Day 37 Cochin to Idukki, Munnar 19 February 2026

Описание: From Coastal Heat to Mountain Cool - Waterfalls, Spices, Cocoa Pods, and a Quiet Hilltop Retreat

I slept wonderfully last night and left Cochin just before 9 am. Morning traffic was heavy with schoolchildren in uniforms, office commuters, churchgoers, and some Indian choreography of honking and weaving. We crossed several bridges over backwaters and lagoons, and I even caught a quick glimpse of the Port of Kochi, with its cranes rising like metal giraffes against the skyline.

Today’s destination was Munnar, the famed hill station of Kerala’s Western Ghats, a place of rolling tea plantations, misty mountains, and cool, refreshing air. People call it the “Kashmir of South India,” and I was eager to see why.

The drive took about four hours. As we left the city, we passed the massive BPCL Kochi Oil Refinery, one of India’s largest public‑sector refineries. Originally established in 1963 as Cochin Refineries Ltd., it was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi in 1966 and later merged with BPCL in 2006. Today it processes 15.5 million tonnes of crude oil annually, most of it imported.

Once we reached quieter country roads, the scenery changed dramatically. We passed endless rubber plantations, their neat rows of trees stretching into the distance. Rubber isn’t native to India, it was brought from the Amazon in Brazil and thrives in Kerala’s warm, humid climate. Kerala now produces over 90% of India’s natural rubber, often from small family plots. Trees are tapped after about six to seven years, and the milky latex drips into little coconut‑shell cups.

We passed several beautiful churches perched on hillsides, but I wasn’t quick enough to photograph them. Soon the landscape began to rise, and the air grew cooler.

Our first waterfall, Valara Falls, was completely dry, a reminder that Kerala’s waterfalls come alive only after the monsoon. But the next one, Cheeyappara Waterfalls, had a gentle flow. It cascades down in seven steps, fed by the Deviyar River, and even with reduced water, it was lovely. I managed to get a photo before we continued climbing.

As we approached Munnar, the road twisted sharply with hairpin bends and steep climbs. The hillsides were dotted with spice shops, herb gardens, chocolate factories, and handicraft stalls. Jayan suggested stopping at a spice plantation, so we visited Everest Green Spices - a small, educational farm.

A guide walked me through the plantation, pointing out a wide range of plants like cardamom, black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee and cocoa plants

It reminded me of Sri Lanka, especially learning again how peppercorns are harvested green and dried to become black pepper, or left to ripen red and dried to become white pepper.

At the end of the tour, I browsed their shop, which sold spices, essential oils, herbal balms, chocolates, and coffee.

Then came a rare treat. I got to taste a fresh cocoa bean straight from the pod. Cocoa pods grow directly from the trunk of the tree, and when sliced open, the beans are covered in a slippery white pulp.

The pulp tasted sweet, tangy, refreshing and a little like soursop or custard apple. The bean inside was slightly bitter, but not unpleasant when eaten with the pulp. It tasted nothing like chocolate but more like a tropical fruit. I loved learning that animals eat the pulp and spit out the seeds, helping the cocoa tree reproduce. A tiny glimpse into the natural origins of one of the world’s favourite flavours.

We stopped at Farm Yard for lunch. I ordered a slice of fried kingfish, vegetable curry, a warm, buttered chapati, a proper Americano and finished with a small mango ice cream.

Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we reached my hotel, Blossom Hill, located in Idukki, just outside Munnar town. Jayan had warned me it wasn’t in the town centre and that there wouldn’t be much to do. He was right, and at first, I felt a little disappointed.

The restaurant only opens at meal times, though room service offers snacks. Thankfully, I had eaten lunch. A jeep took me up to my room, and once I stepped onto the balcony and saw the mountains, I realised perhaps this was exactly what I needed - a quiet place to rest, breathe, and simply be.

I ordered more water, a green salad, and onion pakoda. Not knowing what to expect. To my surprise, I received a huge plateful of crispy, savoury fritters. Delicious, but far more than I could finish.

It turned out to be a very pleasant afternoon. I sat on the balcony with a cool breeze brushing past, the temperature far gentler than in Kochi. I wrote up my journal while watching the sky soften into evening. The sunset was hidden behind clouds, but the shifting colours over the hills were still beautiful.

A quiet, restorative end to a long travel day, and a gentle welcome to the mountains of Kerala.