage point above the dam, we realize that everyone on the dam walkway is now running towards us, waving their hands around their faces, and screaming.  Apparently a swarm of bees had overtaken them.  We walk quickly back to the car.   A group of Indian tourists had run ahead of us and were yelling at the guards to send a bus down to the dam to rescue people. 

Long and exciting day!  It’s after 7pm by the time we get home – 11 hours!  And it's still very, very hot here.