I
got up early in the morning to the pleasant chirping and whistling of the
birds. Now that it was daylight, it was time to explore the wonders this place
had to offer. I am convinced that ‘Deep Wood Resort’ is an understated
misnomer. If should be called Very Deep Wood Resort as we are absolutely cut
off from civilization and cell phones can only work as cameras. The resort has gracefully
landscaped 10 bungalows, 2 cottages and 16 deluxe rooms aptly spread across 30
acres of Cardamom plantation and deep woods. Though it offers forest
environment it is just 10km away from town at Mankulam road in Letchmi Estate,
Munnar. The beauty of plantations that stretch over hectares of land rich in
its flora and fauna is simply breath taking. The greenery with all its splendor
and natural charm engulfs us from all around and birds have made it their own
abode, just letting us share their bounty for a short while!
The
resort is surrounded by immaculately manicured tea gardens and a stream leading
to resort is extremely refreshing. Pulimuttil Estate is a plantation of
varieties of spices like Cardamom, Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon and
many more. We were completely enveloped by their scent and elevated to a
never-before excitement and energy. Walking trails are many and one leads to a
nice stream. The surrounding jungle has plenty of elephant dung on the floor so
it is safe to presume that the pachyderms too fancy this place. We discovered a
new 6 stories structure which is also coming up in the property which will take
the shape of a high end hotel in days to come.
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| A walking trail |
Early
in the morning I took a walking trail that after winding through the thick
jungle lead to a beautiful stream tucked deep inside the jungle. The water here
cascaded down in several steps, and gathered in a small pool which offered me
an opportunity to take a quick dip. Assured that I won’t be disturbed so early
in the day, this was a wonderfully refreshing way to start the day! Finding the
stream and the waterhole was like finding a hidden treasure and this place was
indeed a delightful sight.
On
my way back to the bungalow I met a local Mr. Muthu (the part of his name I
could understand) whose proficiency in English and Hindi was definitely better
than my non-existent knowledge of Malayalam. He volunteered to show me some
interesting plants in this patch of jungle and educate me about the spice trade
of Kerala. Over twelve varieties of spices including ginger, garlic, cardamom,
vannilla, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, tea, clove and nutmeg are cultivated in
Munnar and its neighboring villages he said.
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| Pepper |
He then showed me a pepper plant. The
pepper plant grows best in a warm and humid climate. Berries mature and are
ready for harvest in about 180 to 200 days. Black pepper is produced by sun drying
the mature pepper berries for 3 - 5 days after they are separated from the
spikes by threshing and white pepper by retting mature berries in clean water
for 5 - 7 days, removing the outer skin and drying the seed after thorough
washing.
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| Clove |
We
then came across a tree with an unmistakable smell, but it did not have its
fruits. This was a clove tree. Muthu told me that a clove tree begins to bear
flowers 7-8 years after planting. Unopened flower buds are carefully picked
when they turn from green to pink. The buds are then allowed to dry for 4-5
days till they become crisp and dark brown in colour. This is the clove which
we buy in the market.
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| Vanilla |
He
pointed to a creeper which was growing in the wild around a big tree. This
plant gives us vanilla, he said. Vanilla is a tropical orchid, which requires a
warm climate with frequent rains. Muthu was of the opinion that it grows best
in uncleared jungle areas where it can get filtered sunlight. The plant usually
begins to flower by the third year. The bean takes 10 to 12 months to reach
full maturity.
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| Curry leaves |
Then
he introduced me to the famous Curry leaves which are popular for being highly
aromatic and are used extensively in the dishes of South Indian cuisine like
Sambar, lemon rice, several chutneys as well as curries of Sri Lanka. You can
call this a spice or a herb. Muthu told me that it is grown mainly in homes but
on a plantation scale as well, and here we were seeing them growing abundantly
in the jungle!
 |
| Cinnamon |
We
walked down a side trail and came to a fenced open space where he introduced me
to Cinnamon plants, which were ready for harvest about 3 years after planting.
Harvesting will now be done twice in a year - in May and November, he said. The
bark of the cut down shoots will be split on the day of harvest itself and
dried in the sun for 2 - 5 days. The dry quills or bark will then be packed in
bundles for trade. Leaves and tender twigs will be used for extraction of oil
by distillation.
Kerala
has been historically related to spice trade and my newly found friend in the
morning was a walky-talky encyclopedia of knowledge about spices! He was feverishly searching for a Nutmeg tree
but we couldn’t find one. He offered to take me to a nearby plantation on his
motor cycle but I didn’t have the time. He still gave me a vivid description
about this spice. The Nutmeg tree bears fruit throughout the year he said, but
peak harvest season was from December to May. The nuts are split open when the
fruits are fully ripe. After de-husking, the red feathery aril is removed,
flattened out and dried in the sun for 10 - 15 days. The nuts are dried
separately for 4 - 8 weeks till the kernels rattle within the shells.
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| The machan |
After
returning to our bungalow I took a quick warm shower and along with my wife
Neeta we reached the sanctum sanctorum of the resort, the dining area, for our
breakfast with the rest of the gang. We took our tea cups to a nearby machan
and enjoyed the beauty of nature as we sipped the local tea. My friend Subramani
was a perfect host and enquired about our well being. His better half, Dr.
Shobha, who is a physician, was taking all the ladies out for sight-seeing and
shopping extravaganza. They had big plans for the entire day, and I felt sorry
not being able to accompany them as we were having our meeting which could
continue till late in the afternoon.
After
our eventful meeting which stretched out till 4 PM, with a lunch break for 30
minutes and brief interludes for sweets from Cuttack and snacks from Pune, we
were invited by my friend Dr. Subramani to his bungalow for an afternoon sit
together and drinks. I could then convince seven more to follow me along the
jungle trail to the stream. This time the walk was not as pleasant because the
sun was up there in full glory, but thankfully the clouds would come to our
rescue from time to time. Once we reached the stream the chaps went crazy with
their cameras. Soon they had lost their footwear, rolled up the pants and were enjoying
the running stream in every way possible!
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| A Bhagirath moment for Raj Kumar |
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| Enjoying the cool spring |
On
return we were greeted by our shopaholic spouses, who had just returned from
their version of paradise, but what that exactly means will be in the next part
of my travelogue.
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