Munnar to Periyar 110km / 4 hours



    youngest bud is handpicked to make white tea.
    young leaves is superior to old leaves in term of quality.










    cardamon plantation in the jungle




    Cardamon.
    to pick a high quality cardamon , shake the seeds.
    high quality seeds gives good sounds when shaken.
    a visit to Spice Garden while on the way to Periyar a.k.a Thekkady.
    learned a thing or two about spices.
   
   
    pepper.
    these will turn into green pepper , red pepper , white pepper and black pepper
    depending on aging and drying process.
    Green pepper is the hottest , while black pepper is the least hot.
    to determine the quality of black pepper , soak the black peppercorn in water.
    a good quality black pepper will sink to the bottom.
   
    for cinnamon , rub the cinnamon roll.
    a low quality cinnamon will produce powder easily when rubbed ,
    means that it has been sprayed and dried with cinamon powder on the
    surface.


    coffee




    Allspice plant.
    it has combined flavours of cinnamon , nutmeg and cloves .





    vanilla plant




    Nutmeg / biji pala


    vanilla bean. costs Rs12 per gram

   Jungle Park resort in Periyar



    view of the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve from the resort


    Kerala Meals


    elephant ride




    elephant tear.
    the ride that I regretted during the trip.
    i was excited for the elephant ride intially , then when the trainer
    hit the elephant with canes and hook , i suddenly remember
    the video I watched about cruel elephant training in Thailand.
    regarding elephant ride and animal cruelty : click here





    Traditional Kerala Kathakali Dance.
    Music , facial expressions , body gestures and detailed costumes being
    predominant component in the show.




    Kalaripayattu martial arts



























    Part III : Periyar / Thekkady
    Kerala : God's Own Country
    February 2015