My clothes had dried up around 90% and I had no choice but to pack them and move on. In the hotel we were staying in Munnar, we met around 3-4 families from Pune. Quite surprising. There weren't too many other guests. One of them mentioned their stay experience in Thekkady and we decided to do the same since it was in our budget.
On the way to Thekkady, we stopped at the Lockhart Tea Factory. You will learn interesting things about the beverage we drink every day. This factory doesn't sell in India and exports almost all of it to the UK. The factory is from the pre-Independence era. Their top quality grade tea sells around Rs. 1000 per kg. So clearly, it is not for the Indian market. A nice tour of the factory was arranged with detailed explanation. Daily, the factory produces approx. 9 tonnes of tea from about 21 tonnes of tea leaves. We tasted the black tea after the tour. It tasted really good. Or should I say, Wah Lockhart!
While riding toward Thekkady, we passed through many small villages. These 2 guys waved at me as I passed. I thought of stopping; hence made a U-turn and went back. Obviously communicaton was a barrier. But using gestures I made them sit on my bike for a picture. They looked very happy and so was I. Little experiences in riding making your day.
There are a number of Spice Gardens along the way. This one seemed to have some crowd; hence we stopped at the Periyar Spice Garden. Our guide had stayed in Mumbai for 6 years; hence she spoke fluent hindi. You get to see the trees of all the spices we use daily such as elaichi, dalchini, black pepper etc. The leaves give you a good taste. In addition, there are a number of plant varities for various medicinal properties. Lord Hanuman's famous Sanjeevani was here as well! 
It was around 3 pm; hence we decided to stop for lunch on the way. I usually look into the plates of people to get a feel of what would be fresh. Everyone seemed to be having Chicken Biryani and we ordered the same. I decided to step into their kitchen to take a quick snap of the chicken used in the preparation. The Biryani tasted very good. The taste of the spices here is making all the difference I think. 
Right next to the restaurant, there was a long queue for purchasing liquor. There are very limited shops in Kerala to buy liquor. Along the way, you still see the Communist flags. Long lines because of the governments policies (reminds of the the books I have read about Russia's economy). I hope Kerala doesn't go this route too far in the years to come. Not a good sign at all.
We checked in at the Bamboo Grove, a state owned property, around 4 pm. The property is gorgeous! So many trees around with birds chirping. We weren't interested in the boat ride at the lake since most people mentioned to me that it's not really worth it. So we asked around what else we could use our time for. Interestingly, there was a tribal dance show at 6 pm.
There are 6 indigenous tribes that still live around the Periyar Tiger Reserve. They used to depend on hunting and fruits but have have started cultivating crops. To please the Gods for the rain and for the well being of their community, they play the drums, sing and dance. This was all new to us and we enjoyed the 1 hour performance. In one of their songs, they requested someone from the audience to join them on stage. Since I was in the 1st row, I was requested. I honored it and decided to join them for some fun. I am a horrible dancer and I am quite sure they would have realized it in the first few seconds. Anyways, I really enjoyed my time and that's what counts :)
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