Today our group took our second mini-vacation to Munnar, Kerala. Munnar is located deep in a valley between mountains, its filled with luscious jungle like forest, and a variety of animal reserves, that definitely make you reminisce to watching the Jungle Book while you were little. We woke up, ate breakfast, and all piled into our caravan of vans to begin the journey.
After hours of driving across bumpy and twisty roads through the mountains, we arrived at our destination in Thekaddy; The Elephant Court resort. It was by far the most luxurious resort/hotel that I have ever stayed at. As soon as we walked into the open lobby, we were given a beautiful greeting with bindis dabbed onto our foreheads, accompanied by gold and white shawls placed on our shoulders, which is considered a respectful welcome in Indian culture. The lobby was filled with beautiful crafted furniture, and there was a fountain where elephants trumpeted water into a little pound. The rooms were bungalow-esque and provided us with one of the best views to date. I personally enjoyed the fact that there was a small sign inside the room that advised guests not to leave the door open, because monkeys tend to wander inside.
Once eating lunch and checking into our rooms, we once again piled into the vans and headed to the Elephant Park, aka the activity that I have been looking forward to the most! I have always had a deep passion for animals, so being able to be up close and personal with an elephant has always been nothing more then a pipe dream to me, but today it came true! Once arriving to the park and purchasing my ticket, we waited and waited, until finally a beautiful Indian elephant emerged from the thicket. The elephants here are much more speckled then I have seen previously, which makes them extra special! After waiting anxiously in line, my turn had finally arrived to hop on an elephant. Mary, Nell, and I, all had the pleasure of riding Moti, a large male. We then were guided through the jungle by the elephants handlers. Although enormous and incredibly intimidating, elephants are incredibly gentle beings. I feel so blessed that I had more than one opportunity to experience one of the most majestic animals on this planet.
After leaving the Elephant Park, we headed to Navarasa Kathkali Centre in Thekkady to watch traditional South Indian dance. It was very interesting, to say the least. The dancers, both of whom were male, were decorated in extravagant costumes and completely painted faces. The dancers spent a majority of the time dancing with their faces and eyes. It was quite entertaining in an interesting kind of way. Once the dancing was over, we walked next door to the Kadathanadan Kalari Centre to watch a martial arts show. The show consisted of sword fighting, physical combat, and jumping through rings of fire. There is nothing more nerve wracking than watching two men sword fight no more then 10 feet in front of you. The amount of times I cringed and closed my eyes are too high to count. It was incredibly dangerous, but exhilarating at the same time.
Everyday here in India is a daring adventure, whether it be boarding a rickshaw to head downtown to the temple, or simply trying to cross the street. I never thought I could love a place this much, but now that I’ve spent the last two weeks here, I never want to leave. If I could transport all of my friends and family from back home to Madurai, I would live here forever. The people, culture, and nature will make you feel more alive then you ever thought possible. Sadly though, this is not the case. I am sad to be leaving here in a week, but my India story is just starting. Leaving here just means that there are more opportunities for me to return, that there are more chapters to my story. Stay tuned, because the next chapter of my India story will be (fingers crossed) very soon.
-Ashley
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