The Desi Nomads

Munnar: Day 3: Lockheart Tea Factory





Our third day in Munnar started again with some yummy South Indian breakfast of Dosas (rice crepes).

We left the guesthouse around 10 am, with the plan of visiting a tea factory.  There is a TATA team museum in Munnar that everyone suggests, but we wanted to visit a plantation and factory that was in use.  Our host, Santosh, suggested the Lockheart tea factory, around 1 hour from the house.  The drive there was beautiful in itself, all the more since our drive took some shortcuts away from the main town.  We passed by Lockheart Gap on the way, a scenic view point.

Next was a mini-waterfall, on the way to the factory.

Finally, we reached the tea factory.  Because it was a public holiday, the factory workers were on leave.  But, there was a guided tour that would give us a demo of the entire process.






The cafe at the tea factory had THE BEST TEA!

A demo of the different varieties of tea

Some green tea that was being processed at the factory

The tour gave us a lot of good information on how tea is plucked, the different stages of processing, different types of tea (black, green, and white), and even the best way to brew tea.  I enjoyed the tour thoroughly, and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Munnar.

For lunch, we headed back into the town of Munnar.  On the way we couldn’t resist taking photos at some of the scenic spots along the road.

 

Lunch was at Sri Nivas, a vegetarian restaurant in town.  The food was outstanding!

After lunch, we strolled around the market place in search of souvenirs.  

Around 5pm, we decided to head back to our guesthouse.  Once we reached, some tea was in order!

After tea, the host, Santosh, showed us around his garden.  This was a spice farm, with all kinds of spices, fruits, and vegetables.  He uses them both in his cooking, and sells the rest.

Out host, Santosh, showing us around his farm

Banana plants are very popular in this region

Pretty soon, it was time for our favorite activity of the day…dinner at The Shade!  Once again, the food was delicious.  Did I mention I loved this place?

Sadly, it was our last day in Munnar, so we spent the rest of the night packing.  Tomorrow, we leave for the largest waterfalls in Kerala, Athirapally Falls!

 




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