As we left the rubber town of Kottayam, we felt a perceptible change in the landscape and weather. The air smelt different too as our vehicle negotiated hairpin bends on the Peermade-Vagamon Road, unveiling mist-cloaked valleys and small tea gardens carpeting mountain slopes. There was a distinct crisp freshness in the air.
I was struck by nature’s benevolence and the pastoral charm of the place. A green carpet rolled out in front of us. Nature was at her bountiful best with the roadside pageant unravelling itself, frame by frame — exotic flora and fauna, glades and. . .
