Ginger Without Borders

After seeing the mountain goats, monkeys and wild elephants of the Western Ghats, it was time to return to the backwaters of coastal Kerala, this time to the northern section of Kerala. Our journey down the two lane roads from the mountain took us by fields of tea plantantions and rubber plantations (yes, natural rubber has…

We went down to a very colorful breakfast buffet. It was August 15, Indian Independence Day, and the cooks had prepared various dishes (the Southern Indian speciality of round steamed idli lentil and rice cakes in particlular) in the three colors of the Indian flag: green, orange and white. At 9am, all the guests were invited to…

Our time in Munnar’s tea plantations had come to an end. But before we leave Munnar, I should highlight the efforts of the town to address plastic bottle waste. This was the first town in India where we experienced municipal signs encouraging the recycling of water bottles. Kerala is a melting pot of various religions with…

Anamudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats (and south of the Himalayas in India), rising to over 8,800 feet. It is within the borders of Eravikulam National Park, the oldest National Park in Kerala. India did not gain its freedom from the British Raj until 1947 (more on this later), so National Parks…

The Western Ghats are the oldest mountains in India and have many peaks that rise above 6,600 feet (which is the highest point in the Eastern US at Mt. Mitchell in ancient mountains of Western NC, where I have spent many happy days), so these Indian mountains feel familiar to me. My folks were both…