Kerala – God’s own country. Truly so! As the train entered
Palakkad station, the feel of Kerala can be experienced. Coconut trees, banana
trees capture the eyes. Sweet Homes adorn the greenery around. Nature’s beauty
is in plenty and calmness feels the air.
We had senior citizens on board. So, we planned few places
without any hectic schedule. After taking a journey of 27 hours by train we
arrived in Kochi and relaxed there overnight. What awaited us was 5 days of Kerala
exploration.
On the way to Munnar, we took a little stop at Kaladi,’ Adi Shankaracharya’s
birthplace’. The Math, the Krishna temple, and the Sharadamba temple were
beautiful and very well maintained.
Munnar is a chilled, relaxed hill station. Living in a tea
estate made the stay more enjoyable. We lived in Tea Valley resort. Due to
Covid, we got bookings at affordable rates.
Munnar has three rivers Madupetty, Mallathan, and Perivaru.’
Moon – aa’ means ‘three rivers in Malayalam. Hence the name ‘Munnar’. The thing
to do in Munnar is to sit back and relax. We spent precious few moments among
tea gardens. Clicked pictures and watched sunset and sunrise. The morning and
evening sky colors were mesmerizing. The chirping birds were always eager to provide
a wakeup call at 6 am. The temperature was 10 degrees Celsius which was quite
pleasant. No wonder couples reach out to Kerala for a honeymoon.
The Top Station is a valley on the border of Munnar and
Tamilnadu. We reached there in the evening and the valley was covered with fog.
We could experience chilling cold there. The top station needs proper
management for sure. The place was filthy with garbage thrown by tourists.
On the way to Top station the Madupetty dam, Photo point,
and Eco point can be visited. The road itself is charismatic. The clear green
water, green eucalyptus trees, green tea plants give the feeling of venturing
into the Switzerland of India (Without snow of course!)
We also visited the tea museum and rose garden in Munnar. After that we
decided to relax at the hotel enjoying the tea estate. Called as South Kashmir
of India, Munnar is perfectly so.
The tea museum experience was ok kind. It displayed few old pieces of machinery. Also showed us a documentary on how the British cultivated tea on the Munnar hills (Kanan – Devan Hills). One can also experience live tea processing. An interesting Sundial watch was kept on the entrance. Can you guess the time?
Tea is dearer to millions. It’s addictive yet healthy (If
consumed in little quantity). Visiting a tea estate is a mesmerizing experience
for a true tea lover.
A true tea lover knows the value of good tea.
A cup of tea
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If you are cold, tea will warm you.
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If you are too heated, it will cool you.
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If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
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If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
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If you are excited it will calm you – William
Gladstone.
After leaving Munnar we headed to Kumarakom to relax at the
lakeside cottage. Experienced another enchanting sunset. We also wanted to visit
the Kumarakom bird sanctuary. But there were no migrant birds, we had to return
half-heartedly. Illikalam cottages @Kumarakom were hospitable. They provided us
delicious Kerala breakfast (Puttu and Appam). We enjoyed our stay there. Sun
setting on one side over the lake and moon rising on the other.
Leaving Kumarakom, we headed to Alleppey to have the unique experience
of living on a houseboat. The backwater of Kerala is seated next to the Venice
experience. Water, water everywhere. The Kerala food on the houseboat was good.
In the evening, the boat was parked on the village side. We could catch a glimpse of rural Kerala. There were few homes along the lakeside with no street lights. A single shop was selling goods. On the lakeshore, women were washing utensils, clothes. Few were catching fish to prepare meals in the evening. The fish was being served to birds. Financial poverty was visible. But the village had a cool and calm ambiance. We could also see exotic birds just on the roadside. Paddy fields were an absolute beauty.
There was some time for
check-in, hence we decided to visit Revi Karuna Karan Museum in Allepey. Betty,
wife of late Revi Karuna Karan has opened up this museum in loving memory of
her husband. Revi was an industrialist working in the coir industry. He traveled
all over the world and collected marvelous Art pieces; paintings, sculptures,
glass articles, Metal artifacts, Ivory pieces, Precious stones, etc. It was a
remarkable collection. One can get a glimpse of a world of Art under one roof.
The visit to this museum was worth the penny.
In the evening, we had planned to spend time in the seawater.
But waves on the Alleppey beach were strong and the sea was deep. The guards
were not allowing people to enter the water. We spent a few moments just on the
shore.
Leaving Allepey we headed towards Kochi to catch a
train. The Kerala trip ended on a good note by having great Lunch at Sarvana
Bhavan. The curries were delicious and Payasam was awesome. Still lingering the
taste of Sarvana Bhavan food, saying goodbye to Kerala was hard...
“Whether you want to cruise the backwaters, sip
tea in a plantation, or relax on a beach, this alluring Indian state has it all
and more.”
Another trip to Kerala is surely due!
