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Fields of Cardamom |
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CUSTOM MADE FOR VIR SANGHVI
Sunday: 10 pm
My quest for natural luxury cannot be complete without visiting Kerala. I get here during the monsoons and it’s actually a blessing in disguise because the rain has made everything look shiny, bright and new.
The greens seem greener, the oranges seem oranger and everything seems more beautiful. My stop, the Windermere Estate in Munnar, a 60 acre cardamom plantation, run by Dr Simon John.
As beautiful as this place is, I am here for a specific purpose, I am hoping that Dr John will lead me on a spice walk through the fields of cardamom.
Dr John is an ophthalmic surgeon and he belongs to an old planters family. He invested in this piece of land, many years ago when he was still practicing medicine in Cochin.
He actually wanted to build a farm house for his family and friends, but when hotel chains started bidding for the estate, he decided to take the plunge.
Even today, Dr John doesn’t run it like a normal hotel, he runs it as though everyone who comes here is a friend.
This plantation is surrounded by acres and acres of beautifully manicured tea gardens. And the view here in Munnar is heavenly...
The lush green forests of the western ghats, always make for a magnificent setting.
But more so around the rains, when everything looks as though it’s been recently wiped clean and a fresh coat of paint put on an already beautiful picture.
The whole concept of living inside a plantation is actually quite fascinating, you live with the constant aroma of spices, cardamom in this case, lingering in the air and a personal tour by the head of the planters family adds a special touch.
Don’t hold me to this but I often say that Kerala is my favourite state in India.
First of all, you have a very high level of literacy, you have amazing tree cover, you have every kind of natural feature, you have mountains, you have the sea, you have amazing back waters…and you have places like this.
Places where there is so much greenery, such lush forestation, where you can walk and smell the spices, smell the herbs and commune with Mother Nature.
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