Vanilla County

Here are some of Sarah's emailed impressions of Vanilla County, our home stay near Wagamon, in the Western Ghats:

"We are now in the mountains staying at a homestay called 'Vanilla County'. There is a website you can google to see a picture and description. It's in the Western Ghat mountains. Needless to say, it's incredible as everything here is. It's a nice contrast to the austere convent in the middle of a poor, crowded city - here it is quiet, cool, lots of flowers, palms, jungle - the home is very luxurious in a nice old-fashioned way. We swam at a beautiful pool in a mountain stream today (see earlier post, "Swimming in the River"), and our guide picked vanilla, cardamom, cocoa, and black pepper berries and showed us the rubber tapping which is the big industry here (see earlier post, "Rubber").

Our kind and friendly hosts are cooking us more delicious Keralan food including exotic vegetables which we have never had before. Tomorrow we take a tour and then we will go to an ashram which is a famous Christian retreat 10k from here. "

[This small balcony and a large one beyond were both outside Sarah and my room. Nicholas and Peter had a separate room and bath. The bit of railing in the foreground is part of a large deck accessible from the second floor hall.]