Our next desitnation was Thekkady, located about 114 km from Madurai  and 145 km from Kochin where we had begun our southern adventure two weeks earlier. The road through the Kerala highlands to Thekkady was long and winding. The many curves provided an abundance of scenic views of peaks and valleys, forest land and many tea plantations carved into the hillsides. There were occasional roadside lookouts and a variety of buildings in the clearings -- one notable structure being the Roman Catholic Pattumala Matha Church on a hilltop. 

Kerala is famous for the Periyar National Park, but a visit to the park was not on our itinerary. The region is also famous for its many spice gardens which grow natural spices such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, nutmace, ginger, and cloves. The plan was to visit such a spot after checking into Michael's Inn in Tekkady.