Tea Time

Mattupetty Dam

After catching a few zzz's upon returning from our not so wild, wildlife safari, we headed out to see Mattupetty Dam which our driver was determined to take us to.  To quote a random website I found on it..

"You will often see people enjoying a lazy picnic here. Visitors love the panoramic view of the dam surrounded by wooden hills and tea plantations."

Despite those claims, we did not see anyone being lazy and having a picnic nor was it spectacular.  It was a dam.  Simple as that.  I took some pictures anyway.   

Mattupetty Dam

John with a Hello Kitty hat he bought for his sister..... or himself?

After the dam, we went to the TATA Tea Museum and saw how the plantations started.  We watched a video on the history of it and unfortunately I only remember a few things from the 30 minutes of facts.  Years ago.. as in a loooong time ago... they hired men to run the machines.  With them, the men brought their wives who were quickly put to work plucking the tea leaves.  Then a daycare was set up for the children on the plantations and the area began to flourish.  Before long, they had doctors and hospitals and stores set up near by.  Quickly, it became its own community.

Tea leaves on display

 

View of the tea plantations from the TATA Tea Factory

One of the machines used to smash and break up the tea leaves

I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, but I was sly and got one before the guy told me to put my camera up.  According the the Lonely Planet, this is one of the most sanitary tea factories.  If that is the case, I do not want to see the others.  This one was okay, but people were just putting their hands in the grinds that were filling up bags.  No big deal, don't worry about the fact that it's their 'winter' here and they probably have a cold, cough or snotty nosed kids.

Indian Cracker Barrel

A bit into our drive back and we gladly stopped for lunch and a stretch break at this fine, Indian food establishment.  It reminded us of Cracker Barrel because there were numerous cars, vans and taxis outside the open air restaurant.  Even some other tourists stopped for a bite to eat.  The food was good and it broke the trip up a little.  With the exception of the night safari, Munnar was a neat town to visit.  Being crammed in a van for a short, yet long journey was not.