Kerala - Rightly called God's Backyard

Surely India is blessed with many beautiful landscapes and places but if there is a place which is truly His own backyard it has to be Kerala. Picture swaying palms, the feel of soft sand beneath your feet, mesmerizing sunsets, friendly locals, verdant green hills, rain forests and tea plantations, and you get Kerala.  It has everything you want in your holiday – verdant beaches, good resorts & hotels in all budgets, good food, the hills for cooler climes, sublime backwaters and lakes, houseboat gliding through narrow palm fringed canals and last but not the least - good shopping. 

Taking advantage of promotional tickets bought much in advance we flew to Calicut (known as Kozhikode) and took a beautiful drive to the rain forest area of Wayanad. Nestled in the Western Ghats, Wayanad is known for its mist-laden mountains and lush forests. With it’s high altitude (between 2500 – 600 ft asl) the climate of Wayanad is pleasant throughout the year. Though, frankly the best time of the year is from October till March. You will find lots of plantations growing coffee, tea, cocoa, pepper and vanilla. The area is also known for it’s beautiful waterfalls and day hikes around them. 

Our resort the Vythiri Village Resort was so charming with views to die for across thick forests. Cottages on stilts overlooking the valley was the perfect setting for sitting on the verandah with a hot cup of chai! However there is so much more to do in this absolutely gorgeous area.  The two outstanding waterfalls in that area are the Kanthanpara and the Sentinel (Soochipara) falls. A 45-minutes drive through forests from our resort you come to these rock falls – a most refreshing sight as well as for a dip in the cool waters. Before you enter the area you go through a security check – for any plastic bags. Being an environment friendly area all plastic bags are kept out. An excellent area to clean your lungs! A hike to the Chembra Peak (about 6200 ft) is absolutely exhilarating. 

Early in the morning from Vythiri we made our way back down the ghats and onto the edge of the Sholayar forest to the famous falls at Athirapally. These falls became famous in Bahubali are also known as the “Niagra of India“. Drive onwards to Cochin for the night. 

Cochin (now known as Kochi) is the main metro of this bustling state. A melting pot of cultures there is tremendous influence of the Arabs, Dutch, Chinese, Portugese and the British – each having left a indelible mark in the city. These are actually the twin towns of Cochin and Ernakulam. The Willingdon Island’s Jew Town with its Jewish Synagogue continue’s to mesmerize tourists as do the incredible St Francis Church and the Santa Cruz Basilica. A must visit - The Dutch Palace and Hill Palace - both of which speak aloud of the various reigns the city has gone through. However it is the Spice Market and the Chinese fishing nets fixed ashore the backwaters which add flavor to this picturesque city. You can spend upto 3 days in this city and while you are at it get a nice Ayurveda massage – a real nice recommended is the Punarnava Ayurvedic Hospital. What is highly recommended is also a walk through the traditional spice market. I never knew that there were so many different type of spices!!

Munnar – the “hill station” of Kerala adds to the dimension and depth of the nature’s bounty to this state. The road itself from Cochin till Munnar is very picturesque with beautiful waterfalls Cheeyapara / Valara. Acres and acres of tea gardens is what you see around Munnar. The greenery all around is very pleasant and soothing to the “city wallahs”. Set at an altitude of more than 6000 ft asl in Idukki district, Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days to get away from the dry heat. A visit to the Eravakulam park and to the waterfalls is a must. The hotels in Munnar are also very nice with million dollar views and so it is little wonder that it is a honeymoon’s paradise. 

However it is the backwaters which makes Kerala unique. The largest of the lake Venbanad lake is the gateway to this great natural phenomenon and the epicenter is the tourist activity is Kumarakom and picturesque city of Alleppy. The upscale resorts are mostly in Kumarakom area of the lake – with well-known names such as the Coconut Lagoons, Kumarakom Lake Resort and the Taj Vivanta. It is not just the natural beauty of the area which is alluring but also the unique heritage of the wooden “Tharwads” houses and the large “Kettuvalams” large rice barges made on wood and coir. 

Resorts such as Coconut Lagoons have some of these mansions which are over 150 years old, and were transplanted here, beam by beam, timber by timber, from the old houses of the county that had fallen to ruin. The cruises on the lake and the backwater canals is real fun with these Kerala “houseboats”. We spent 2 nights at the idyllic backwaters of Alleppy on a small but excellent homestay barely 3 meters from the main canal. It was a delight to wake up and sit on the banks to see the village starting their daily work, children going to school in spiffy uniforms by small boats, taxi motorboats ferrying people to work and kingfishers swooping down for breakfast. 

The city of Alleppy is itself built on small canals and from one such canal in the center of town you get the local boats (motorized) for joy rides through the canals. A 3 hour trip through the backwaters is highly recommended as you glide past, small villages, duck farms, shops, paddy fields and coconut groves. A birders paradise where you can find Egrets, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Herons and Eagles and many more (frankly I cannot identify any more species) in these lush green and peaceful areas. 

There are houseboats of many shapes, categories and sizes for overnight trips. These are really luxurious with air conditioning, butler service and freshly (caught) cooked local cuisine. These boats have observation decks where you can sit back with a glass of beer and see villages and the local fisherman at work. Hire charges per room are equaling five star hotel room tariffs and include dinner and breakfast. 

Alleppy has a thriving spice market with it’s close proximity to Kottayam’s (another spice center) and so for people not planning or do not have enough time in Cochin can stock up all spices here. Being a foodie and a South Indian food enthusiast I like to eat at the small and local restaurants. At Alleppy too we stopped for lunch (on the main street opposite the main temple) at one such place “meals” as is known all over South India  and absolutely loved it. Typically you get rice, sambhar dhal, rasam, two or three locally available vegetables, a papad, and a bowl of dahi along with different types of pickles. What differentiates the taste is the blend of spices used by each eating house.  

Our next stop, Trivandrum, was a 3 hour very interesting bus ride away. Passing through small and big towns one gets to see the character of each place – we crossed a town which had more Gold shops than the Serangoon road in Singapore while another had mostly flower stalls. Kollam is a big hub and an old seaport on the backwaters and an important trading town specially for cashews. I read somewhere that it has more than 600 trading houses who deal in Cashew and thus easily the largest hub in the world. 

At Trivandrum we just changed transport to go onwards to Kovalam. Just a short drive out of town along the coast we arrived at this beautiful part of Kerala. We were booked at a small but extremely well located hotel very close to the massive lighthouse. Our room over looked a small private beach area and had a large balcony to sit out. The beach promenade is like any other in the European Rivera’s with it’s many water front restaurants. You get a wide choice of cuisines seafood, Italian, Greek, French, Israeli, Indian, Chinese and many fast food centers. 

The beach is clean and is very international. The highlight for me was when the local fisherman boats returned in the late afternoon with the catch of the day. The women folk would then get the best fish out in wicker baskets and sell to the various restaurants on the waterfront for dinner. Later in the evening when we ventured out for dinner all restaurants were busy and it had a very cosmopolitan flavor. Kovalam is a favorite with tourists year round. 

My first time on top of a very tall lighthouse was exciting and afforded beautiful views of all sides. Sunsets in particular were outstanding. 

From Kovalam we took a taxi to the southernmost tip of the mainland, Kanyakumari. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing as the sheer number of tourists was overwhelming. The queue for the ferry  to visit the rock memorial was miles long and so we decided not to visit it that day. Instead we went to a secluded part of the beach to watch the sunset, which was undoubtedly the highlight. 

The serenity of the rock memorial and the massive granite statue of the well known poet, Thiruvallavar  against a belligerent sea was a complete contrast. The sheer expanse of the ocean from the “Rock “ was very humbling. 

For our flight to Delhi we had to return to Trivandrum and decided to visit the famous Padmanabhan temple. Considered to be the richest temple, please remember that entry is limited only to Hindus only and that too  men wearing a dhoti, and sarees for ladies. Photography inside is totally prohibited. The main deity of Lord Krishna in form of Sree Padmanabhaswamy in a reclining pose is so striking that all else pales into the background. 

Finally, after my “last meals” lunch we flew back to Delhi. 

Best time to visit Kerala is from mid October till first week of March. The snake boat race coinciding with Onam and the monsoons is also a busy but rewarding time around the backwaters. 

A few suggested tour programmes with costs for winters of 2017-18

Tour A: 1 nt Cochin, 2 nts Munnar, 2 nts Alleppy, 2 nts Kovalam      Approx: INR 58000 pp 

Tour B: 1 nt Cochin, 2 nts Munnar, 2 nts Alleppy, 2 nts Mararikullam  Approx: INR 69000 pp 

Tour C: 1 nt Cochin, 2 nts Munnar, 2 nts Kodaikanal, 2 nts Ooty        Approx: INR 59000 pp 

GST 5% Extra 

The above cost include: 

Accommodation in 1 double / twin share on bed, breakfast & dinner in superior 3* Hotels 

Transportation by AC Toyota Etios Car