Kicking back in Kannur

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Sometimes it's the places you expect least from that you get the most out of. That has certainly been the case with Kannur, which was just intended to be a halfway stop between Alleppey and Goa in order to turn a 16 hour train ride into two 8 hour trips.

The first bonus of the stop-over was the hotel. My travelling companion Gordon and I first got the inkling we were onto a winner when I saw a bright neon sign for the hotel from the railway station and none of the letters were missing. Upon arrival at reception we were greeted with spotless polished marbled floors and a fountain. And staff in uniform. The bedroom itself also displayed the same standard. There were no dirty marks on the walls, the sheets we clean (and changed each day), the shower was hot (for the first time in India), the fan didn't look as if it would fly off the ceiling at any moment and there was a telly with perfect reception. And there was absolutely no wildlife in the room to speak of. Even the lift in this place worked. All this for just over 4 quid a night each!

After a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast, we headed down to one of Kannur's beaches, Payyambalam. What was quite noticeable about this beach was the lack of litter on it (quite remarkable for India, believe me), and it is the most urban of Kannur's beaches. I imagine the more secluded beaches would be immaculate. Payyambalam was a fairly scenic beach as well with a rocky headland at either end and some pretty fine mansions overlooking it. The only downside was the half-decomposed cat on it that I nearly managed to trip over. So day one in Kannur was spent mostly forming a base tan before the serious sunlounging starts in earnest in Goa.

Day two proved to be no more energetic and the main event of the day was a stroll down to St Angelo's fort (again immaculately maintained and mostly litter-free) and Moppila Bay where we met the local fisherman going about their daily grind in their colourful fishing vessels. We were welcomed with open arms and proved to be a bit of a hit with the locals who all wanted their pictures taken and, as usual, wanted to know what our names were and where we came from. They obviously don't get too many foreigners in these parts.

So Kannur turned out to be a great decision. Not just a break in the journey but a worthwhile place to visit. I reckon in a few years time, once they have done a bit of tourist development here, it will be a hot destination. Anyway, next stop for me is Goa for a whole 10 days. It'll be nice just to stay in the same place for a while and I fully intend not to move from the beach. Who knows, I may even grow dreadlocks, don some tye-dye and start wearing an ankle bracelet.

Not effin' likely.

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Comments

[deleted_22840]

I agree with you however ....
Indeed Kannur is one of those places where you expect the least but end up getting the most out of. In fact the same holds true all along the Malabar coast (from Calicut all the way up north to Kannur). The people are friendly and generous and compared to south kerala and possibly most of India you get a relative break from the filth. However I hope Kannur does not develop into a hot destination in a few years as you suggest. I think it would be a shame if Kannur ended up a tacky tourist trap that attracts cheap tourism mainly from western europe - like Goa and Kovalam. I hope Kannur and the rest of the Malabar coast continues to remain off the beaten path. In my humble opinion I don't think you would have had the same positive experience had Kannur been a popular well known destination !

[Sumal]

Excellent
An extremely well written comment though you coul;d have avoided a very evident patronizing tone