What a pretty place in the Windermere Estates. This is almost like a monastery run by Dr. Simon John. We were told to pass on greetings from a one Jose G. Mundackal who fed us a wonderful traditional lunch at his rubber plantation. Windermere grows tea, coffee and cardamom. It's run by 20 college-age boys with quick smiles and an eagerness to teach AND learn. Why boys? "because - sir - we only have small facilities and not enough for the womans."
Five hours of wild and bumpy jeep ride starting at 5:00 AM. We toured a great wildlife preserve supporting over 300 wild elephants (we saw them), bison (we saw them as well) and tigers (no sightings). Troupes of monkeys of multiple breeds (Bonnet Macaque and the Hanuman Monkey) peered down at us from the treetops. Baby monkeys the size of my two palms crept curiously closer but were deftly disciplined by mothers with a tight grip on their tails. We also saw the Chambal Malayannan (Giant Grizzled Squirrel) about 2 feet long. A pair of Paradise Fly Catchers flew on the opposite side of the river.
Cardamom grows in the full shade. As a result, we saw many giant trees of all varieties including the Strangler Vine.
No comments:
Post a Comment