Friday 7 August 2015

Kerala- Simply heaven (part-II)

Hello everyone once again...I didn't want to keep you all waiting.
So, I thought to post my further experiences of Kerala today only...

Kumarakom (Back waters)

We were heading towards Kumarakom. On the way we went thought many lush green fields. The view of those big coconut trees and windmills was mesmerizing. I didn't know about the backwaters. It took us around 4 hours to reach Kumarakom from Kovalam. When we reached there, do you know what did I see?....I saw a boat which was no less than a house. It had air conditioned rooms, kitchen, bathrooms, toilets etc. My mom started her melodrama as soon as she saw the boat. She said it might be very expensive since she was concerned about the financial condition of our family but my father is a very chilled out person. So, he said everything was sorted. We hired the boat for two days...

                                         
                                                                                           Kumarakom
The whole view of back waters was charismatic.We were surrounded by blue waters. It was giving me the feel of dead sea as it had no waves. Though I didn't try to jump into the waters and try to float because
a few minutes before, I saw a big dead snake floating in the water. I tried my luck in fishing too...But you people might not know that I am a vegetarian and I believe in giving lives instead of taking them.....I used to catch a fish, put in a bucket of water and throw it in the see....the fun part for me was the amount of fishes I caught...which was around 13. We had an awesome North Indian food at the boat...Yes, the chefs of house boats are well trained to cook all Indian delicacies.
Then we reached a small island in the backwaters.....We got down from the boat and came to know it was a bird sanctuary......
Can you imagine that a bird sanctuary can exist in the middle of sea?????
It was a lush green island we saw many migratory birds there.....I don't remember the name as i am not an Ornithologist (person who studies about birds) but I must say everything was very pleasing to eyes.

We spent two days there and I must say it is a must go..

Munnar Wildlife Sanctuary


Then we left for MunnarWildlife Sanctuary....I forgot to tell you I am a wildlife lover too. It took us around 4 hours to reach there as it is around 150 kms from Kumarakom....It is a breathtakingly beautiful hill station.
Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations - pristine valleys and mountains- exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests - aroma of spice scented cool air - yes! Munnar has all these and more. It's the place you would love to visit - it's the place you would wish never to leave.

                                                                                              Munnar

Munnar is such a beautiful place in Kerala, which cannot be portrayed in a single canvas. Everything and anything here will make us excited. The hills, the mist, the valleys, the streams, the waterfalls, tea plantations, rare flora and fauna.... It is a beautiful tea town in Idukki district of Kerala easily accessible from Kochi and Coimbatore. The gorgeous hill station is ideally placed in the South Western Ghats of India.

We reached Munnar around evening and we took a resort in the middle of the forest which was another mesmerizing experience for me. Next day we had a delicious breakfast is a resort and we went for the Jungle Safari. It is said that only the people who are blessed are able to see a leopard and i would say we were over blessed because we saw a leopard hunting a deer. The tiger and the deer ran from our front in the fraction of a second but it was enough for us as we saw what we came to see. Apart from this, the other members of the fauna that we saw were several threatened and endemic species including Nilgiri Thar, the grizzled giant squirrel, the Nilgiri wood-pigeon, elephant, Nilgiri langurs, sambar, and  neelakurinji (that blossoms only once in twelve years). we were very lucky at that time that we got all these things to see.

                                                                                    Tea plantations in Munnar

For shopaholics, this destination is a heaven – whether tea or spices. You can collect various spices from here like ginger, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, clove, nutmeg etc. Don't miss the homemade chocolates here. Enjoy the white, dark, liqueur filled and chocolates with nuts. Munnar is blessed with lots of resorts and hotels, which will cater all your needs. Among these resorts you can also find affordable and cheap hotels, which suits you the most. All these hotels and resorts will offer you various packages like honeymoon packages, family packages etc and will help you to explore Munnar in a perfect way.

After spending three days at Munnar, we left for Trivendrum where we had to catch a flight to Delhi because there is no place in the world which can replace home.

Thursday 6 August 2015

Kerala - Simply heaven (Part - I)

If you are looking for a peace of mind,
if you are looking for a place to chill and have fun,
if you are planning to visit Spain in a low budget,
Kerala is the place for you
                                                                                        Kerala

and yes, today I am going to share my experiences with you because for me, you are an integral part of my life and it's my duty to share everything with you.
I visited Kerala when I was in sixth standard which was about 9 years ago. I was like other kids who crave for fun.
It was the month of May and one day, my father told me and my mom that we should go to Kerala.
I got shocked at the first point because I was thinking what had happened to him that he suddenly told us for the same.
Did somebody whisper about it in his ear???
My guess was right. One of his friends visited Kerala and he told him about the same.
My father managed to give us a surprise as he had already booked air tickets to Kerala. It was the first time i was traveling by air. Everything was rosy for me.
The day finally came and we caught the flight. An hour before landing on the airport, I noticed that we were flying above the sea. I saw sea for the first time which rose the par of my excitement.
We landed at Trivandrum Airport in the evening.
Trivendrum Airport

Kovalam


We took a cab and started looking for a hotel. Our cab driver advised us to go to Kovalam. It took an hour to reach Kovalam and we landed up in The Leela Resort which had a separate beach. I must say it is a beautiful resort and a must visit. I was eager to go to the sea and play but my mom restricted me as it was dark already. You know how moms are.
We had a delicious meal at The Leela and went to our room to relieve our eyes.
Next day, I got up early, ran towards the beach and see....what I saw?

                                                                                            Kovalam Beach

There was a beautiful beach in front of me. The sound of the waves was filling my heart with excitement. Now, the hunger for fun was into my nerves. I ran towards the sea and danced a lot in the waves as we all know.... what does a blind man wants???.....eyes ....and I was no less that a blind man who could see nothing but the sea.
After so much fun, our stomachs finally demanded for food and we went to have some tasty South Indian food and yes, we had a very tasty meal.....can you guess what was the price of a Masala Dosa there????
just 12 bucks...A family of three can fill their stomachs in just 50 bucks which is very inexpensive yet damn delicious.
It was the time to visit Padmanabhaswamy Temple. We reached there and wore those lungis as you can't enter South Indian temples without them. The temple was very beautiful and the enchants of bhajans were purifying our soul. Though we couldn't understand as they were in Malayalam language but they were  sounding very pleasant.I must say the carvings in the temple are very beautiful.
This is the same temple which was in news a couple of years ago when gold and other valuables worth thousands of crores were found in its hidden chambers.

                                                                                           Padmanabhaswamy Temple

 and it was the time to say bye bye to Trivendrum and leave for Kumarakom


I am not going to tell all about Kerela here only....you would have to wait till I publish my next blog.