Tea pickers, Munnar, Kerala

Day 16 (03/03) Around Munnar, Kerala.

New town & new guide. There was not a lot on the schedule for today so off we went at 08:30 straight to Top Station, a viewpoint just back into Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately, as we were early, there was a mist about and we could view about zilch.
Back down we went to stop at various points of interest. To whom I'm unsure, but not really to Sue and I. Stopped at the edge of a tea plantation (Munnar is surrounded by 21 them.) and received an excellent explanation of the growing and types of tea, and learnt that a) Tea is grown on a tree, not a shrub. It's just cut back every 3 – 5 years to renew it's growth. b) A tree can live for 400 years, but in general are destroyed after 100 years, as the yield and quality drop off. c) As an aside, Tea Tree Oil doesn't come from tea trees, or at least not these ones.
Next stop was at a tea Museum in Munnar town. Interesting old photos of the Raj period, with rugby and cricket teams to the fore. There was an elderly factory which is no longer used in commercial manufacture, but our guide seemed to have the freedom of the place and proceeded to start up machinery and chuck raw tea in at one end and follow it's progress through the several stages. Interesting! Bought some single leaf black tea, and a couple of strainers.

End of guide part of the day so we had our driver abandon us in Munnar where we wandered about the shops and market, and lunched on the most wonderful Thali, for £3.50.

Back to the ranch and out for a walk to shoot some birds. Had captured Monkeys, Squirrels earlier in the day, however no really clear shots as some silly bugger had left the lens on Manual focus.

Blipfoto have a Women at work challenge this week, to align with International Women's Day, 8th March, hence the women working theme to today's photos.

Off to Alleppey, the Venice of the East, according to Lord Curzon, he of cinema house fame perhaps?

Caio the now!
G