We boarded a train in Aleppey for a 1 hour trip to take a bus to the tea plantations. It was the return to University day for Indian students so the carriages were crazy full. Not only so, but in their wisdom, the train bureaucrats decided not to stop at our stop as it may result in overcrowding. And so we stood…for 3 hours until the next stop. To make matters worse, I seem to have developed flu, possibly the swine flu as I had never had such a high temperature in my life. After a night of Neko setting alarms to get up and throw soaking cold towels on me, we eventually arrived in the cool plantations the following day.
Sauntering around the the verdant hills of Kerala, escaping the heat and sampling fresh teas from the plantations, we were feeling everso colonial and ventured out for a taste of the Raj. We went to the delightful 'Tall trees' hillside restaurant where we could dare to try a few things we might not ordinarily in cheaper establishments. I was tempted by the lychees with ice-cream, but where ice-cream is famed for its food poisoning effects with the frequent power cuts, I still felt reluctant.
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| Soothing the tummy with some fresh coconut |
It was a nice place with back-up generators no doubt, and the wife was pleased to take the risk on the ice-cream, and leave me with the fruit. We'd had our share of dodgy street vendors. Feeling a little fussy, I therefore asked the waiter if he could please bring us the chosen dish, but with the ice-cream separately. "Of course sir" he said…"would you also like me to bring the lychees separately?" Arrrrgh! I hate it when they trap me with a philosophical conundrum like that.
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| Looking for sneaky spots to 'make toilet' whilst on the plantation tour! |
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