Travel stories of a caravan duo, plus a 5th Wheel and Isuzu truck in Europe
A mile long, crescent shaped, gently sloping beach with waterside shacks on stilts and low key restaurants, even a Silent Disco! Sounds and looks like Heaven…..
After lunch, we walked along the shores to one corner of the bay, gently stepping amongst the tiniest crabs ever, dipping our feet into water so warm you could bath in it and admiring the stillness and calming surroundings for a while.
Graham found some Indian notes in the water, real treasure!
An afternoon trip out to visit a temple proved that men, after all, can look good in skirts. How? You may ask…..
The Shanta Durga Mandir (above) is dedicated to Shantadurga Goddess and was built in 1738. The Shantadurga Goddess is a mediator between Gods Shiva (the Supreme Being in Hinduism) and Vishnu (The Preserver).
Diane and I entered the Temple after covering our knees with a wrap we had previously brought with us. We had to purchase another to cover Di’s shoulders, £1 later, fully covered, we entered. Met a lovely couple from London who were there for a blessing to help them find their perfect holiday home in Goa! Saw the gold and crystal chandeliers and the gifts left to the God’s whilst David and Graham sat outside.
After exiting, we met up with David and Graham who were sitting outside chatting to a local. Graham decided he wanted to take a look inside so donned the wrap, and off he went. Very fetching indeed!!
Another day, we drove down the coast to an old hilltop Fort, Cabo de Rama, in use until the 1950s as a military Fort and subsequently a prison. Within the grounds is a small Chapel, the only remaining useable structure, but the walls and entrance gate are complete so it’s possible to walk all the way round. However, on this particular day, 35c sunshine meant we visited the main viewpoints only!
Further on down the road we stopped at a viewpoint and WOW, what a stop! A fully sustaining eco resort perched on the side of the hill, with individual thatched bedrooms leading down to a stunning beach, and a restaurant with amazing views! We checked out the prices and availability and not surprising, it was pricey and well booked up!
The last two days of our trip around Kerala started with very early mornings! Day five began when the river taxis woke us at daybreak but it was surprisingly a pleasure to be awake at that hour! We watched egrets picking bugs off the water lilies, rover taxis picking up workers, ladies out washing their laundry on stones beside the river. men either having a wash in the river or fishing and children heading off to school on their bikes. All before 7am!!
Graham was allowed, albeit briefly, to take over the helm as Captain, whilst the river was quiet. It made his day!!
After another sumptuous meal (breakfast), we headed back to base and disembarked, sad to leave the houseboat and promising that if we ever returned to Kerala, we’d stay longer and explore more.
Our next and final stop was Cochin, in the magnificent Crowne Plaza Hotel overlooking the Thevara Canal. We were on the 9th floor so had amazing views over the city as well as being able to watch the wheeling Kites that were right outside our window!
After checking in, David and Graham were taken by Jo our driver to look at Chinese style fishing nets and a quick tour of the local area.
Diane and I were far more interested in a decent coffee and slice of cake, followed by an invigorating massage in the hotel’s spa, both amazingly good! Suitably chilled and relaxed, we all headed to the Hotel’s rooftop bar for drinks and dinner before a 3am wakeup call!
Dinner was lovely, continental meals without spices!
The only downside to Kerala was the fact that food was Extra Spicy compared to Goa, even “no spice” was full of garlic and ginger so one or two of us suffered a little with digestive issues 😀. Drinks were pricey when you could purchase them. As it’s primarily a dry state, little or no alcohol is sold in local restaurants and there are no bars but a limited amount can be purchased from Government outlets, or in restaurants catering for Westerners.
Our 3.30am alarms went off, we dragged ourselves out of bed, checked out and collected our “breakfast takeaway bags” – fruit juice, an apple and a coleslaw sandwich, all promptly went in a bin!! An hour later we were deposited at the airport, said our goodbyes to our funny driver Jo, snoozed on the comfortable chairs for two hours before boarding our flight back to Goa. By midday, we’d returned to our apartments, offloaded bags, been out for breakfast and were heading back to bed for a few hours sleep – tired, happy, relaxed and in total awe of the sights and sounds of beautiful Kerala! 😍
We woke to the sound of Indian cuckoo’s and bullfrogs and the sight of beautiful flowers in the hotel grounds, a relaxed hotel in a forest, on the outskirts of Thekkady. Breakfast was a very funny affair – buffet Indian style, served by a very gay young waiter who called us “my lovelies” and enjoyed having his derriere slapped by his colleagues 😄
Back on the road to the famous Alleppey, home to Kerala backwaters (a backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current) and our houseboat. The journey took a few hours, again passing through tea plantations, where pickers were wearing umbrella hats to protect themselves from the 30c sun. We were entertained by massive cow in a trailer being taken for a ride, for some reason we found that odd and hilarious, but this is Anything Goes India…..
Very soon the green plantations gave way to flat canal filled plains with large waterfront houses. We arrived at the boatyard to be greeted by the owner of the company, who showed us around his 100 year old family home before showing us onto one of his boats. The company own five boats of varying sizes, all used to be grain storage and transportation boats, now repurposed as luxury houseboats.
We were accompanied by a driver, chef and waiter, and were shown to our rooms! Another WOW moment!!!! Two large bedrooms and bathrooms, a lounge with floor to ceiling windows, upstairs dining room with a viewing deck at the front, a bathroom but also a jacuzzi and steam cabinet!!! Roll on relaxing!
Lunch was served as we pulled away, lots of fresh salads, fish, calamari, chicken, rice and fresh fruits! Out to the deck to admire the Riverside views, constantly grinning to ourselves when passers-by waved or listening to sounds coming from houses, churches, fields, birds and the river.
Kingfishers, egrets, kites and herons everywhere, as well as flying/jumping fish, fishermen, washer women, and children on bikes on the riverbanks.
We moored up in the evening, David and Graham went for a walk into the paddy fields whilst Di and I had a spa session! By the time we had all changed, dinner was served, another feast of chicken, sauces, rice, potato, salads and vegetables, followed by warm sweet homemade rice pudding. We all slept like babies that night, it was so quiet and dark, the boat slightly moving, rocking us to sleep.
It was suggested to us that we visit a resort hotel called Tea County in Munnar, so we saved the best until last and had dinner there on our last night in this area.
“Tea County is a Resort Hotel in Munnar, amongst enchanting mist clad hills, quaint cottages, fragrant tea gardens and mist-draped mornings that are hallmarks of Munnar. For years the cool and picturesque town of Munnar was the summer retreat of the British and it still retains the charm of a colonial past. The destination is also home to the only sandalwood forest in Kerala”. THIS IS THE HOTEL’S BLURB!
And rightly so!! We felt we were back in colonial Raj in the 1940s, splendour exuded every space, polished marble floors, sweeping staircases, sumptuous sofas, gardens full of rose bushes and the hugest dining room I’ve ever seen .. ..the Chef even came out to talk to us about our menu choices before they were cooked!
We had a great meal in spectacular surroundings. We felt like Very Important People!!!!
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