God’s own country?
February 7th, 2004 | Published in Travel | 15 Comments
Am off to Pune tomorrow to spend a day with friends. On Monday, Stephanie and I are taking off to Kerala for a week. We’ll be going to Alleppey first. After spending the first two days there, we’ll decide where to go next.
There are a few sights we hope to catch — like the Periyar wildlife sanctuary. Kumarakom. Spice Village. Thekkady. We might not be able to go towards the South (Trivandrum) or North (Wyanad) as we will run out of time. So, we’ve decided to concentrate around the central part of Kerala. If you’ve been to this part of the country recently and have any suggestions/ tips/ places to see to share with us, do leave us your comments.
Next week, we discover if Kerala is truly God’s own country!
February 7th, 2004 at 2:07 pm (#)
1) Like everywhere else, the autowallahs and the cabbies will try and loot you at every given opportunity, best rule of thumb is that the fares are generally lower than Mumbai or Delhi. If possible, have someone who belongs there to go with you.
2) Avoid public transport as much as possible, the ‘grope’ is very much alive and kicking there.
3) Food is generally cooked well and the ‘starriest’ hotels need not necessarily give you the cheapest/best grub, but if you do not like it hot and spicy, go slow at it :)
4) From what I remember, the tourism dept runs pretty cheapish day-long trips in the lake region. Grab a book, a wide brimmed hat, plenty of water, read and eat the whole day.
5) The mobile phone coverage is pretty neat there and I think Airtel/Hutch gives you roaming almost over the entire state (As long as you do not wander too deep into the forests ;-))
February 7th, 2004 at 4:40 pm (#)
If you want to try some beaches, go to cherai beach. It’s near Ernakulam ( cochin ). Beach is neat and not crowded.
Cochin mostly has only some buildings of historical importance. You can see Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace, Bolgatty Palace, St.Francis Church, Chinese Fishing nets. etc.
Then you can go to munnar if you have time.
You can go to Vazhachal, athirampally if u want to see some waterfalls.
In kumarakom try a houseboat. It’d be around 3k-6k per day. If that’s expensive u can try some other small boats which will take u thru the lake for a sighseeing trip. That’ll be arnd 350 for 1 hr or 500 for 2 hrs.
February 7th, 2004 at 5:58 pm (#)
Hi Anita, When in Tekkady, do take a boat ride into Periyar lake. Cross over the wooden dam and wait a while (cut engines, if you ‘re on a powered boat). If you’re lucky you might just get to see the elephant herd;
If you happen to take a liking to trekking, watch out for leeches. Carry lime salt (‘pan ka chuna’). It helps the blood clot. Have fun =)
February 9th, 2004 at 1:33 am (#)
Codey: Thanks for those tips! Will be very helpful. Will definitely try and avoid public transport. We get a lot of the groping everywhere as it is!
Sibi: We’re planning to spend a day in Kumarakom, so we’ll take in a boat ride then. And spend a day in Cochin, hopefully as we come back from there. So will try and take in those sights then.
Chetan: That sounds nice. Will definitely keep it in mind as we plan to go to Thekkady. I think we’ll avoid the trekking :)
February 9th, 2004 at 9:31 pm (#)
hey codey.…. but still .…. it happens to be GODS OWN COUNTRY !!!
February 11th, 2004 at 2:41 pm (#)
Ghost Rider: And you thought that cream was really going to make you fairer eh? ;-)
February 11th, 2004 at 7:21 pm (#)
cream ?????
February 12th, 2004 at 3:18 pm (#)
have a nice trip !!!
February 13th, 2004 at 6:29 pm (#)
Thanks Jil! We’ve reached Kumily, Thekkady. I’ve injured my foot a little and Steph has a bad stomach infection, but we’re hoping to catch some sights around Periyar lake tomorrow!
February 21st, 2004 at 8:09 am (#)
You have a pretty nice blog. English is not my native language but it was please to read your site. From Russia with love :)Sincerely yours..
June 23rd, 2005 at 2:07 pm (#)
If you wish to go a beach in kochin,you come to cherai beach.you can get the map from http://www.cheraihotels.com
If you want to try some beaches, go to cherai beach. It’s near Ernakulam ( cochin ). Beach is neat and not crowded
December 8th, 2006 at 12:02 am (#)
Cherai beach is a virgin beach,clean and lengthy .
Back water and beach had makde a memorable picture .I got the information from http://www.cheraihotels.com .This year Cheraibeach festival Started on 24 the december 2006
April 19th, 2007 at 8:54 am (#)
New website about cherai.It may help the touristfar getting an amazing holiday vacation
August 31st, 2008 at 9:06 pm (#)
Cherai beach is a natural heaven, serene,unspoilt and eternal.Despite having been discovered by the world as the place for the perfect vacation If you wish to go a beach in kochin,you come to cherai beach.you can get the Helps from http://www.cheraihotel.com
February 19th, 2010 at 7:17 am (#)
Cherai is an excellent tourist beach destination in Asia,Kerala,India . It is a typical Kerala village with paddy fields and coconut groves in the vicinity. It is an enchanting stretch of endeveloped golden sand, with miles of beautiful backwater’s just 300m back from the seasore.The sandy, clean and shallow beach , evokes irresistible temptation for swimming and sunbathing .http://www.keralahotels24.com/cheraihotelsandsresorts.htm give more details about hotels in cherai