The present day environment is full of honking of cars, buses trying to screech through the crowds and people running hard for their livelihood, trying to meet both ends meet. There is hardly any time for relaxing and even if you have to relax you need to find a place where there is no noise, a calm place where people are not breathing behind your neck.
I looked for a place of this kind but it was hard to find when I stumbled on this website www.wildelephant.net a cosy resort called the Wild Elephant Resort in Munnar, Kerala, India. Looking at the website it seemed quite interesting although being a systems guy myself I had the knowledge of all that can be done on Photoshop to make a website look inviting.
I decided to take the chance and drove down to Munnar from Bangalore and when I reached the place itself it was exhilirating the view itself and the pindrop silence with the only sound of crickets. I had found my place – yes the place I had been looking for for many years and that too in India. There is no mobile coverage here and if you have to call you need to use the Wireless (WLL) phone to call out. There is only one TV set in the restaurant which has TATA SKY on it and one can see programmes here, but who wants to see the TV (Idiot Box) when there is so much of nature to see. One can see the tea gardens, the waterfall opposite to the resort from where the resort gets its water.
The trekking in the morning was great, with the walk upto the waterfalls and the magic tree the bark of which has different colours which is truly amazing. I felt how little we know about Nature and how much we have distanced ourselves from Nature and God. Can one imagine that the bark of a tree could change colours in different seasons?
I also took the jungle safari by jeep the next day and had the opportunity to see waterfalls, hanging bridges, Flowing rivers and wooden bridges. The bath in one of the flowing rivers was great where I was guided by one of the resort staff to sit in a place where there was a gushing flow of water which had a great massaging effect on my back and neck.
The staff are well trained and they take you to the right places where you would be able to enjoy with Nature to the maximum, and the food available in the resort is so homely and simple that you would end up eating more than you normally do. I donot know whether this was due to the unpolluted environment and clear water or due to the running around I had a late Lunch and went off to sleep only to be woken up at around 6 30 pm and being told that a herd of wild elephants have been seen in Anakulam about 12 kms away. I jumped into the jeep and we were on the move and we happened to reach on time when a herd of over 60 elephants including babies were playing and drinking water. It was a great sight I must say, and I had seen more than I had asked for, and was happy that I could leave with satisfaction.
I will come back again surely when I get tired of my city and I dont think there is anything which can replace the expereince which I had here.