Samuel's occupied with a new set of matchbox fire trucks, so I'll continue our Throwback Thursday Kerala adventure. We left Cochin and the coast and headed into the mountains for a stay on a tea plantation at Munnar (and here and here), one of the many Indian hill stations created by British colonials who couldn't take the lowland heat.
Once we hit the mountains, we started passing "spice gardens" left and right. We finally got curious enough to stop at one. It was pretty cool. We went on a little guided tour and learned about different plants and spices that are native to Kerala. We actually learned more later on our trip when one of our hosts led us around her own spice garden, but this was a fun introduction.
Here's the all-important lotus flower, which has spiritual meaning in both Hinduism and Buddhism. We see it a lot here in Thailand, too. Here's an interesting explanation of the flower's significance.
Kerala is covered with jackfruit trees. They're so funny looking! And I was always slightly nervous that one of these giant fruits was going to fall on somebody's head.
Kerala's black pepper trade goes back millennia and is still strong. Check the pepper in your pantry. There's a good chance it was grown along the Malabar Coast. Here it is still on the vine, before being harvested and dried for sale.
Chocolate lovers should know this one ... That's right! The cacao plant! It's not native to India, but it grows well in the south and is now one of the plantation crops there, along with rubber, coffee and tea. It's kind of a strange-looking plant, with the pods growing right out of the bark and all over the tree.
This one's a nutmeg tree. The spice comes from the dried seed that's inside those yellow pods.
The last stop on our garden tour was to the gift shop, where our guide explained the ayurvedic properties (and here) of the fresh spices they had for sale.
Interesting stuff!
Once we hit the mountains, we started passing "spice gardens" left and right. We finally got curious enough to stop at one. It was pretty cool. We went on a little guided tour and learned about different plants and spices that are native to Kerala. We actually learned more later on our trip when one of our hosts led us around her own spice garden, but this was a fun introduction.
Here's the all-important lotus flower, which has spiritual meaning in both Hinduism and Buddhism. We see it a lot here in Thailand, too. Here's an interesting explanation of the flower's significance.
Kerala is covered with jackfruit trees. They're so funny looking! And I was always slightly nervous that one of these giant fruits was going to fall on somebody's head.
Kerala's black pepper trade goes back millennia and is still strong. Check the pepper in your pantry. There's a good chance it was grown along the Malabar Coast. Here it is still on the vine, before being harvested and dried for sale.
Chocolate lovers should know this one ... That's right! The cacao plant! It's not native to India, but it grows well in the south and is now one of the plantation crops there, along with rubber, coffee and tea. It's kind of a strange-looking plant, with the pods growing right out of the bark and all over the tree.
This one's a nutmeg tree. The spice comes from the dried seed that's inside those yellow pods.
The last stop on our garden tour was to the gift shop, where our guide explained the ayurvedic properties (and here) of the fresh spices they had for sale.
Interesting stuff!
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