Wayanad is at around 800 meters above sea level and is thick with tropical vegetation, tea and coffee plantations, spices and wild animals. The tea plantations create a beautiful textural landscape.
Here are some tea pickers harvesting young leaves.
We also saw rice paddies.
People carrying things.
At Pookote Lake we enticed a monkey out of a tree with a small banana. Soon all of his friends joined him and we had to flee down the path with monkeys in hot pursuit.
We saw a waterfall.
And visited a Jain Temple that was built in the 9th century.
Gorgeous carvings on the columns.
Later in the day we walked through town in Valavanchal and came upon a small Hindu Temple. The temple priest invited us in.
Two young boys walked with us back to the road. They gave us orange string friendship bracelets before going on their way.
On the way back through town we met a family in front of their house. The grandparents, the grandmother's sister and brother, four of their children with their spouses and all of the grandchildren live together in two houses side by side.
Here are the grandchildren.
The grandmother invited us in for chai.
Everyone posed for a photo.
I will not forget the warmth and generosity of this family or the magical wanderings of this day.
Awwwww those monkeys look so cute and harmless!
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