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Published: April 7th 2006
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A trip to Kochi, Backwaters and the misty Munnar It’s a land of rice n fish curry, banana chips, coconut plantations, green backwaters, Chinese fishing nets and the Kathakali. It’s a land of centuries old temples, churches and Colonial settlements. It’s a land of tiger infested jungles, raging waterfalls, golden beaches, misty hill stations and endless tea gardens. It’s a land of football, cartoonists, and Communism. Welcome to Kerala! Never mind, it’s only for the un-initiated.
You know, I am biased and whenever any voting situation comes up for weekend holiday destinations, I vote for Kerala! It often amazes myself; rest alone the others! So this time around it was no different. Gokarna, Chikmagalur, Goa, wait for a while!
The suckers at the corporate block sometimes take good decisions; I must say. So we got a nice break; from Jan 26th to 29th. The preparation phase was really elaborate this time. The routes, the budget, the cab even the mineral water; were taken care of!
It was 25th evening, came home early, the cab reached right on time and within an hour we were darting down the darkness of inter-state highway. Crossing the jungle under the cover of the night is always exciting. The smell of the forest and the dancing fireflies give you an eerie feeling. My last trip to Bandipur was quite exciting with number of sightings of wild tuskers at night but this time around the pachyderms disappointed me! We crossed the Thamarassery Ghat section and reached Kozhikode well after three o’clock in the morning. Our driver, Krishna, decided to take an hours’ break to catch a nap.
During my last trip to Munnar we took the route via Thrissur and Angamali to go down south. But this time our first destination was the port city of Kochi or Ernakulam. So took the route that goes along the west coast bypassing the famous temple town of Guruvayur.
26th Jan, 2006
The dawn was breaking. Everyone excepting Krishna and me were deep asleep inside the car. The cool morning breeze with hint of salt from the Arabian Sea was blowing across the paddy fields and banana plantations. The distant hills wrapped under the cloud curtains blushing with the crimson of morning sun…mmm…I love this! Soon before eight in the morning we pulled over to a road side tea shop on the busy highway to the port city. By nine we were amidst the hustle and bustle of the city streets of Ernakulam. Kochi and Ernakulam are more like twin cities with Kochi port and the backwater separating the two. The older town of Kochi boasts most of the Colonial hangovers and Ernakulam is more like any other modern Indian cities. Roam around the streets of Ernakulam and the evidences of the cash flow from the Gulf are quite visible.
Kochi has hotels cutting across the budgetary line. But it may take some time to find one that suits both your choice and the depth of the pocket. Our negotiating team did a nice job and we checked in at a nice hotel near North Ernakulam railway station. Freshening up took some time and after couple of hours we were on our way to Cherrai beach in the Vypeen Island. It’s located some twenty odd kilometers away from the city via North Paravur. The lovely looking St. John’s Basilica; painted in bright yellow and white and the old light house worth a few snaps. Vypeen Island is a popular beach destination near Kochi and can be accessed either by the regular ferry service or by the road way through the newly built bridge across the backwaters. Cherrai beach is quite narrow but you can spend some lovely time in the water as well on the sand. My over excitement almost ruined my day as I got into the water with the purse still in my back pocket! Thankfully, noticed it before the bills and the plastics went off for a sail to Arabia. On the way back took some photos of the famous Chinese fishing nets at the backwaters.
In the afternoon went out to see the Old Kochi after a mediocre lunch The Kochi Fort, Jewish cemetery n Synagogue, MattanChery Palace, Colonial Kochi offers a lot. Don’t miss the old world feel at the Jewish Street. The milieu of cultures is truly amazing. Try to spend some time at the antique shops down the narrow alleys of the old town. Go for a ferry ride at the Kochi port in the evening. The neon lit city line and the reflections of huge ships harbored on the dark water from the deck of the ferry; looks quite amazing! That brought the day’s end at Kochi and went to the bed with dreams of green water cruise in our eyes!
27th Jan, 2006
Alleppy was the destination! Green backwaters, narrow canals with endless coconut trees lined up along the bank, lush green paddy fields, Kettuvallom, Ayurveda and traditional spas, boat races, fried prawns and cool todi shops, that’s Alleppy for you. You can cover the distance of 63 Kms from Kochi in an hour by car. Once we reached Alleppy, we hired a motor boat for three hours to enjoy the cruise of backwater. But for a more leisurely and comfy ride you can always go for Kettuvallom or the rice boats, which are quite expensive these days!
The backwater is host to a huge variety of flora and fauna. Even if you are not a serious bird watcher you won’t like to miss the herons, egrets and kingfishers busy fishing. The waterways are the lifelines of the people living in the backwaters. Try to take a few glimpses of their lives and their day to day living on the edge of water! The boat-wallahs are usually very informative. They keep talking about the people, the boats, the boat races, their families, their traditions and festivals, sweet and sea water cycle in the backwaters, crop patterns, utility of cool todi on a hot and sultry day…almost everything! The boat ride was very relaxing and enjoyable as we spent some good time; having fried prawns with cool todi. Sipping some coconut water under the hot tropical sun will keep you cool!
When our boat reached the vast expanse of the Vembanad Kayal, it was an awesome sight. The kayal happens to be the second largest backwater lake in India after Chilka. It is surrounded by the backwaters of Kochi, Alleppy, Kollam and Kumarakom from all four directions. Locales say; experiencing the vista of the sunset over the kayal with thousands of birds returning to their nests at the end of the day is something you would always like to carry back from Alleppy. Three hours went by but we were happy souls with an experience of a life time.
We experienced the sea, sand and the green water. Now it’s time for some ‘Munnar’…!
Part-I ends here but the journey continues….
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