Kumily
We broke our journey from Tamil Nadu to the Keralan coast at the mountain town of Kumily. We planned to enjoy the cool mountain air for a few days and take the opportunity to do some wildlife spotting at the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
The air was certainly cool. Once the sun had gone down we forced to dig out our fleeces for the first time in several months.
We were fortunate enough to spot plenty of wildlife during our trek through the reserve. The armed wardens escorting us were experts at spotting elephants on distant mountain sides. We were privileged to spend half an hour sitting just metres away from a family of elephants as they ate their way through a huge number of trees. We also spotted monkeys, a monitor lizard, a black bear, a massive hornbill and numerous other colourful birds.
Kumily is at the centre of a large spice and tea growing area. The town’s main street is lined with spice merchants and shops selling numerous spices to tourists. The incredible smell of the cardamom sorting yard was certainly memorable.
From Kumily we took a local bus which wound it’s way down through the Cardamom Hills to the Keralan coast. The journey as almost as breathtaking as it was terrifying. The Keralan towns and villages were markedly different to their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. The temples with their multicoloured gopurams were replaced with gleaming white churches and the people appeared generally wealthier.