Kerala – A Taste of Southern India - 19 – 29 November 2015
At last here I am with the review of the above tour. Unfortunately I somehow managed to get an ear infection from which I am still recovering; hence it has taken me a couple of days before I felt well enough to write this review.
Our tour manager was Stephen Rodaway and local tour guide was Manoj. I have forgotten the names of the coach driver and the bus boy, but both were brilliant. Stephen was a very good tour manager with great knowledge of India and every day he gave us a typed up briefing of the following day, which was useful. At Heathrow Airport he gave us all an extensive typed up information on detailed procedures for Mumbai and Cochin airports plus other general information on currency, wake up calls, tipping in India, hotels, water, photography, security etc. Manoj was a brilliant local tour guide and again he was very informative. There were 18 of us in the group – 3 men and 15 women.
Our flight to Cochin from Mumbai on day 2 was delayed by about an hour so we did not reach the Crowne Plaza hotel till late evening. We were greeted at Cochin airport by the local agent with flower garlands and were soon on our way to the hotel. On arrival we were greeted with a cold drink, which was very welcoming as the weather was quite humid despite it having rained just before we landed. There was just enough time to settle in, shower and get ready for the dinner. Crowne Plaza is a lovely hotel and we all wished we had stayed there an extra day!
Day 3 21 November – Cochin
We departed Crowne Plaza at 08:30 and visited St Francis Church followed by Chinese fishing nets and the local small market. We then visited the Mattancherry Dutch Palace where we saw beautiful murals depicting Ramayana, the Hindu legend. Being a Saturday, the Jewish Synagogue was closed but some people walked over to see it from outside with Manoj whilst the rest of us looked around some small shops. This was followed by lunch at Nimmy’s. We had to transfer from the coach onto small mini buses as the residential area where she lived had small roads. After lunch Nimmy demonstrated a couple of dishes before we said our goodbyes. We returned to the hotel around 15:30 and left at 17:00 for the Kathakali dance performance. We were able to see the make up being applied to the dancers’ faces. One was applying it himself. There is a small museum, which was quite interesting. We returned to the hotel at around 19:30. Only 3 of us had the included Sadya vegetarian dinner. The rest decided to wait till day 7 to experience this when we were due to make a stop at a local village.
Day 4 22 November – Cochin to Thekkady
We departed the hotel at 08:00 for a long drive to Thekkady (approximately 5 hours). The road to Thekkady is very winding and I for one felt very queasy and was sick. We made 2 small comfort stops. At the first stop Manoj gave a small talk on the rubber industry as there was a small rubber plantation attached to the cafe. We arrived at the Cardamom County Hotel at around lunchtime, again to be greeted with a flower garland and a drink. Lunch for those who wanted it was available in the hotel restaurant. I for one did not want any as was still feeling queasy. Thekkady was very wet – it rained a lot. It would have been nice to have had a chance to walk around the hotel grounds as it did look lovely. We did see some monkeys. In the afternoon we visited the local spice plantation, where it rained on and off though it was not heavy. You do need good walking shoes as the ground is uneven. Following the visit, those of us who wanted to purchase the spices, went to the shop whilst others returned to the hotel. It rained heavily all night long!
Day 5 23 November – Thekkady – Boat Safari and Optional Nature Trek
Left the hotel at 08:30 to travel to the nature reserve. There is a short walk from where the coach parked to the boat docking area. It is a pleasant walk and you see quite a few monkeys. You have to pay to take your camera or video camera with you. All guests are provided with life jackets (very bulky!) which are required to be worn at all times. The boat crew were happy to take photos for you if you did not have a good view from your side of the boat as you were meant to remain seated at all times. We saw otters, wild boar, and deer, king fishers and other birds but unfortunately no elephants. I am sure elephants come to drink either early in the morning or in the evening. It was a pleasant trip.
The optional nature trek was at 14:00. I nearly opted out as was still not feeling well, but decided to go. One lady, who had paid, opted out so in the end there were only 6 of us. No one had warned about leeches before I booked the trip otherwise I would have had second thoughts! It was very muddy due to lots of rain, and we did not see a lot apart from some monkeys, an ants nest high up on the tree, some birds and flowers. We were given long socks like things to wear which was tied with a string at the top of the leg and our shoes were dusted with tobacco powder, but the leeches did not stay away! We all returned in one piece. The trek is quite strenuous.
Day 6 24 November – Thekkady – Alleppey (House Boats)
We left the hotel at 08:00 for the drive to Alleppey – again a very long drive of approximately 5 hours along the same roads. It was not too bad this time around. We made a few photo stops at the tea plantations, Patumala Matha Pilgrim Shrine (it is a Church) and Valanjamkanam Waterfalls. There was a lovely group of entertaining monkeys at the waterfalls. We arrived at the house boats after 13:00. You could either take your suitcase with you (not really recommended) or just overnight things on the boat. Most of us just took an overnight bag/back pack but a few did take the whole suitcase. Lunch was served on the boat. There were either 3 or 4 on each boat plus there were 3 crew members (one a chef). We were served lovely banana fritters around 16:00 with an offer of tea and coffee. Dinner was served between 19:30 – 18:00 – it was up to the passengers to decide when they wanted dinner. All boats moored for the night. Whilst cruising it was fascinating to see locals going about their daily chores of washing clothes, utensils, fetching children returning from school from the shore in canoes etc. We also saw some lovely birds.
Day 7 25 November – Alleppey to Kumarakom
We disembarked the boats shortly after breakfast and were soon on our way to Kumarakom. We stopped at a local village to explore traditional life in a rural setting. We were greeted with a cold drink and then went on a canoe ride for about an hour. I really enjoyed the canoe ride. After the canoe ride we had the Sadya vegetarian meal followed by various activities and demonstrations. We saw a guy collecting toddy from the palm tree and had a taste, followed by making of rice flour, rope making, weaving of mats, broom making etc. It was amazing to see rope being made out of coconut fibre and lovely mats from palm leaves. The villagers make use of every bit of palm tree. We also got to taste fresh papaya from the tree. After the village visit we rejoined the coach for transfer to the hotel, Abad Whispering Palms, in Kumarakom for one night.
Day 8 26 November – Kumarakom to Kovalam
Another early start at 08:00 for a long road trip to Kovalam. Due to road works we had to take a detour and it took longer than the usual 5 hours to get to Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel and Spa. Ladies were greeted with a beautiful red rose. After settling in the hotel, I wandered to the Ayurveda Spa to book some treatments.
Day 9 27 November – Kovalam
Day at leisure to do what you wished. Some of us went to the shops in the morning. I did not get a chance to get to the beach as spend most of the afternoon being pampered in the spa.
Day 10 28 November – Kovalam – Trivandrum – Mumbai – Heathrow
What a long exhausting day! At least we had a lie in as did not depart hotel till 11:30. The flight from Trivandrum to Mumbai was delayed by an hour so we did not get to Mumbai till after 18:00. Two of us had already decided that we were not going to do the Mumbai orientation tour so made our own way, via tuk tuk, to Holiday Inn where rooms were booked for freshening up. I would not have gone even if the rooms were not available – would have waited in the lobby. Those who went were disappointed as they did not see anything – it was dark and they could not disembark to take photos. Personally, I think this orientation tour should be dropped from the itinerary as it is not really worth it unless you are in Mumbai for at least half a day. We did not arrive till late and it was already getting dark.
Again, Stephen had given us all a detailed briefing, stage by stage, as to what to expect at both airports.
All in all this was a good trip but most of us wished that we had extra time to spend at each place to be able to enjoy the surroundings and relax a bit. This certainly was not a relaxing trip. Kerala and its people are lovely. Food was plentiful – there was so much choice.
I think I have covered everything, but do ask questions if you have any.
