Having a flexible itinerary has worked very well so far. We didn't make any hotel booking whatsoever before the trip. Munnar is so beautiful that we decided to stay back another day. Also, we were mid-way in the trip, so this would be a good break from the continuous riding. Not to mention the clothes that haven't yet dried up :(
It was a misty day and we decided to ride to Top Station, a tourist attraction near Munnar but is in Tamilnadu. The ride is beautiful. You pass two dams on the way and the fog just makes it feel like heaven. The tea gardens are simply gorgeous. This is my first experience visiting tea gardens (after a brief ride through Kotagiri, near Ooty). It is pure bliss.
We were supposed to visit the Tea Factory in the afternoon but found out it is on the Thekkady route, which is our next destinaton. Hence we decided to push it to tomorrow and took some much needed rest in the afternoon. I was loving this leisure day. Feels like a real vacation now ;-)
The hotel owner saw my gopro and asked me if I was a rider. He is associated with HVK. He was very friendly and made a few suggestions on places to visit. Nitin had been to Munnar few years back and asked him if there was a Kathakali theater nearby. The owner got us 2 tickets for the 5 pm show at the Thirumaly Culture Center and off we went to enjoy Kathakali, my first experience of its kind. We went little early so that we could see the artists getting ready.
KathaKali (katha = story, kali = dance) is an ancient dance form of Kerala. It started in the 17th century. The artists use heavy make-up and facial expressions to enact the story. The first 30 mins was a demonstration of various gestures such as mother, brother, Krishna, deer etc. This is to make the viewer understand the story easily. The artist was quite funny that she invited one of the tourists on the stage and enacted running away with supposedly the newly married groom (tourist). It was quite a fun act. It was then followed by a story where her husband kills a witch. At the end of the show, you get a chance to take a picture with the artists.
It was good to see a reasonable crowd for such local acts. I am quite sure these artists don't make a lot of money. People buy a Chennai Express movie ticket without even a thought but I hope they do the same and pay for such acts when the travel. I urge you to do the same.
Kathakali was followed by Kalaripayattu (Indian martial art form) whose origins are again, in Kerala. These guys quite rocked the show. They were fast and aggressive. They demonstrated fights with a sword, spear, sugarcane sticks along with some acrobats. I had seen some of these acts on Television in the shows like India's Got Talent but this was my first time watching it live. Overall, it was a good experience. I quite enjoyed a relaxing day in Munnar and it has definitely gone on my 'must visit places' list.
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