Written by India & Nepal Students, Sarah Ross and Ioan Asher
What’s New in Our Journey?
Hi everyone!!! Sarah and Iona here, reporting live from a café in Kochi. It’s been a heck of a week here on this side of the globe!
After departing from the Sivananda Ashram, we hopped on a bus and drove to Munar, the land of mountains and tea fields. The next morning, while the majority of us decided to sleep in, Tara and Stephanie woke up at the butt crack of dawn for a sunrise mission… and returned hours later to the rest of the gang still fast asleep. After some debate, we decided to spend our day on a Jeep tour offered by the zostel. The next six hours were spent zipping around Munar, music bumping. Some highlights included spotting wild elephants, trying a variety of yummy street food, chatting with shop owners, and drinking WAY too much tea.
Top Highlights of the Week
The next day was the first of our trek!! We met our guides: Shabib, Rizwan, Yaseen, and Mautto, who gave us a quick briefing before we set off around midday. We made our way, winding on leach-infested trails, through stunning green tea plantations. As we walked Shabib explained to us the planting and harvesting process of the tea plants that surrounded us. We learned that although the smaller, more tender leaves produce higher quality tea, many locals prefer the more coarse taste made by the mature leaves. We also learned about the amount of hard work that goes into harvesting the tea. This gave us a new perspective on the drink we have almost every day!
Eventually, we arrived at the base camp of Meesappulimala. We spent that afternoon cooling off at a nearby waterfall.
Challenges We’ve Faced (and Conquered!)
Day two put us through the wringer. After a grueling climb to the summit of the second tallest mountain in the Western Ghats (aka Western “Gyatts”), we were rewarded with a breathtaking view (and a delicious packed lunch). That night, hoping to escape the cold, we gathered around a campfire built inside a small, enclosed space. Unfortunately, the setup lacked a chimney—or much ventilation for that matter. And so we sat, eyes watering, engulfed in thick smoke.
The night only got more painful when we sat down to one of the spiciest meals of the trip so far. The combination of spice and smoke sent us into a fit of delirium. We sat there, cracking up uncontrollably, while our hosts peeked out at us from the kitchen, perplexed.
The following morning we embarked on the long drive to Kochi. Here, we look forward to spending the week participating in various classes and living with local families in homestays.
