Mindful in Munnar

This is the land of spice and tea. Spice gardens and 'teascapes' populate this area of India. It is mountainous to be sure and accessible by car. A driver was fairly cheap to take us here from the backwaters to experience this beauty up high in elevation. We found time to appreciate the landscape along the way and it was sunset on arrival. Our hotel called Deshadan (see my review) was adequate, but the dinner buffet there was not so palatable. The hotel did have nice views in the morning light. An adventure was made the next morning to see how tea is processed and the workings of plantations cultivating it. We stopped at a Botanical garden in the late morning for a while and then lunch was quite welcomed. Riding for a short span afterwards - swiftly stopping here and there I took time to ride an elephant, speed around a lake of beautiful scenery without a care and enjoy some of natures tall trees in a matter of a few hours.

In the evening, there was a Mudra show to attend. These are plays with no words, only movements of the hands, body postures, dance-drama and facial expressions. Through this a story is told. Although the show is called Mudra, this word actually refers to the hand movements. The art form of the show is known as Kathakali - a harmonius combination of five forms: Literature (Sahithyam), Music (Sangeetham), Painting (Chithram), Acting (Natyam), and Dance (Nrithyam). The characters of the play are all men and wear elaborate make-up (Theppu) which is an art form itself, and takes hours to apply by expert artists. The dress of the actors is equally impressive, and the costumes are of elaborate design, large and heavy, but each one is distinctive of the character accompanying the make-up. All this was accompanied by traditional local music with a person playing a drum (or tabla). In a sense this is an art form of  communication with the audience without words, and only gestures - body movement, hand gestures, facial expressions to tell the story with musical instrumentation as the only sonic sensation. It is an interesting experience and I can highly recommend this as something of local flavor. It makes you think in silent (inner) ways of outward expression, if that makes sense? We found a nice spot for dinner after the show, and then returned to the hotel for sleep. It was time to leave the next morning - back to Delhi. I wish there had been more time to explore this place. It had the value of an extra day or two to see more of this enchanting place and beyond. India is really an ocean of cultural interest so deep and mysterious at times that there is something for everyone to appreciate wherever you go. Munnar is out of the way and perhaps off the beaten track, but well worth a visit.