What Did I Find in Munnar, Kerala? 🇮🇳

My first experience of Kerala was the lush green mountain town of Munnar. Most people's first experience of travellng to Kerala would be a stay in the city of Kochi, which has the big airport but I travelled into the Kerala by road from Tamil Nadu.

I went into Munnar town looking to rent a scooter so that I could fully explore and get off the beaten tourist trail. Munnar is very much a tourist town but with 99% of those tourists coming from other parts of India it doesn't feel as much of a tourist trap to a westerner. It's not Kuta, Bali, or Phuket, Thailand where you see more white guys wearing elephant pants and singlets than you do local people.

Unfortunately my bike rental mission was a huge fail. Bike rentals have been fully banned in Munnar due to frequent accidents. I'd like to make my own choices and evaluate risk / reward for myself (I'm pretty good at that) but it seems like the local commy government take that choice away from you in Munnar.

Just as well that I have two strong legs, so at least exploring the town area wouldn't be any problem.

It seems like half the businesses in Munnar are chocolate shops. It's a very popular thing there as there are large cocoa plantations near by. I'm a big fan of chocolate so I like the fact that I can get some good, homemade varieties from just about anywhere in town.

Another sweet treat that could be found anywhere, because 'tis the season, were plum cakes. Plum cakes are a famous food eat an Christmas and I saw them being sold all over town. As I walked off the beaten path, down some alleyway, I followed my nose to a local bakery and picked up a freshly baked cake for the incredible price of 30 rupees. A bargain!

In my Tamil Nadu videos people kept commenting that I was in South India and always eating North Indian food. Well, here in Kerala I tried some Chicken Pulao. Pulao is rice that's cooked in broth with spices added. I don't know if that's South Indian food or not but I did follow the locals recommendations for the restaurant, Soma, so don't blame me if it's not authentic Kerala cuisine.

I found a place on Google Maps that said "Munnar Viewpoint" so, again with the help of the friendly locals, I found my way up there to get the absolute best view of Munnar, well away from all the other tourists. I was the only person up there and even though it was quite a short trail I did feel the kind of satisfaction that one feels when reaching the summit of a mountain after a long trek, with the reward of the amazing view.

Since I'd burned off the energy from the Pulao rice meal, a bit of bargaining with tuk-tuk drivers later, I was back at my hotel destroying their buffet. Apparently the first evening meal was included for free in my room package. I hadn't even realised that until I checked in. We all know that food tastes even better when it's free, so I definitely wasn't going to miss out on the buffet as a perfect way to end my first day in Kerala.

What do you think? Did I make the most of the buffet?

* TIMESTAMPS *

0:00 - Start
5:01 - Rickshaw Ride
6:35 - Scooter Hunt
15:11 - Chocolate Shop
19:50 - Local Restaurant
26:11 - Local Bakery
30:24 - Viewpoint Hike
42:54 - Rickshaw Bargaining
45:12 - Hotel Buffet

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Видео What Did I Find in Munnar, Kerala? 🇮🇳 канала Dale Philip