Nature!
Quick check on our vouchers: no breakfast at the hotel. Quest nr. 1: find a place where they serve good coffee. Failed. Badly. Had a good breakfast, certainly we had. But the coffee… further no comment. Somehow I have some deja vu from Peru. Also a country where they grow very good coffee, but actually had no clue to serve it well. Quite a pity.
At the way out, some photographs of waterfalls took my attention. Quick check: there was a possibility for a private tour. Today. Finally! Nature! Plan B was a tour along the sights of Kochi: Dutch, English, Chinese, Portuguese, Jewish heritage. Plan B didn’t make it, for now. You see, we try to prevent us from overload of (historical) information. At the end, you better remember a few sides good than having trouble to sort it all out over and over again. And, you see, nowaday’s India you won’t find in heritage constructions, the basics and backgrounds for the development, of course, but not nowadays life. Although just driving through the cities, villages, the countryside, with some small explanations of the driver gives more insights. Landscape gives an impression whereof people have to cope with, explains much more about focus and choices, you see.
We had to wait 15 minutes for the driver. If we would mind? No! Not at all! Not with the chance to see some waterfalls today.
It was a two-hour drive to the Plantation Valley. First sight of the Athirappilly Falls was already amazing. Driving through banana and coconut plantations with livestock under the trees, the villages was impressive. We recognized the place where we had to be on the market and sales: most complete useless product-range, you never would find in a ‘normal’ village. The entrance to the side was in the middle of the market. First a bit uphill, watching some monkeys. Then down to the top of the waterfall. A plain rock to half-cross. Even it was too hot to move anyway, we decided to go to the lower level of the fall, about 30m differences in altitude, a steep way down led us to the basin under the waterfall. Climbed some rocks trying to shoot some good pics. The way down was already a challenge in this heat. Now the way up. Who’s idea was that?? But also the locals puffed and sweat and steamed. A bit overheated, we reached the top. Tried to find some additional water, but it was sold out already. Used some ice cream to cool down. Luckily, the car was air-conditioned. We had a change to steady our temperature. A short chill in the hotel, and yet we took a tuk-tuk to roam the sights in Fort Kochi, anyway, just a quick impression before we called it a day.