Having left the rubber and tea plantation, we drove back down the hill a little to rejoin the main interstate road (it doesn't look like a main interstate road though, nor feel like it! We went first for lunch and had a 'chicken meal' these are the bargain of the day here in south India a little like a Thali which we can sometimes get in the UK. They consist of a main curry, veg, fish, mutton (goat) or chicken, in sauce, rice, veg side dishes usually at least two, pickle, sambar (a veg thin curry/gravy), rasam (a pepper thin sauce), curd or buttermilk with more rice and sometimes a poppadum, sometimes paysam too which is pudding. They come and top you up throughout the meal with everything except the main dish. The meals vary in cost from around 30 rupees (under 50p) to around 70 rupees, just under a pound, but they are the most popular dish in restaurants or cafes.
On leaving the cafe, we went back along the road to a magnificent damn complete with viewpoint. It was a stunning location with water then tumbling over rocks and down into Kerala. We carried on along the road to the Venture estate, which we turned into and there was something I have wanted to see for years, a pineapple plantation, pineapples stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see. The plants grow about knee high with one fruit at a time per plant.
We met up with the workers who immediately carved us up a fruit using a machete! First he slashed the leaves off from the top leaving the central core and making it into a handle shaped piece, a bit like a pineapple lollipop, then he took the peel off, then using the point ran a series of vertical cuts down from top to bottom a bit like the segments of an orange, leaving the harder core behind. He then held it out to us to take a slice. It was delicious, warm from the sun and juice like nectar. heavenly, the best I have ever tasted. I bought 5 to bring home to Tirunelvelli, which cost 50 rupees, about 75p. After that it was back into the car and to Tirunelvelli, we finally got home around 8.30pm and it was straight to bed for me absolutely exhausted after a great day!
