Last week, my wife Suma and I visited Kerala from 22-Nov-04 to 26-Nov-04. We stayed for a night at Cherai Beach Resort ; two nights at Munnar and one night in a houseboat in Lake Wembanad. It was an unforgettable experience - for all the right reasons ! My impressions of the trip are written below.
CHERAI BEACH
====== =====
We stayed in a cosy cottage with a sit out that looked out into the backwaters. Suma suggested that we spend some time in the sit out and that is exactly what we did in the night. The night was silent and the lights of a moving boat far away, returning from fishing (perhaps !) emphasized the silence. It was peaceful and just the panacea for our ears and eyes, which are more accustomed to the noise of the city.
Before that, we went to Fort Kochi in the taxi that was to be ours for four days. Shaukat, our driver took us along Bazaar Road in Kochi. The road is narrow, but going through it is an experience in itself, as the smell of various spices fills the air. We went to the Jewish Synagogue and read about its history. The synagogue is pretty, and spotlessly clean with blue tiles and hanging lights. It's incredible to see that a structure that had begun in the 16th century continues in the 21st century as well.
The interesting part of this visit was that to get to Kochi from Cherai, we had to get into a ferry for a 15 minute ride. Our taxi went into a ferry and the ferry loaded with our taxi, a lorry, motor bikes and other sundry vehicles went from the village of Vypeen to Fort Kochi. It was the first time that Suma and I had seen this kind of thing and it was quite a novel experience.
After the visit, it was time for short eats back at Cherai. The eats may have been "short" but the waiting period for them was anything but "short" ! For dinner, we were wiser. We ordered the food and then went for a tour around the resort ! However, when the food did come, the wait was well worth the time spent. The food was tasty every time.
MUNNAR
======
The next morning, we went to Munnar, a 4 and a half our drive from Cherai. Cherai is at sea level, Munnar is a hill station. The difference in temperature can be imagined ! The air conditioner was necessary in Cherai in the night. In Munnar, we arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It was so cold that we felt that the air conditioner was on. In fact, there wasn't one and our hotel room did not even have a fan !
On our way to Munnar, we stopped at Cheyyappara (?) falls. The water here cascades down rocks and presents a good backdrop to stand in front of ;-) So Suma and I stood in front of the falls while Shaukat turned photographer. The photograph is one of the better ones from our visit !
I had visited Munnar a few years earlier and found it little changed from my last visit. The sights of the tea estates along gently sloping hills, which look as if a green carpet have been laid out on the hills ; ranges of hills one behind another ; flowers that are a size too big and look all the more better and fresher for it ; and a healthy nip in the air that heightened the senses were all there in Munnar this time also.
We went for a speedboat cruise at Mattupetti dam. The speedboat experience was thrilling and the boat driver added to the thrill by deliberately turning the boat sharply one way and the other so that it seemed that the boat just had to capsize ! The views from the boat were breathtaking. On one side was the water of the catchment area and on both its banks were green hillsides covered with trees. Funnily, what came to my head then was Middle Earth described by Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings". My blog on 18-Jan-04 has my comments on the book.
Another magical moment was when we went to Top Station, a high point in Munnar. Shaukat drove the taxi through a cloud and it was special to be INSIDE a cloud after having seen it from a distance. The hot corn cob we ate tasted special in the chilly morning !
One afternoon, we went to Rajmalai peak, home of the Nilgiri tahr. There are 1500 of these timid animals that live here. Suma and I climbed along a road meant only for pedestrians up to the point where a board said that we could not proceed further. Near the top, one particularly bold tahr came right up to us. Perhaps, it was just hungry ! The tahr looks like a cross of a deer and a goat. It has the horns of a goat and the stucture of a deer and is grey in colour.
ALLEPPEY
========
Alleppey is actually Alappuzah - I think ! I am not sure of the spelling :-) ! It appears that Kerala has two names for each place :-) Trivandrum is Thiruvananthapuram ; Cochin is Kochi ; Quilon is Kollam ; Alwaye is Aluva and Alleppey is Alappuzah. Like the bard Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would not smell less sweet", so I will call the place Alleppey and leave it at that !
Descending from the heights of Munnar to sea level was an experience. The heat associated with coastal places hit us even as we approached Alleppey. When we entered the houseboat there, it was lunch time. Our helmsman had a steering wheel parallel to the ground, which came first in the "front" of the narrow boat. Behind him was a quilt where we could sit and view the backwaters. Then came the "living room" where we had four bamboo chairs and a dining table with four chairs. Behind this room were two bed rooms fitted with a double bed, a dressing table and an attached toilet. Following this was the "galley" where Ajit the cook prepared delicious Kerala meals "on demand" ! The galley was followed by the motor that powered the boat. There was solar power available which drove the fan in the bedroom - thankfully :-) ! Despite the cool breeze that blew in from the water, a fan was a must in the bedroom, in the night. Details of the houseboat trips are available at http://www.rainbowcruises.com.
So much for the houseboat, now here is the actual experience. In one word, it was "UNIQUE" ! After lunch, we set off for a cruise. When Suma asked, Ajit told us that there were 700 km of backwaters of which we covered around 50 km in all. There was water all around us and we could see coconut trees on both banks far away. Along the cruise, we saw that water was the link for various villages as well. Just as we use buses and taxis in the cities, villages used small boats to go to work in the paddy fields and back. We saw school children awaiting their school bus - sorry, school "boat" - in the evening !
Suma asked the helmsman if we could sit on the quilt and when he nodded his head vigorously, we did not need a second invitation ! Both of us kept our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of life in the backwaters. There were people washing clothes in the backwaters, others waiting to get into boats, still others fishing for food at home .... what a life it must be ! I suppose our life must be an envy to them ! "The grass is always greener on the other side" !
As the sun began to set, we felt some of the magic of the place then. There was the calm water all around us. There were the bright green paddy fields. As our boat turned amid coconut trees on both sides, there were different birds that took off. We saw a flock of birds take off simultaneously. It was a sight to behold. The snake birds dived under water, stayed there for some time and then surfaced with only its head and neck showing up like a snake. A row of houseboats passed us. The views of the coconut trees as the boat turned in the backwaters were delightful for the eyes.
For the night, we dropped anchor in Lake Wembanad. The motor fell silent and only the prayers in the temples and masjids far away reminded us of civilisation close by. Once the lights were out, Suma and I just sat on the quilt in the front and looked at the reflection of the nearly full moon. There was little to do, so I persuaded Suma to hum romantic Hindi film songs for me ! In the night, in that environment, it was the right thing to do ! Until we ate dinner, the time we spent was special, but there was still a last pleasant surprise awaiting Suma and I.
The surprise came in the morning when I opened the bedroom doors. What I saw at 6:30 a.m. in the morning was a glorious sunrise behind tall coconut trees. I woke up and felt refreshed instantly. We headed back home shortly later, from Kochi airport.
KOCHI AIRPORT
===== =======
I was impressed with the Kochi airport. The approach to the airport itself is impressive. A National Highway (NH 47) leads to the airport. The highway is a good road with lanes clearly indicated. 5 km away inside from the highway leads to a building constructed in Kerala architectural style. This is Kochi Airport. I found it the cleanest airport, but I haven't seen too many in India, so that may be a hasty conclusion !
There is a separate medicine room and even a separate prayer room for those who want the privacy in the airport. The duty free shops are a pleasure for the shopaholic, though they do not quite match the opulence of the shops in international airports. There is a small aquarium in the airport as well. After checking in, the waiting lounge for passengers has comfortable single seater sofas. All in all, I feel that this is an excellent advertisement for how airports can be maintained in India.
..... And that brings me to the close of this long blog. We caught the flight from Kochi in the afternoon and were back at home, sweet home in the evening.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
sweety_jd@rediffmail.com (sorry, no hyperlink !)
Please click on the dates on the archive to read
the blog. The blogs so far in chronological order
(earliest one first) are :
04/13/2003 - 04/19/2003 ->
19-Apr-03, Wed : The tree lined avenue
04/27/2003 - 05/03/2003 ->
03-May-03, Sat : Star Trek
05/11/2003 - 05/17/2003 ->
16-May-03, Fri : A toast - To the Journey
06/01/2003 - 06/07/2003 ->
02-Jun-03, Mon : The fan and the gait
06/22/2003 - 06/28/2003 ->
22-Jun-03, Sun : Dubai
06/29/2003 - 07/05/2003 ->
29-Jun-03, Sun : Sweet grapes by bowling
08/10/2003 - 08/16/2003 ->
10-Aug-03, Sun : Review of Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
08/17/2003 - 08/23/2003 ->
18-Aug-03, Mon : Serenity in silence
08/31/2003 - 09/06/2003 ->
06-Sep-03, Sat : Driving in the rain
09/28/2003 - 10/04/2003 ->
04-Oct-03, Thu : Construction
11/02/2003 - 11/08/2003 ->
02-Nov-03, Sun : Return to the Motorbike
11/30/2003 - 12/06/2003 ->
06-Dec-03, Sat : Why Test Cricket
12/21/2003 - 12/27/2003 ->
25-Dec-03, Fri : A Christmas Lunch
01/18/2004 - 01/24/2004 ->
18-Jan-04, Sun : A Beautiful Book
20-Jan-04, Tue : A Minor Mishap
02/08/2004 - 02/14/2004 ->
11-Feb-04, Wed : The Mom-and-Pop store experience
03/14/2004 - 03/20/2004 ->
14-Mar-04, Sun : The Karachi one dayer
04/04/2004 - 04/10/2004 ->
04-Apr-04, Sun : Jungle Lodge weekend
05/23/2004 - 05/29/2004 ->
23-May-04, Sun : The Spirit of the Old Man
06/20/2004 - 06/26/2004 ->
21-Jun-04, Mon : Review of Dev, the movie
07/11/2004 - 07/17/2004 ->
The smile
08/01/2004 - 08/07/2004 ->
06-Aug-04, Sat : The Bandipur trip
10/31/2004 - 11/06/2004 ->
31-Oct-04, Sun : Car, Bike and the Rains
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*********************** EDITED ONLINE **************************
Last week, my wife Suma and I visited Kerala from 22-Nov-04 to 26-Nov-04. We stayed for a night at Cherai Beach Resort ; two nights at Munnar and one night in a houseboat in Lake Wembanad. To learn more about Kerala, see http://www.holidaykerala.com. It was an unforgettable experience - for all the right reasons ! My impressions of the trip are written below.
CHERAI BEACH
====== =====
We stayed in a cosy cottage with a sit out that looked out into the backwaters. Suma suggested that we spend some time in the sit out and that is exactly what we did in the night. The night was silent and the lights of a moving boat far away, returning from fishing (perhaps !) emphasized the silence. It was peaceful and just the panacea for our ears and eyes, which are more accustomed to the noise of the city.
Before that, we went to Fort Kochi in the taxi that was to be ours for four days. Shaukat, our driver took us along Bazaar Road in Kochi. The road is narrow, but going through it is an experience in itself, as the smell of various spices fills the air. We went to the Jewish Synagogue and read about its history. The synagogue is pretty, and spotlessly clean with blue tiles and hanging lights. It's incredible to see that a structure that had begun in the 16th century continues in the 21st century as well.
The interesting part of this visit was that to get to Kochi from Cherai, we had to get into a ferry for a 15 minute ride. Our taxi went into a ferry and the ferry loaded with our taxi, a lorry, motor bikes and other sundry vehicles went from the village of Vypeen to Fort Kochi. It was the first time that Suma and I had seen this kind of thing and it was quite a novel experience.
After the visit, it was time for short eats back at Cherai. The eats may have been "short" but the waiting period for them was anything but "short" ! For dinner, we were wiser. We ordered the food and then went for a tour around the resort ! However, when the food did come, the wait was well worth the time spent. The food was tasty every time.
MUNNAR
======
The next morning, we went to Munnar, a 4 and a half our drive from Cherai. Cherai is at sea level, Munnar is a hill station. The difference in temperature can be imagined ! The air conditioner was necessary in Cherai in the night. In Munnar, we arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It was so cold that we felt that the air conditioner was on. In fact, there wasn't one and our hotel room did not even have a fan !
On our way to Munnar, we stopped at Cheyyappara (?) falls. The water here cascades down rocks and presents a good backdrop to stand in front of ;-) So Suma and I stood in front of the falls while Shaukat turned photographer. The photograph is one of the better ones from our visit !
I had visited Munnar a few years earlier and found it little changed from my last visit. The sights of the tea estates along gently sloping hills, which look as if a green carpet have been laid out on the hills ; ranges of hills one behind another ; flowers that are a size too big and look all the more better and fresher for it ; and a healthy nip in the air that heightened the senses were all there in Munnar this time also.
We went for a speedboat cruise at Mattupetti dam. The speedboat experience was thrilling and the boat driver added to the thrill by deliberately turning the boat sharply one way and the other so that it seemed that the boat just had to capsize ! The views from the boat were breathtaking. On one side was the water of the catchment area and on both its banks were green hillsides covered with trees. Funnily, what came to my head then was Middle Earth described by Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings". My blog on 18-Jan-04 has my comments on the book.
Another magical moment was when we went to Top Station, a high point in Munnar. Shaukat drove the taxi through a cloud and it was special to be INSIDE a cloud after having seen it from a distance. The hot corn cob we ate tasted special in the chilly morning !
One afternoon, we went to Rajmalai peak, home of the Nilgiri tahr. There are 1500 of these timid animals that live here. Suma and I climbed along a road meant only for pedestrians up to the point where a board said that we could not proceed further. Near the top, one particularly bold tahr came right up to us. Perhaps, it was just hungry ! The tahr looks like a cross of a deer and a goat. It has the horns of a goat and the structure of a deer and is grey in colour.
ALLEPPEY
========
Alleppey is actually Alappuzah - I think ! I am not sure of the spelling :-) ! It appears that Kerala has two names for each place :-) Trivandrum is Thiruvananthapuram ; Cochin is Kochi ; Quilon is Kollam ; Alwaye is Aluva and Alleppey is Alappuzah. Like the bard Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would not smell less sweet", so I will call the place Alleppey and leave it at that !
Descending from the heights of Munnar to sea level was an experience. The heat associated with coastal places hit us even as we approached Alleppey. When we entered the houseboat there, it was lunch time. Our helmsman had a steering wheel parallel to the ground, which came first in the "front" of the narrow boat. Behind him was a quilt where we could sit and view the backwaters. Then came the "living room" where we had four bamboo chairs and a dining table with four chairs. Behind this room were two bed rooms fitted with a double bed, a dressing table and an attached toilet. Following this was the "galley" where Ajit the cook prepared delicious Kerala meals "on demand" ! The galley was followed by the motor that powered the boat. There was solar power available which drove the fan in the bedroom - thankfully :-) ! Despite the cool breeze that blew in from the water, a fan was a must in the bedroom, in the night.
So much for the houseboat, now here is the actual experience. In one word, it was "UNIQUE" ! After lunch, we set off for a cruise. When Suma asked, Ajit told us that there were 700 km of backwaters of which we covered around 50 km in all. There was water all around us and we could see coconut trees on both banks far away. Along the cruise, we saw that water was the link for various villages as well. Just as we use buses and taxis in the cities, villages used small boats to go to work in the paddy fields and back. We saw school children awaiting their school bus - sorry, school "boat" - in the evening !
Suma asked the helmsman if we could sit on the quilt and when he nodded his head vigorously, we did not need a second invitation ! Both of us kept our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of life in the backwaters. There were people washing clothes in the backwaters, others waiting to get into boats, still others fishing for food at home .... what a life it must be ! I suppose our life must be an envy to them ! "The grass is always greener on the other side" !
As the sun began to set, we felt some of the magic of the place then. There was the calm water all around us. There were the bright green paddy fields. As our boat turned amid coconut trees on both sides, there were different birds that took off. We saw a flock of birds take off simultaneously. It was a sight to behold. The snake birds dived under water, stayed there for some time and then surfaced with only its head and neck showing up like a snake. A row of houseboats passed us. The views of the coconut trees as the boat turned in the backwaters were delightful for the eyes.
For the night, we dropped anchor in Lake Wembanad. The motor fell silent and only the prayers in the temples and masjids far away reminded us of civilisation close by. Once the lights were out, Suma and I just sat on the quilt in the front and looked at the reflection of the nearly full moon. There was little to do, so I persuaded Suma to hum romantic Hindi film songs for me ! In the night, in that environment, it was the right thing to do ! Until we ate dinner, the time we spent was special, but there was still a last pleasant surprise awaiting Suma and I.
The surprise came in the morning when I opened the bedroom doors. What I saw at 6:30 a.m. in the morning was a glorious sunrise behind tall coconut trees. I woke up and felt refreshed instantly. We headed back home shortly later, from Kochi airport.
KOCHI AIRPORT
===== =======
I was impressed with the Kochi airport. The approach to the airport itself is impressive. A National Highway (NH 47) leads to the airport. The highway is a good road with lanes clearly indicated. 5 km away inside from the highway leads to a building constructed in Kerala architectural style. This is Kochi Airport. I found it the cleanest airport, but I haven't seen too many in India, so that may be a hasty conclusion !
There is a separate medicine room and even a separate prayer room for those who want the privacy in the airport. The duty free shops are a pleasure for the shopaholic, though they do not quite match the opulence of the shops in international airports. There is a small aquarium in the airport as well. After checking in, the waiting lounge for passengers has comfortable single seater sofas. All in all, I feel that this is an excellent advertisement for how airports can be maintained in India.
..... And that brings me to the close of this long blog. We caught the flight from Kochi in the afternoon and were back at home, sweet home in the evening.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
CHERAI BEACH
====== =====
We stayed in a cosy cottage with a sit out that looked out into the backwaters. Suma suggested that we spend some time in the sit out and that is exactly what we did in the night. The night was silent and the lights of a moving boat far away, returning from fishing (perhaps !) emphasized the silence. It was peaceful and just the panacea for our ears and eyes, which are more accustomed to the noise of the city.
Before that, we went to Fort Kochi in the taxi that was to be ours for four days. Shaukat, our driver took us along Bazaar Road in Kochi. The road is narrow, but going through it is an experience in itself, as the smell of various spices fills the air. We went to the Jewish Synagogue and read about its history. The synagogue is pretty, and spotlessly clean with blue tiles and hanging lights. It's incredible to see that a structure that had begun in the 16th century continues in the 21st century as well.
The interesting part of this visit was that to get to Kochi from Cherai, we had to get into a ferry for a 15 minute ride. Our taxi went into a ferry and the ferry loaded with our taxi, a lorry, motor bikes and other sundry vehicles went from the village of Vypeen to Fort Kochi. It was the first time that Suma and I had seen this kind of thing and it was quite a novel experience.
After the visit, it was time for short eats back at Cherai. The eats may have been "short" but the waiting period for them was anything but "short" ! For dinner, we were wiser. We ordered the food and then went for a tour around the resort ! However, when the food did come, the wait was well worth the time spent. The food was tasty every time.
MUNNAR
======
The next morning, we went to Munnar, a 4 and a half our drive from Cherai. Cherai is at sea level, Munnar is a hill station. The difference in temperature can be imagined ! The air conditioner was necessary in Cherai in the night. In Munnar, we arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It was so cold that we felt that the air conditioner was on. In fact, there wasn't one and our hotel room did not even have a fan !
On our way to Munnar, we stopped at Cheyyappara (?) falls. The water here cascades down rocks and presents a good backdrop to stand in front of ;-) So Suma and I stood in front of the falls while Shaukat turned photographer. The photograph is one of the better ones from our visit !
I had visited Munnar a few years earlier and found it little changed from my last visit. The sights of the tea estates along gently sloping hills, which look as if a green carpet have been laid out on the hills ; ranges of hills one behind another ; flowers that are a size too big and look all the more better and fresher for it ; and a healthy nip in the air that heightened the senses were all there in Munnar this time also.
We went for a speedboat cruise at Mattupetti dam. The speedboat experience was thrilling and the boat driver added to the thrill by deliberately turning the boat sharply one way and the other so that it seemed that the boat just had to capsize ! The views from the boat were breathtaking. On one side was the water of the catchment area and on both its banks were green hillsides covered with trees. Funnily, what came to my head then was Middle Earth described by Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings". My blog on 18-Jan-04 has my comments on the book.
Another magical moment was when we went to Top Station, a high point in Munnar. Shaukat drove the taxi through a cloud and it was special to be INSIDE a cloud after having seen it from a distance. The hot corn cob we ate tasted special in the chilly morning !
One afternoon, we went to Rajmalai peak, home of the Nilgiri tahr. There are 1500 of these timid animals that live here. Suma and I climbed along a road meant only for pedestrians up to the point where a board said that we could not proceed further. Near the top, one particularly bold tahr came right up to us. Perhaps, it was just hungry ! The tahr looks like a cross of a deer and a goat. It has the horns of a goat and the stucture of a deer and is grey in colour.
ALLEPPEY
========
Alleppey is actually Alappuzah - I think ! I am not sure of the spelling :-) ! It appears that Kerala has two names for each place :-) Trivandrum is Thiruvananthapuram ; Cochin is Kochi ; Quilon is Kollam ; Alwaye is Aluva and Alleppey is Alappuzah. Like the bard Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would not smell less sweet", so I will call the place Alleppey and leave it at that !
Descending from the heights of Munnar to sea level was an experience. The heat associated with coastal places hit us even as we approached Alleppey. When we entered the houseboat there, it was lunch time. Our helmsman had a steering wheel parallel to the ground, which came first in the "front" of the narrow boat. Behind him was a quilt where we could sit and view the backwaters. Then came the "living room" where we had four bamboo chairs and a dining table with four chairs. Behind this room were two bed rooms fitted with a double bed, a dressing table and an attached toilet. Following this was the "galley" where Ajit the cook prepared delicious Kerala meals "on demand" ! The galley was followed by the motor that powered the boat. There was solar power available which drove the fan in the bedroom - thankfully :-) ! Despite the cool breeze that blew in from the water, a fan was a must in the bedroom, in the night. Details of the houseboat trips are available at http://www.rainbowcruises.com.
So much for the houseboat, now here is the actual experience. In one word, it was "UNIQUE" ! After lunch, we set off for a cruise. When Suma asked, Ajit told us that there were 700 km of backwaters of which we covered around 50 km in all. There was water all around us and we could see coconut trees on both banks far away. Along the cruise, we saw that water was the link for various villages as well. Just as we use buses and taxis in the cities, villages used small boats to go to work in the paddy fields and back. We saw school children awaiting their school bus - sorry, school "boat" - in the evening !
Suma asked the helmsman if we could sit on the quilt and when he nodded his head vigorously, we did not need a second invitation ! Both of us kept our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of life in the backwaters. There were people washing clothes in the backwaters, others waiting to get into boats, still others fishing for food at home .... what a life it must be ! I suppose our life must be an envy to them ! "The grass is always greener on the other side" !
As the sun began to set, we felt some of the magic of the place then. There was the calm water all around us. There were the bright green paddy fields. As our boat turned amid coconut trees on both sides, there were different birds that took off. We saw a flock of birds take off simultaneously. It was a sight to behold. The snake birds dived under water, stayed there for some time and then surfaced with only its head and neck showing up like a snake. A row of houseboats passed us. The views of the coconut trees as the boat turned in the backwaters were delightful for the eyes.
For the night, we dropped anchor in Lake Wembanad. The motor fell silent and only the prayers in the temples and masjids far away reminded us of civilisation close by. Once the lights were out, Suma and I just sat on the quilt in the front and looked at the reflection of the nearly full moon. There was little to do, so I persuaded Suma to hum romantic Hindi film songs for me ! In the night, in that environment, it was the right thing to do ! Until we ate dinner, the time we spent was special, but there was still a last pleasant surprise awaiting Suma and I.
The surprise came in the morning when I opened the bedroom doors. What I saw at 6:30 a.m. in the morning was a glorious sunrise behind tall coconut trees. I woke up and felt refreshed instantly. We headed back home shortly later, from Kochi airport.
KOCHI AIRPORT
===== =======
I was impressed with the Kochi airport. The approach to the airport itself is impressive. A National Highway (NH 47) leads to the airport. The highway is a good road with lanes clearly indicated. 5 km away inside from the highway leads to a building constructed in Kerala architectural style. This is Kochi Airport. I found it the cleanest airport, but I haven't seen too many in India, so that may be a hasty conclusion !
There is a separate medicine room and even a separate prayer room for those who want the privacy in the airport. The duty free shops are a pleasure for the shopaholic, though they do not quite match the opulence of the shops in international airports. There is a small aquarium in the airport as well. After checking in, the waiting lounge for passengers has comfortable single seater sofas. All in all, I feel that this is an excellent advertisement for how airports can be maintained in India.
..... And that brings me to the close of this long blog. We caught the flight from Kochi in the afternoon and were back at home, sweet home in the evening.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
sweety_jd@rediffmail.com (sorry, no hyperlink !)
Please click on the dates on the archive to read
the blog. The blogs so far in chronological order
(earliest one first) are :
04/13/2003 - 04/19/2003 ->
19-Apr-03, Wed : The tree lined avenue
04/27/2003 - 05/03/2003 ->
03-May-03, Sat : Star Trek
05/11/2003 - 05/17/2003 ->
16-May-03, Fri : A toast - To the Journey
06/01/2003 - 06/07/2003 ->
02-Jun-03, Mon : The fan and the gait
06/22/2003 - 06/28/2003 ->
22-Jun-03, Sun : Dubai
06/29/2003 - 07/05/2003 ->
29-Jun-03, Sun : Sweet grapes by bowling
08/10/2003 - 08/16/2003 ->
10-Aug-03, Sun : Review of Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
08/17/2003 - 08/23/2003 ->
18-Aug-03, Mon : Serenity in silence
08/31/2003 - 09/06/2003 ->
06-Sep-03, Sat : Driving in the rain
09/28/2003 - 10/04/2003 ->
04-Oct-03, Thu : Construction
11/02/2003 - 11/08/2003 ->
02-Nov-03, Sun : Return to the Motorbike
11/30/2003 - 12/06/2003 ->
06-Dec-03, Sat : Why Test Cricket
12/21/2003 - 12/27/2003 ->
25-Dec-03, Fri : A Christmas Lunch
01/18/2004 - 01/24/2004 ->
18-Jan-04, Sun : A Beautiful Book
20-Jan-04, Tue : A Minor Mishap
02/08/2004 - 02/14/2004 ->
11-Feb-04, Wed : The Mom-and-Pop store experience
03/14/2004 - 03/20/2004 ->
14-Mar-04, Sun : The Karachi one dayer
04/04/2004 - 04/10/2004 ->
04-Apr-04, Sun : Jungle Lodge weekend
05/23/2004 - 05/29/2004 ->
23-May-04, Sun : The Spirit of the Old Man
06/20/2004 - 06/26/2004 ->
21-Jun-04, Mon : Review of Dev, the movie
07/11/2004 - 07/17/2004 ->
The smile
08/01/2004 - 08/07/2004 ->
06-Aug-04, Sat : The Bandipur trip
10/31/2004 - 11/06/2004 ->
31-Oct-04, Sun : Car, Bike and the Rains
++++++ ENDS ++++++
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*********************** EDITED ONLINE **************************
Last week, my wife Suma and I visited Kerala from 22-Nov-04 to 26-Nov-04. We stayed for a night at Cherai Beach Resort ; two nights at Munnar and one night in a houseboat in Lake Wembanad. To learn more about Kerala, see http://www.holidaykerala.com. It was an unforgettable experience - for all the right reasons ! My impressions of the trip are written below.
CHERAI BEACH
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We stayed in a cosy cottage with a sit out that looked out into the backwaters. Suma suggested that we spend some time in the sit out and that is exactly what we did in the night. The night was silent and the lights of a moving boat far away, returning from fishing (perhaps !) emphasized the silence. It was peaceful and just the panacea for our ears and eyes, which are more accustomed to the noise of the city.
Before that, we went to Fort Kochi in the taxi that was to be ours for four days. Shaukat, our driver took us along Bazaar Road in Kochi. The road is narrow, but going through it is an experience in itself, as the smell of various spices fills the air. We went to the Jewish Synagogue and read about its history. The synagogue is pretty, and spotlessly clean with blue tiles and hanging lights. It's incredible to see that a structure that had begun in the 16th century continues in the 21st century as well.
The interesting part of this visit was that to get to Kochi from Cherai, we had to get into a ferry for a 15 minute ride. Our taxi went into a ferry and the ferry loaded with our taxi, a lorry, motor bikes and other sundry vehicles went from the village of Vypeen to Fort Kochi. It was the first time that Suma and I had seen this kind of thing and it was quite a novel experience.
After the visit, it was time for short eats back at Cherai. The eats may have been "short" but the waiting period for them was anything but "short" ! For dinner, we were wiser. We ordered the food and then went for a tour around the resort ! However, when the food did come, the wait was well worth the time spent. The food was tasty every time.
MUNNAR
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The next morning, we went to Munnar, a 4 and a half our drive from Cherai. Cherai is at sea level, Munnar is a hill station. The difference in temperature can be imagined ! The air conditioner was necessary in Cherai in the night. In Munnar, we arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It was so cold that we felt that the air conditioner was on. In fact, there wasn't one and our hotel room did not even have a fan !
On our way to Munnar, we stopped at Cheyyappara (?) falls. The water here cascades down rocks and presents a good backdrop to stand in front of ;-) So Suma and I stood in front of the falls while Shaukat turned photographer. The photograph is one of the better ones from our visit !
I had visited Munnar a few years earlier and found it little changed from my last visit. The sights of the tea estates along gently sloping hills, which look as if a green carpet have been laid out on the hills ; ranges of hills one behind another ; flowers that are a size too big and look all the more better and fresher for it ; and a healthy nip in the air that heightened the senses were all there in Munnar this time also.
We went for a speedboat cruise at Mattupetti dam. The speedboat experience was thrilling and the boat driver added to the thrill by deliberately turning the boat sharply one way and the other so that it seemed that the boat just had to capsize ! The views from the boat were breathtaking. On one side was the water of the catchment area and on both its banks were green hillsides covered with trees. Funnily, what came to my head then was Middle Earth described by Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings". My blog on 18-Jan-04 has my comments on the book.
Another magical moment was when we went to Top Station, a high point in Munnar. Shaukat drove the taxi through a cloud and it was special to be INSIDE a cloud after having seen it from a distance. The hot corn cob we ate tasted special in the chilly morning !
One afternoon, we went to Rajmalai peak, home of the Nilgiri tahr. There are 1500 of these timid animals that live here. Suma and I climbed along a road meant only for pedestrians up to the point where a board said that we could not proceed further. Near the top, one particularly bold tahr came right up to us. Perhaps, it was just hungry ! The tahr looks like a cross of a deer and a goat. It has the horns of a goat and the structure of a deer and is grey in colour.
ALLEPPEY
========
Alleppey is actually Alappuzah - I think ! I am not sure of the spelling :-) ! It appears that Kerala has two names for each place :-) Trivandrum is Thiruvananthapuram ; Cochin is Kochi ; Quilon is Kollam ; Alwaye is Aluva and Alleppey is Alappuzah. Like the bard Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would not smell less sweet", so I will call the place Alleppey and leave it at that !
Descending from the heights of Munnar to sea level was an experience. The heat associated with coastal places hit us even as we approached Alleppey. When we entered the houseboat there, it was lunch time. Our helmsman had a steering wheel parallel to the ground, which came first in the "front" of the narrow boat. Behind him was a quilt where we could sit and view the backwaters. Then came the "living room" where we had four bamboo chairs and a dining table with four chairs. Behind this room were two bed rooms fitted with a double bed, a dressing table and an attached toilet. Following this was the "galley" where Ajit the cook prepared delicious Kerala meals "on demand" ! The galley was followed by the motor that powered the boat. There was solar power available which drove the fan in the bedroom - thankfully :-) ! Despite the cool breeze that blew in from the water, a fan was a must in the bedroom, in the night.
So much for the houseboat, now here is the actual experience. In one word, it was "UNIQUE" ! After lunch, we set off for a cruise. When Suma asked, Ajit told us that there were 700 km of backwaters of which we covered around 50 km in all. There was water all around us and we could see coconut trees on both banks far away. Along the cruise, we saw that water was the link for various villages as well. Just as we use buses and taxis in the cities, villages used small boats to go to work in the paddy fields and back. We saw school children awaiting their school bus - sorry, school "boat" - in the evening !
Suma asked the helmsman if we could sit on the quilt and when he nodded his head vigorously, we did not need a second invitation ! Both of us kept our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of life in the backwaters. There were people washing clothes in the backwaters, others waiting to get into boats, still others fishing for food at home .... what a life it must be ! I suppose our life must be an envy to them ! "The grass is always greener on the other side" !
As the sun began to set, we felt some of the magic of the place then. There was the calm water all around us. There were the bright green paddy fields. As our boat turned amid coconut trees on both sides, there were different birds that took off. We saw a flock of birds take off simultaneously. It was a sight to behold. The snake birds dived under water, stayed there for some time and then surfaced with only its head and neck showing up like a snake. A row of houseboats passed us. The views of the coconut trees as the boat turned in the backwaters were delightful for the eyes.
For the night, we dropped anchor in Lake Wembanad. The motor fell silent and only the prayers in the temples and masjids far away reminded us of civilisation close by. Once the lights were out, Suma and I just sat on the quilt in the front and looked at the reflection of the nearly full moon. There was little to do, so I persuaded Suma to hum romantic Hindi film songs for me ! In the night, in that environment, it was the right thing to do ! Until we ate dinner, the time we spent was special, but there was still a last pleasant surprise awaiting Suma and I.
The surprise came in the morning when I opened the bedroom doors. What I saw at 6:30 a.m. in the morning was a glorious sunrise behind tall coconut trees. I woke up and felt refreshed instantly. We headed back home shortly later, from Kochi airport.
KOCHI AIRPORT
===== =======
I was impressed with the Kochi airport. The approach to the airport itself is impressive. A National Highway (NH 47) leads to the airport. The highway is a good road with lanes clearly indicated. 5 km away inside from the highway leads to a building constructed in Kerala architectural style. This is Kochi Airport. I found it the cleanest airport, but I haven't seen too many in India, so that may be a hasty conclusion !
There is a separate medicine room and even a separate prayer room for those who want the privacy in the airport. The duty free shops are a pleasure for the shopaholic, though they do not quite match the opulence of the shops in international airports. There is a small aquarium in the airport as well. After checking in, the waiting lounge for passengers has comfortable single seater sofas. All in all, I feel that this is an excellent advertisement for how airports can be maintained in India.
..... And that brings me to the close of this long blog. We caught the flight from Kochi in the afternoon and were back at home, sweet home in the evening.
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NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
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