蔡澜老先生曾自问“什么是茶道？”，“答案很清楚，舒服就是。茶是应该轻轻松松之下请客或自用的。纯朴自然，一个‘真’字就跑出来了。真情流露，就有禅味。有禅味，道即生。喝茶，就是这么简单。”其实，一杯茶引出的深意有太多太多，而旅行也可以成为领悟茶道的一部分。当你游走在著名的茶园，了解每一个茶厂的工艺与故事，甚至是在一个可以看得见茶之风景的角落静静发呆，聆听茶的呓语。
Mr.Cai Lan once posed a self-inquiry "what is tea ceremony？" "Te answer is unambiguous： it’s about delightful， as tea should be treated to the guests or drunk by oneself in the relaxing fashion. It’s simple and natural， as the sense of Zen is released simultaneously with the outburst of real feelingsa. Te Way is born in the wake of sense of Zen. Tea-drinking is so simple." In fact， too much profound meanings can be derived from a cup of tea， while travel may become a part of grasping the tea ceremony， you are listening to the private talk of tea.
Walk In the Tea Clouds
Hill Station
The hill station of Munnar， misty and shrouded by the vast expanse of tea plantations， is situated in Kerala State， south of India， a mystical place being called “the God’s Country.”The name of Munnarmay sound unfamiliar to you，but its stunning beauty has been captured by Ang Lee’s movie Life of Pi.The small town sleeps at the confluence of three mountain streams， blooming like a wild lily.
Tea Tree and Banyan
Perched about 1600 m above sea level， the hill station of Munnar， once used to be the summer resort of the erstwhile British administration in south India， is blanketed by tea estates. In the foggy rain， women migrated around the hills picking new green shoots from the tops of the shrubs then placing them in sacks which they pile onto trucks， amid a green candlewick bedspread draped over the crumpled land. Many tea gardens are open to the tourists， as they trekked on the winding road， getting deep into the tea bushes. At a closer look， the size of India tea leaves is slightly bigger than Chinese counterpart. The scorching temperature of India poses risk to women tea pickers； hence， they normally don more than one layer of dress. For more seasoned women tea pickers， they can hold two sacks overhead， one on the left and the other on the right， balanced by the equal distribution of weight. You need to slow down on this journey， embracing the tranquility at its best.
Rest in the Fog
With the urge of experiencing more native Munnar tea， you take on a double-decked houseboat made of rattan， which will circle the river and serve the local tea. The technique of houseboat building is quite sophisticated， as you can sit on the top floor veranda， sipping tea and listening to the sounds of the jungle. Such service can be found at the riverside mooring zone or at hotels of Munnar.
