5 Days Trip to the God's Own Country, Kerala

Kerala, the land of rivers and backwaters is a green strip of land, in the South West corner of Indian peninsula. In Kerala you experience freshness and touch of mother earth every where.

It was in September of 2011, that we went to Kerala on a pre-planned trip. Our plan was that we visit Kalady, Munnar, Alleppey and then back to Kalady.

Kerala is well known as “God’s own Country” for its breath taking natural beauty. The Western Ghats, the Arabian Sea backwaters and the very rich culture in Kerala are worth seeing in ones life time.

DAY 1 :

We boarded Air India flight at Chennai International Airport, also known as Anna International Airport and reached Cochin International Airport, Cochin . The fly was over 1 hour and we had a good aerial view.

From Cochin Airport, we went to Kalady by Tempo traveler. It took 15-20mins.

KALADY

Kalady  is a village located east of the Periyar river. Notably, it is the birthplace of  Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara, and thus is a popular destination for pilgrims. It was once an insignificant little village, but it gained importance after Adi Sankaracharya, the great Indian philosopher of the 8th century AD, was born there.

We were accommodated at Sri Shankara Guest House, which is very near to temples and the tariff is very reasonable. We can book rooms before by calling them at 0484-2462350, 0484-2465922.

There is no restaurant in that guest house.So we went out for lunch.

After having lunch at Indian Coffee House, we went to the temple of Sri Adi Sankaracharya and experienced the pleasant and peaceful atmosphere.

We enjoyed the birth place of Jagadguru till evening and then went to Hotel Saravana bhavan( Angamaly, 15mins from Kalady) for food(nice quality of food n d paneer paratha is awesome!!) and returned back to guest house.

 

 With the benign blessings of  Pujyasri Shankaracharya Swamiji, a Keerthi Sthamba Mandapam has been consecrated at Kalady, the birth place of Sri Adi Sankara. The Keerthi Sthambam is an imposing 8-storey structure. A pair of elephant statues stand at the entrance. Inside the Sthambam is the Paduka Mandapam, where the Padukas of Sri Adi Sankara have been consecrated and regular worship is offered. One can climb the spiral staircase inside the mandapam and see the paintings and statues on the walls, depicting important episodes from the life of Sri Adi Sankara.

 From Kalady we went to Munnar and Alleppey, and we came back to kalady.As the rooms in Sri Sankara Guest house are filled, we opted for KTDC,Tamarind hotel which gave us a very bad experience!!!

I hereby offer you few of the pictures taken in Kalady for you :)  

Crocodile Ghat

Periyar River

Ramana Ashramam

Spacious Hall at Ramana Ashramam

MUNNAR : Kashmir of South India

DAY 2 : Started to Munnar by 8am. The drive from Kochi to Munnar is a long and winding one and takes about five hours. 

Breathing in the crisp, clear and unpolluted air, relaxing and eating are the added bonuses of going to Munnar. Getting around the mountains that surround Munnar is an experience one cannot miss, not in a million years.

  

On the way to Munnar we stopped at Cheeyappara water.

The Cheeyappara Waterfall is on the Kochi - Madurai Highway (National Highway 49), between Neriamangalam and Adimali. It is in Idukki district, Kerala.

The Cheeyappara Waterfall cascades down in seven steps. It is a real feast for the eyes. This is also a great place for trekking.

Cheeyappara waterfall is one of the few waterfalls which you can view from the bottom. Also, there is an area set apart to take bath in the cool shower of natural water. Its an ideal place to stop awhile and enjoy amidst the scenic surroundings of the waterfall.We enjoyed there till 11am.

 

Our next halt  is at "Dreams land Spices Park". By 12pm we had reached the park where we enjoyed elephant safari :) Elephant safari through eucalyptus plantation and tea plantation would be a thrilling experience.

It’s uniqueness is the TREE HOUSE ! There are not the monkeys staying on the tree branches. There is comfortable room built 40 feet high up in the rose wood tree. From there, a visitor sees the out of the world view of the hills and valleys of 25 kilometer area radius.

Finally we had reached Munnar at 2pm. By this time we were hungry and we went to Hotel Annapurna which is North Indian and South Indian Vegetarian restaurant. 

Elysium Gardens - This is  the hotel where we had stayed.It is located on a little short of the main town of Munnar, the Elysium Garden is a beautiful resort standing alone on the slopes of a hill and perpetually enveloped by dreamy clouds. A huge car parking area lined with flowers is flanked by a reception cum lobby, the latter of which extends inwards into the building as well. It was a nice experience to stay here.View from hotel balcony was really superb!! 

DAY 3 :

After having complimentary breakfast (Lemon tea is great!!)  we started to Eravikulam National Park. It took 1hr from our hotel. 

 It is located along the Western Ghats.Six mini-buses are operated by park staff as part of the visitor-management programme as well as a pollution-control measure. Private vehicles are not allowed within the park. INR 35 is charged per head as an entry fee for Indian nationals. Foreign nationals are charged INR 200 per head.

      We were lucky to get a glimpse of a pair of Nilgiri Tahrs on our way up and we took a snap.It had been raining all through our journey!! And we enjoyed it too!!  As we had to go to other places we had spent 1hr only. 

Enjoying the green carpets and cool climate of Munnar , we had started to our next place.

  
 On the way, 
we found elephants!! 
So, we had stopped to take 
few snaps!!

 




After 2hrs of journey we had reaches "Top Station", tourist destination which falls along the border of the state of Tamil Nadu.

This area is popular for the rare Neelakurinji flowers, which blooms once in 12 years. This flower add double fragrance to Full Munnar Tea plantation making Hill blue in Color. Last time, it has bloomed in the year 2006. Buses ply frequently between Munnar and Top Station. The view from top station was superb.one needs to go down nearly 1 km by stairs to the view point. Its like clouds are too close and you can touch them.
Amidst of tea gardens you can feel so calm and you could stay there forever.Lovely experience!!
 We purchased some yummy quail eggs to taste them!!

 

Our next place was "Mattupetty Dam", built in the late 1940’s.The lake and dam surrounded by wooden hills and tea plantations, makes a great view. Small streams and waterfalls cut through the tract here and there, which again adds more attraction to the place. Boating is also allowed on Mattupetty Lake and combined with picnic and trekking, makes for a great outing from Munnar.
 

"Munnar Flori-culture center",We saw one small floriculture 

center maintained by the forest dept.Got a glimpse of lovely 

flowers. 

By 5:30 we had reached our hotel.

Remember, Munnar is a busiest and most popular tourist place in India. If you have not yet booked your accommodation in advance, then you will face some difficulty in munnar because In Most cases hotels and accommodation in Munnar gets full and huge demand for hotels,resorts and other accommodation. So book your munnar tour packages now itself ..

Day 4 : 

Renting a houseboat designed like a kettuvallam (rice barge) could be one of your most expensive experiences in India, but it's worth every darned rupee. Drifting through quiet canals lined with coconut palms, eating deliciously authentic Keralan food, meeting local villagers and sleeping on the water under a galaxy of stars - it's a world away from the clamor of India.

Houseboats cater for groups (up to eight bunks) or couples (one or two double bedrooms). Food (and an on-board chef to cook it) is generally included in the quoted cost. Houseboats can be chartered through the ATDC in  Alleppey, or a multitude of private operators.

We had Checked into House Boat for day cruise (11am - 5.30pm) through the backwaters of Alleppey .

Food in Kerala Houseboats:

Though based on the tradition of fish and vegetables, in keeping with the demands of a cosmopolitan clientele, the cuisine served aboard our houseboats vary depending on the clients requirements. 

They welcomed us with pine apple juice.And for lunch  traditional kerala food was given , Rice, Sambar, ladies finger, fish fry, pickle, papad and sweets . In the evening, Tea with banana bajji.

By 5:30 we came back to Alleppey and went to Kalady. 

DAY 5: 

Back to Cochin airport from Kalady.