Kovalam, Kerala, India Part III

One could spend months, even years in one area of any part of India and still not see everything, experience everything there is to offer. We try to see highlights wherever we go, yet inevitably miss a whole lot. We always placate ourselves by saying aloud, "We'll see it next time we come." Twenty or …

Kovalam, Kerala, India Part II

One of the side trips we took from Kovalam was through the Vizhinjam fishing village, which is a short walk from Kovalam proper. My late Father-in-Law had taken my wife here years ago. So we headed over to Vizhinjam to see a small ancient temple devoted to Nandi. It was on the hill above the …

Kovalam, Kerala, India. Part I

  One hundred and eighty kilometers south lay our next destination. Situated on the Arabian Sea, Kovalam has been around for centuries but gained notoriety when the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore constructed her beach resort, Halcyon Castle here towards the end of the 1920s. The 1930s saw European guests of the Travancore Kingdom using it as a tourist destination, but Kovalam gained wide notoriety in the 1970s …

Kerala backwaters are calling me back

One of my favorite stops so far in India was the backwaters of Kerala. Serene settings with fabulous sunrises and sunsets, this, to me, was a place to go to really unwind and relax. We arrived from Munnar close to sunset, and I was able to really get a feel of relaxation looking over the …

Munnar, Kerala, India. Part IV. Tea and spices.

While in Munnar, we did do some of the touristy things. It's inevitable, I guess, but still nothing I wouldn't change. We took a tour of a tea plantation and its aging, small, yet productive tea drying and packaging. The people were nice and showed us the process from start to finish and then handed …

Munnar, Kerala, India. Part III Top Station

  One of the longer day trips we took in Munnar was to Top Station. The winding two-lane road took us through many Tea Plantations on our 36km, windy trek. Along the way, we passed the Mattupatty Reservoir and drove for a few kilometers along its flank. A couple of kilometers past that we came to Kundale Lake, another man-made …

Munnar, Kerala, India. Part II

Our rental villa near Munnar was far from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis of Bangalore, where our sojourn started and every morning on this three-week trek, we would wake early before the sun could show itself. While this was very early by western standards, India is already getting ready for the long arduous …

Munnar, Kerala, India. Part I

While in Kochi, we stopped by a travel office to find a place to stay during our next stop, the Hill Station of Munnar. We met a nice man, Mr. Johnson who told us of a nice place we should consider. He just so happened to own the place, coincidently. I've seen this a lot in India, but have never …

Kochi, Kerala, India Part II

    Fort Kochi is a quaint area of the whole of Kochi. Time has stood still on some of the architecture and tree-lined streets. Wandering around through the narrow streets and alleyways, birds singing, and the bustle of Kochi proper is muffled if not silenced. This is not to say it is a sleepy town. There is still …