First visit to Kumarakom

Kumarakom Lake Resort facing the Vembanad lake is a visual treat. Periyar to K.kom is almost 5.5 hours, thanks to neat roads. We got into a nice backwater facing cottage with colorful murals inside(I loved the intricate paintings) with a completely wooden and rustic feel. Kartik loved the open bath-tub with a lion-headed spout the most. The visual high point was the swimming pools merging almost seamlessly into the Vembanad lake and creating a carpet of shimmering blue in the evenings. Early morning, we tried our luck at spotting birds, but couldn’t spot anything except a crows, sparrows, resort ducks and a few snake birds on the lake front. Unfortunately the Kumarakom bird sanctuary is devoid of birds as on date due to increase in noise levels. Its a place to relax, be one with nature, laze around in a hammock, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, walk, listen, read and do nothing else :)

Periyar Cruise

Periyar is 3 hours by road from Munnar. In Kerala or TN, you can never get tired of crisp dosas & at any time in the day. Also when you are on vacation, something happens - you get up early, walk more, eat more yet feel so light. The pleasant drive made up for the numerous potholes on the road. Spice Village Nature Habitat, a wonderful property spread over acres and acres of greenery was our halt. After an exotic welcome & lunch, we headed for a cruise over the Periyar river. Its important to get a vantage seat on the deck, to ensure a clear sight. We sighted lot of snake-birds which were diving for fish, also spotted crested water birds, wild boars & sambar deer on the shores, but no elephants. The Aranya Nivas, which we went pretty close by has a picturesque location, but needs to be booked well in advance (next time i guess). Took lot of pictures in the 2 hour cruise. We found a wide range of spices in the various shops around the bank of the river and near the resort. Good shopping for everyone ! Ayurvedic massages are also very popular, but one has to book in advance (the previous day is better) and the best time for a massage is early morning. The head massages are marvellous & there are numerous options for one.

Misty Munnar -The first trip

The drive to Munnar takes about 5 hours from Cochin airport. On the way is the sacred town of Kalady, the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya. Its best to take a cab ride (the majestic Ambassador is the best bet for this wonderful route, up the mountains, across tiny towns). It was November when we visited, drizzly, pleasant, cool and worth every minute spent. As the road winded up, crossing streams, passing waterfalls (our regular photo stops), dense rain forests, one tends to agree this is God's own country, supremely beautiful ! We stayed at Fort Munnar, around 20kms from Munnar town, a nice quiet place, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The terrace offers a great view of rocky mountains and this place also had a little tree house which my son enjoyed climbing up...Day 2 was a visit to the Eravikulam National Wildlife sanctuary, home to the endangered species of Nilgiri Thars, which are a kind of deers (!). The Rajamalai mountains are home to these animals and only around 2500 of them are found in these ranges. The car stops some distance away, to ensure they dont get disturbed by noise, and one has to trek up a little bit. The trek is quite beautiful, and easy of course. When you reach the top, you are rewarded by a splendid view of mountains on all sides, wrapped up in moss-green, velvety tea-gardens, touched by wafts of misty clouds here and there. Its mind bogglingly beautiful. Dont think a camera can do justice to capture all the beauty. Our first visit to Munnar was in 1997, by now we've been here thrice and place is the same, except crowds which seem increasing every year. Nowadays there are coffee/spice plantation visits being organised for those interested, and there are home/plantation stay options as well. We're thinking of trying out one next time.

Why I love travel

Travelling opens up your mind completely, gives you a new insight into different worlds, new people, how different people react to the same situation in such a different manner ! Its quite amazing actually.....the road signs are fascinating. While travelling from Mumbai towards south of India one comes across various state and national highways. Each region is unique in the signs used on the road by roadsters....anyone on a vehicle that moves....from a sugarcane laden bullock-cart to a BMW. Someone allows to overtake, you raise your left hand(while still inside your car) and wave, the other guy acknowledges, smiles, you catch the smile in your rearview mirror....neat!!