Tea Tasting in Ponmudi

Golden Mountain or Pon-Mudi in Malyalam, is a small hill-station overseen by the Kerala Tourist Department and the government of Kerala, which means that any private housing or development in the area is restricted. As there is no local interference, Ponmudi remains uncluttered by the outside world with all its green, wild and completely natural beauty intact.

Changing several buses from the industrial and rather bland town of Kollum, touring villages and countryside full of rubber plantations, vegetable stalls, fruit markets and many old temples we arrived 97 kilometres and 4 hours later to this tranquil oasis.
Remote tea gardens planted with cardamom,
coffee and
spices with frequent sightings of pepper pickers
who had climbed high on the trees
aided by the black pepper vines.
The only sounds that permeated our horizon
were those of local birds,
occasional cries of monkeys and
sometimes the sounds of a motorcycle
taking one of the 22 hairpin curves either to and fro from Ponmudi. A few days later we boarded the bus to another big city, Thiruvananthapuram and one of the 108 Holy abodes of Lord Vishnu, the Padmanabhaswamy temple.

On the Road Again

On every voyage to India, I am constantly reminded of the many reasons several ancient and current civilizations have practiced trade in India. From silks and cotton, to spices, wood, tea, coffee and what have you. in every roadside or country market there is an abundance of fresh fruits, grain, local delicacies, and vegetables.  From acres of fields of mustard and wheat in the North to the dozens of varieties of bananas available in the Southern states, the sheer magnitude of the bounty that mother earth has provided in this ancient land is breathtaking.

Prayer calls from mosques, temples and gurudwaras mingle with the chants of the hawkers selling their wares. Tea stalls constantly filling with men and women at every hour for their tea break, street side dhabas preparing seasonal fare, between charpoys,
shrines to
various gods
and saints.

The best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune. Eating local and eating delicious is a way of life.

Dining inside a 15th century Fort

Flanked by the barren hills of the ancient Aravali range, Neemrana Fort Palace is one of the ancient monuments of Alwar. Built in the year 1464 AD in the village of Neemrana in Rajasthan, the fort was the abode of the direct descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III. He was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi ruling the twin capitals of both Delhi and Ajmer. After his defeat in 1193, Delhi came under the direct rule of Muslim rulers.

I lived in this magnificent fort for about 3 days, within it's many rooms, gardens and magnificent doorways. In the mornings I would walk into the village located at the bottom of the fort....even in the month of April the heat was tremendous.

Life
seems to stop
in the afternoon hours
and creeps back
when the sun goes down.
In these villages
lost in time
with the sun beating down
upon everything
with
all it's strength.
You see bright splashes of color.
Blues and pinks,
orange and yellows
amidst the barren dessert dunes.

The evenings are magnificent, the sand and the sun meet as one- a long reddish gold line. And a soft wind blows into the lush gardens of the Fort
it's
water fountains
lotus blossoms
and many swings.

Street Food