Us on a rock, away up there!

Day 14 (01/03) Around Kodaikanal.

This is a strange town, spread over several converging mountains, at circa 7500ft ASL There is a mix of almost peasantry, and extreme wealth as can be seen in the variety of housing. I guess that's true of most places but it seems more obvious here.
There is no manufacturing here. The only factory was shut down in 2001 at the request of the local population. It manufactured mercury thermometers and the by-products were killing the flora & fauna. God knows what it was doing to the workers.
The areas income is almost exclusively from tourism and small scale farming.

AM, we met up with our guide and set off for what we understood to be a 12km gentle walk to a couple of viewpoints over the surrounding deep, deep valleys. What we had not been told that the walk would descend some 300 mtrs into one of the valleys. Even during the descent, I assumed there would be an easy way out, as we had climbed, by road, quite a bit. Guess what, I was wrong. A rare occurrence I know, but for once . . . . . ;-)
Thank the gods that I had my trekking sticks with me, otherwise I'd still be climbing or crawling. (Note to self: Do something about fitness, or is it too late.)

After a relaxing lunch in the bar (Only one beer between us!) off we went again to yet another viewpoint, inevitable at this altitude, and a wander around Bryant Park, a slightly unkempt botanic garden. Then? I hear you ask. Back to the hotel to write up this lot.

Knowing that you like to see what we get up to, that’s us standing above Kodaikanal’s Dolphin nose rock, not that it’s particularly discernible as such, except from a quite dangerous position.
The other is a viewpoint rock which I later climbed onto.  The big bit, not the further smaller bit.
For once I saw sense, with Sue's encouragement, and didn’t venture to the tip of either rock, largely because my legs were a bit wobbly from the descent down a really rough path. See extras.
Tomorrow is another moving day. We are off to Munnar which is 180 kms away but which will take some 6 hours. So about 19 MPH, whilst the previous transfer averaged 27 MPH. Says something about the roads. Apparently we have to drop almost to sea level, then climb back up to 6500ft.

Catch you later,
G