Blogs from Kerala, India, Asia - page 8

Day 13 & 14: Ooty & Cochin 30 September - 1 October 2017 After breakfast, we left Ooty, and drove to Cochin (a journey of about 300 km/ 7 hrs drive approx). The commercial capital of Kerala and the most cosmopolitan of the state’s cities, Cochin or Kochi have long been eulogized in tourist literature as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. Strategically located on the east–west sea route, Cochin is Kerala’s major port, boasting of one of the finest natural harbours in the world, which forms the hub around which the city revolves. With its wealth of historical associations and its setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsula, the city of Kochi perfectly reflects the eclecticism of Kerala. Apart from being a major commercial hub, Kochi is also a major tourist attraction in ... read more

After a very early breakfast of croissants and omelettes, we set off for a forest hike in the Periyar wildlife park, one of the largest national parks in India. It is set high in the cardamom hills and is home to many species of animals and birds including sloth, tigers and elephants. As we were visiting in the monsoon season, we knew that our chances of spotting wild life were limited, but we set off feeling optimistic. We were kitted out with leech socks to protect us from the leeches that are particularly prevalent in monsoon season. The five of us headed off into the forest led by a park ranger as a guide. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very talkative or proactive and it was more a case of us stopping him to ask him to name ... read more

The northern leg of our tour complete, we headed south on a four-hour flight to Cochin. The flight was straightforward, but it took us another two hours to drive to our hotel in Cochin (now renamed Kochi) due to heavy traffic. It was immediately noticeable that we were in the South, as there were palm trees everywhere, the roads were in much better condition and the signage was in the curly script of the local language - Malayalam. We finally arrived at The Old Harbour Hotel, a few minutes from the waterfront, in Fort Cochin. It was our most luxurious accommodation on the tour so far. We were delighted to find that our rooms had been upgraded, and Nigel and I had a cottage room that had an outdoor shower and French doors that opened on ... read more

Kerala, a state on the Malabar coast in southern India is probably one of the most popular Indian tourist destinations. It has been popular among tourists - couples, families & backpackers alike for the longest time - perhaps because geographically it is the complete travel package - It has everything from serene beaches to scenic hills, from tea & spice plantations to dense forests & calm backwaters. Apart from scenic beauty, it is popular for Ayurvedic treatments, classical dances - Kathakali & Mohiniattam, Kalaripayattu & of course, it’s delicious cuisine. We’ve had Kerala on our bucket list for the longest time, Not wanting to miss out on anything, we planned a tight 5 days trip covering Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Allepy & Poovar, planning to stay in each place for a day We ended up booking hotels ... read more

The Secret Garden Heritage Hotel is aptly named as I find out on my twisting and turning tuktuk drive to find my final hotel of this amazing trip to southern India. I'd found the hotel by chance online and as soon as I saw the photos showing off their gorgeous antique Indian furniture, the elegant balconies, the wooden carvings, the four poster beds with beautiful Indian design coverings and the pool I just couldn't resist splashing out and treating myself to three extra days on my own at the end of my G-Adventures trip. I am welcomed with a freshly squeezed pineapple juice and then taken to my gorgeous room. The standard is quite a notch up from those I'd gotten used to on my adventure travel tour. So I'm blown away by the luxury and ... read more