The Long Road to Munnar

The estimated drive times on this trip were significantly underestimated so we found ourselves once again driving for well over 7 hours to get to Munnar. Along the way we did stop at a temple to see more elephants. They live there. Some of the over 50 years old and being fed chopped up, softer food since their teeth are worn down (the resultant starvation being one of the primary causes of death in older elephants in the wild.
When we stopped for lunch, the rest of the group went to eat in the air-conditioned hotel restaurant while Michael and I went walking through town. We bought two samosas and four 'puffs' at local bakeries for 40 rupees (about 80 cents US) and Michael snagged 4 bananas for 10 rupees.
By the time we got to Munnar it was nearly 4P and the mist and rain had begun to settle in. But tea plantations are striking nonetheless. They keep the plants about hip height to the local women who harvest the leaves with undulating paths between them so rather than being in neat rows or terraced sections they just spill over the hills like water droplets running down glass and look like exotic and tropical versions of well-tended English gardens. Absolutely lovely!