Welcome to KERALA, “God’s Own Country”

  

Paul McCartney’s comment that Kerala is “truly God’s Own Country” echoes the sentiments of many a traveler to Kerala, the Mantri family included. In fact, this phrase has been adopted by Kerala tourism and anyone wishing to journey to this ‘green’ state should start planning with the help of this website. For foreigners wishing to explore the amazingly diverse tourist offerings of India, Kerala is a great place to start. In fact, we could not get enough of the place on our first visit, hence our decision to visit a second time.

The first time around, we flew into Kochi and explored the city and surrounds. In Kochi, we were hosted by Sunil and Vijaya, close college friends of Viren’s and just as well, since the Bharat Bandh that greeted us on our arrival (welcome to India!) prevented us from sight-seeing. We spent our time instead, exploring the naval base (her husband is a Commander in the Indian Navy) and got to dine on the sailing ship, the I.N.S. Tarangini (on our return), an experience in itself. For the rest of the trip, we chose to stay mostly at hotels from the Casino Group and did not regret our decision to do so given the warm hospitality, personalized service and true Kerala culture on offer.

As we embarked on our journey through this wonderful, green state what better place to start than Munnar, with its vast expanses of tea estates, wonderful climate and picturesque scenery. It reminded us a bit of southern Switzerland with the photos likely helping to convince the sceptics. Seeing the Nilgiri tahr in the Eravikulam National Park was enjoyable and this is one of the only couple of places in the world where one can see these endangered, friendly creatures.  From there, it was on to Periyar, where we stayed at Spice Village.  While the Periyar tiger reserve was a bit disappointing, as we did not see any tigers or elephants, the level of service at the hotel and the visit to a spice plantation on an elephant (yes, all three of us on one poor creature J) made up for it.  

The highlight of our stay there though, was the opportunity to see a new-born baby elephant – just 11 hours old when we saw him! He was born to a domestically-owned elephant called Sundari, which led Anand to promptly name him Antariksh (a la Sindoor Tere Naam Ke (an old Hindi TV serial) fame J). It was amazing to see him already walking around, though sticking close to his mum and exploring his surroundings, which included trying to dig a hole in the ground with his little trunk! As word spread about the little fellow, from the next day, curious onlookers were being charged a small fee to observe him. That’s enterprising India for you! Always an opportunity for a business venture 😉 

A stay at Coconut Lagoon in Kumarakom beckoned next, and having featured in the book “1000 Places To See Before You Die”, we were determined to stay there. For us, the place lived up to its reputation though subsequently we have had friends complain about the service standards and quality. In the event, an accommodation that might be worth exploring is Kumarakom Lake Resort, about which we have heard several good reviews. In this area, backwater cruises in the Kumarakom bird sanctuary are enthralling, especially if one is an avid bird-watcher.

Then, it was on to our last destination – Alleppey – where we explored jungle-shrouded backwater canals on our houseboat. Our captain, Robin, and cook, Matthew Joseph (the food was delicious and homely), were sweethearts and more than made up for the not-so-fancy stay on board. Anyone who visits Kerala should not miss out on this experience as we got a real taste of life on the backwaters up close and personal (the pictures of smiling kids, duck farm, etc speak for themselves). The sunrise in the backwaters was absolutely stunning!

So this rounded off our first trip to God’s Own Country and we knew we would be back for more to explore the southern part of the state. And some years later we did, this time flying into Thiruvananthapuram. Club Mahindra’s resort in Poovar was our abode and from there we explored Kovalam, spending a day at the beautiful grounds of the Taj, as well as Kanyakumari (also known as Cape Comorin). 

The name comes from the Devi Kanya Kumari Temple in the region and it is the southernmost tip of peninsular India. Kanyakumari town is also the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats range. It is especially popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunset, thanks to its being nearly surrounded by waters. We embarked on our visit in the wee hours of the morning to catch the sunrise though to our disappointment it was a cloudy day and we missed it. However, the boat ride to see the Thiruvalluvar Statue as well as the Vivekananda Rock Memorial made it worth the trip.

A must-visit when in Thiruvananthapuram is the underrated Puthenmalika (Kuthiramalika) Palace Museum. It means “palace of horses” and has 122 smiling wooden horses all around its structure. Built by a Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore in British India, it takes one back to the 1840s when it was first constructed. It is a great example of the Kerala school of architecture and is made from teakwood, rosewood, marble, and granite. The Museum houses idols and sculptures made from white marble, Kathakali figures, Belgian mirrors and paintings. The flourishing spice trade between Kerala and the world made it possible to obtain those items. Maybe it was our fantastic guide who explained everything really well but we enjoyed it better than any other sight-seeing we did in and around Thiruvananthapuram. Unfortunately, it has not been well-maintained. 

The museum is located just near India’s richest temple, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the wealthiest place of worship in the world! It is conservatively estimated that the value of the monumental items discovered in the temple is close to US$19 billion and if the antique and cultural value were taken into account, potentially worth ten times the current market price!

Besides its magnificent tourist offerings, Kerala cuisine is delicious and unique and adds another element to one’s visit. Kerala is known as the "Land of Spices" because it traded spices with Europe as well as with many ancient civilizations and this is evident in its cuisine. The region makes frequent use of black pepper, cardamom, clove, ginger, and cinnamon. Traditional Kerala food is vegetarian and includes Kerala Sadya, which is an elaborate banquet prepared for festivals and ceremonies but contemporary Kerala food also includes non-vegetarian dishes. A full-course Sadya (served on a plantain leaf), which consists of rice with about twenty different accompaniments and desserts is the ceremonial meal eaten usually on celebratory occasions including marriages, Onam and Vishu. Grated coconut and coconut milk are commonly used for thickening and flavouring and seafood is a common part of meals.

So pack your bags folks and go explore this green, southern state of India. You will not be disappointed.

Wining and dining our way through
WESTERN AUSTRALIA

On our recent trip to Western Australia, we drove to the north of Perth (having covered Australia’s South West coast the first time around), towards the laidback fishing village of Cervantes. The key draw for heading there was to see The Pinnacles, limestone formations which are found within the Nambung National Park. The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes. Visiting at dawn or dusk is recommended with the long shadows formed by the rising / setting sun lending a lovely touch. The Pinnacles are very accessible and there is a 4km loop that one can drive through in a normal 2WD car.

While in the area, a visit to Lobster Shack for lunch and a visit to Lake Thetis is worth doing. While the menu at Lobster Shack is limited, the lobsters are extremely fresh and made for a good first meal of our trip. The next morning, we made a stop at Lake Thetis, one of only a few places in the world with living marine stromatolites, or 'living fossils'. The lake's stromatolites that look like rocky lumps have been dated to about 3370 years old. Following that we drove a bit further north to Jurien Bay for breakfast at the Family Affair Café. The eggs benedict and avocado/feta toast were delicious as was the coffee. Following that, we decided to drive back towards Perth on a different route that led straight to Swan Valley, which was going to be our abode for the next two nights. It turned out to be more interesting than the Indian Ocean Drive on the way up. An interesting stop along the way was the Emu Downs Wind Farm which provides electricity to run the Kwinana Desalination Plant which turns water from the Indian Ocean into nearly 152mn litres (40 million gallons) of drinking water per day!

A 3-hour drive down from Jurien Bay brought us to Swan Valley. Little River Winery for lunch was our first stop (of many!) to do some wine-tasting and have a wonderful meal. We then checked into our wonderful B&B, a beautiful 10-acre property. We were lucky to have the entire place to ourselves. Immaculate rooms, scrumptious breakfasts, a lovely owner, adorable dogs and cats made this two days very memorable. When in Swan Valley, the key thing to do is to eat and drink your way through the 32km food and wine trail 😊 Mandoon, Pinelli and Ambrook wineries were our other favourites.

The few hours we spent in the charming town of Guildford was lovely too and we did one of the heritage walks. Our dinners at Padbury’s and Rose and Crown in this town were our favourite meals of the trip as well.

It was then on to Fremantle. The famous Fremantle Prison was our first stop, being Western Australia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The ‘Doing Time’ tour was very interesting and our guide Laura was excellent. The tour allows you to explore the cells (scarily claustrophobic with the only allowance for fresh air being the little grooves on the floor below the door!), gallows and other parts of the prison.  Fremantle Prison was constructed between 1851 and 1859, using convict labour. It was initially used for convicts transported from Britain, but was transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use for locally-sentenced prisoners. Other sites worth checking out are the Round House and the WA Shipwreck Galleries. The Round House was the first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony. Opened in 1831, it is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia. The latter is recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere. Steeped in history, the galleries house hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along WA’s treacherous coastline, including the original timbers from the Batavia (wrecked in 1629).

Besides sight-seeing, a spot of shopping never hurts and the famous Fremantle Markets lived up to the hype. The variety of stalls and quality of goods on offer made it the perfect place to pick up mementos from the trip. And finally, while in Fremantle, eating seafood and trying the famous breweries is a must. Little Creatures topped the list of breweries and not only was the beer delicious but the food and service was great as well. Another excellent meal we had was at Kailis’ Fish Market Café which came highly recommended and it lived up to expectations.

What better way to end our trip than with a visit to beautiful Cottesloe Beach, where we were fortunate to be able to catch up with old friends over lunch. So before we knew it, we had wined and dined our way through an entire week and it was time to say good-bye. Definitely won’t be our last trip to the country with the Barossa wine region beckoning next 😊 You see a theme here? 😉

Our GREAT CHINA sojourn

Just back from an amazing trip to China, our first to the country. The sight-seeing, infrastructure, food and shopping surprised on the upside and we are definitely planning on returning to savour the other parts this vast country has to offer. For now, let me give you an insight into our maiden trip…

We decided to kick off our China adventures with a 4-day stay in Beijing and we couldn’t have chosen a better hotel at which to do that. The Fairmont Beijing was amazing - especially the extremely helpful concierge staff who helped book taxis, provided good tips, etc. Despite arriving well before the check-in time, the room was ready for us so that we could rest and freshen up before starting to explore the city. We headed to the Forbidden City - the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, which now houses the Palace Museum - on Day 1 itself being a Friday, as this attraction gets absolutely crazy on the weekends, with millions of people descending on it. The place was massive to say the least, covering an area of 72 hectares and housing the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It is said to be the most visited art museum in the world. The view of the Forbidden City from the highest point in Jinshan Park is well worth the effort. Spring is the best time to visit with the flowers in full bloom adding to the magnificence.

The Temple of Heaven was my favourite in Beijing though (apart from the Great Wall, of course) with the geometry and colours very impressive. The temple grounds cover 2.73km.sq. of parkland and comprise 3 main groups of constructions: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, The Imperial Vault of Heaven and The Circular Mound Altar. The centre of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven (天心石), where the Emperor prayed for favourable weather. Thanks to the design of the altar, the sound of the prayer will be reflected by the guardrail, creating significant resonance, which was supposed to help the prayer communicate with Heaven. We did try our luck at the Echo Wall but it was impossible to test given the loud tour guides and crowds 😊 Next up on the list was the Laoshe Teahouse, great for experiencing Chinese tea culture. However, be prepared to pay a decent sum . Following that was the Da Dong Roast Duck restaurant to try the city’s most famous dish, Peking Duck. However, the service and the duck disappointed greatly with Singapore’s Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck restaurant doing a far superior job.

We kick-started Day 3 with a visit to the Summer Palace, which is an essential on every tourist’s ‘must-do’. It is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces, dominated by Longevity Hill and has been declared by UNESCO as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design”.  Do try to visit on a weekday to avoid the crazy weekend crowds. A boat ride on the Kunming Lake is a great way to get shots of the palace from a different perspective. 

In the latter part of the day, we took a tour of the hutongs in Beijing and it was very interesting. 
Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan or traditional courtyard residences. Since the mid-20th century, a large number of Beijing hutongs were demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, many hutongs have been designated as protected, in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. The pedicab ride through the hutongs was the highlight with our driver quite crazy and having us thoroughly amused throughout 😊

We left the best for last, a visit to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. While hordes of tourists descend on the Badaling part of the wall, I would highly recommend people do Mutianyu as it is less crowded and way more scenic. We had a lovely guide to take us there by car and we opted for the round-trip cable car ride to the top to spend more time exploring the wall itself. The more adventurous might choose to climb to the top of the wall by the stairs. While I explored only a few watch towers, hubby climbed to the highest permissible watch tower on the left side (number 23) where he was pleasantly surprised to be able to buy a chilled Tsing Tao to reward him for his effort 😊 (FYI, Tsing Tao the most popular Chinese beer) He swears to be back with Anand to run the Great Wall marathon. All in all, left Beijing very impressed with the beautifully maintained sights and efficient infrastructure.

It was on to Shanghai by the high-speed train for the second half of our trip. Would highly recommend this mode of transport wherever possible in China as opposed to domestic flights for its punctuality and comfort, though it is often more expensive. One can choose either first class or second class seats and both make for a very comfortable journey. In Shanghai, we were focused on spending quality time with family and shopping. A heartfelt thanks to my cousin Nika and her family for filling our sojourn there with wonderful memories to last a lifetime. An evening walk at the Bund and a visit to Yu Garden was all the sight-seeing we managed to squeeze in there.

When in Shanghai, day trips to Hangzhou and Suzhou are highly recommended. In fact, the former was the highlight of our entire trip for me along with the Great Wall. It is the 4^th largest city in China with the West Lake its best-known attraction. However, it was walking in the old part of town, eating traditional food at a local restaurant and visiting the grounds of the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel that contributed in equal measure to the whole experience. Having lovely MinMin as our guide of course made all the difference. She even took it upon herself to be our photographer, getting us to pose for romantic shots wherever possible, making us feel like we were on our honeymoon! 😊 Hubby was super impressed with the bike paths everywhere and who knows? We might be back someday.

Suzhou meanwhile is famous for its gardens. The guide took as to The Lingering Garden which was beautiful, more so because of the various traditional Chinese performers throughout the park – a flautist, a lady playing the pipa, a Chinese opera performance, etc – taking one back in time. Tiger Hill – a Leaning Tower of the orient of sorts – was impressive too and the walk back to the entrance through the canopy of trees, watching numerous egrets tending to their nests, was delightful. Then it was on to the highlight of the day, a trip to the water town of Tongli. Truly like experiencing an ‘oriental’ Venice. We took a gondola ride to get a feel of the town and then spent an hour rambling through the quaint streets and shops, watching the local people go about their lives. The most intriguing was seeing a fisherman getting his cormorants to fish for him.

The food in China was fantastic and we got to savour cuisines from all over the country. While we did hear a lot about the pollution, especially in Beijing, we lucked out with decent weather and pollution levels throughout the trip. We’ll be back for sure.

April 2017 - Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou (China)

THE NILGIRIS (BLUE MOUNTAINS) beckon

It had always been on my bucket list to travel solo with Anand. And it finally happened last December when we travelled to Ooty.

We flew into Coimbatore, from where Ooty is around a 3-to-4-hour drive. It’s better to rent a car for your entire stay as there are lots of sight-seeing trips a short drive away. I was worried about the winding road up bringing on a bout of car sickness but fortunately I managed fine. Our abode for the 5 days was the Club Mahindra, Derby Green in Ooty and to our pleasant surprise, it turned out to be one of their best resorts we have stayed at besides Coorg (for all you Club Mahindra members out there).

The next day we decided to kick off our sight-seeing with a day trip to Coonoor. It was pure bliss to soak in the stunning landscapes with the 18-degree weather making it that much more enjoyable. A visit to Sim’s Park, Highfield Tea Factory, Dolphin’s Nose and Lamb’s Rock are the usual ‘must-dos’ there. Of course, we could not leave without buying an assortment of teas and oils for which the place is famous, and the shop at Highfield Tea Factory was the perfect choice.

Day 2 was about exploring what Ooty itself had to offer and the Botanical Gardens was the best place to start our sight-seeing. The Gardens are divided into several sections, covering a sprawling area north of 22 hectares. Lying on the lower slopes of Doddabetta peak (the highest peak of the Nilgiris), the garden has a terraced layout and is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department. In the centre of the Gardens was a fossilized tree trunk estimated to be 20mn years old! We had a great time snapping away near the Instagram-worthy landscaped trees and bushes. The most unique feature was a patch of garden in the shape of the map of India, with the 29 different states demarcated by different plants. It even included the newly-formed (June 2014) Telangana state 😊

The Boat House was the next stop, where a relaxing boat ride on Ooty lake awaited. We decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the Taj Savoy Hotel which was pretty good, though have to say that the food at our resort was far superior. After a good afternoon’s rest it was time embark on our Valley View Hanuman Cave mountain trek with a Club Mahindra guide. On approach, the guide pointed out the mountain we were about to climb and Anand and I just looked at each other in the car in intense amusement and burst out laughing. It was an actual mountain with pretty steep slopes! Well to be fair we did sign up for a ‘mountain trek’. So I decided to stop at the Hanuman Cave while Anand and the guide headed up to the peak, which even he admitted was a pretty gruelling and tough climb. We face-timed (that’s the modern generation for you 😊 so that I could enjoy the fabulous view from the top as well. Taking pics of the setting sun through the trees kept me busy while I waited for them to return.

We saved the best for last. On the final day, we made a trip to Avalanchi for a jungle safari which was beyond amazing! And to our luck we saw a family of large sambar deer fleeing from danger, straight out of an episode of National Geographic. The father was trying to protect his kids from being taken by the wild dogs by barking loudly, as they usually do in case of danger, and herding his family across the lake to the other bank. These deer are known to be excellent swimmers and it was wonderful to see this story unfold. The water in the lake was a beautiful blue and we could not get enough of the view from the top.

A stop at Emerald Lake and a fabulous, organic meal – we got to enjoy the traditional hospitality of the Badaga community at the homestay, Red Hill Nature Resort - was the perfect ending to the day. The resort was tucked away in the mountains with sweeping, dramatic 30-mile views of majestic mountains and lakes. The perfect place for some R&R and doing nothing if one so chooses (an art which my hubby has mastered 😊, so I could well be back to stay there with hubby for a few days.

December 2016 - Ooty, Tamil Nadu (India)

CZECH IT OUT

Just back from Prague and Budapest, our first trip to Eastern Europe, and given our experience, likely to be the first of many to the region …

Given the rave reviews we had heard about Prague, our expectations were very high. Although we did enjoy our stay in the lovely city, we felt that it did not meet up to our high expectations. We were lucky with our hotel choice though, given the impeccable service and room (we got a free upgrade to a Junior Suite :)) as well as a complimentary bottle of wine once they knew that we were there to celebrate hubby’s 50^th.

Our sight-seeing started with an evening trip to Petrin Hill where the views of the city from the Petrin Lookout Tower were breath-taking. Having climbed enough towers in Tuscany we chose the elevator option. Part of the fun was getting to Petrin Hill by the funicular. After having soaked in the views of the city, we made a stop at the Strahov Monastery which is known for its beer brewery. This was our first (of MANY (!!)) sampling of Prague beer. In fact, the beer in Prague was so good that I managed to down my own every now and then :) Then it was a walk down to Kampa for dinner and a closer, first glimpse of the river and Charles Bridge at night. Beautiful indeed!

The Sandeman’s Free Prague Walking Tour was a good way to get our bearings of the Old Town areas and the Scottish guide was very humorous. Prague Castle though, greatly disappointed, given the beautiful castles we have seen in Scotland. The only saving grace of the castle complex, was the St Vitus Cathedral with its beautiful art nouveau stained glass windows. The highlight of the castle visit though was the subsequent walk down the steep stairs to see the Infant Jesus of Prague. 

This was the first highlight of our trip and it was overwhelming to finally see the beautifully adorned statue of Infant Jesus. The little museum within the church that has all his other beautiful robes is not to be missed. The day was rounded off with another of the highlights, witnessing La Boheme at the State Opera. Absolutely fabulous quality accompanied by an amazing ambience!

Day 3 in Prague involved an essential spot of shopping in the Havelska market followed by a day trip to Kutna Hora to visit the famous Sedlec Ossuary, more commonly known as the ‘bone church’, as it houses the bones of 40,000 people. The chandelier, columns, coat of arms, etc. within the church have all been constructed using the bones. A bit eerie I must say! A quick trip to the Convent of St. Agnes and the Jewish Quarter – where I bumped into my cousin’s daughter, Shefali (!!) – rounded off our trip to Prague.

Then it was on to the beautiful town of Cesky Krumlov, which we immediately fell in love with, as it reminded us of the small Tuscan towns we have grown to love, and Zermatt in Switzerland, but lovelier. The little ‘penzion’ where we stayed was lovely and the owner was a darling. The blueberry pancake with whipped cream that he whipped up for breakfast will have me salivating at the thought for a while :) The little cobblestone streets, quaint shops, lovely little bars with a lot of character and good food, had us wishing that we had spent more time there…

It was then on to Budapest by the night train, for the final leg of our trip. Given the ongoing migrant crisis, we were made to alight prior to Keleti station and transfer to a regional train. But apart from a slight one hour delay, we did not even feel that anything was happening.

Budapest, I have to say, was stunningly beautiful and definitely had the ‘wow’ factor. The tree-lined streets, the amazing architecture, the beautiful buildings and monuments, and the delicious food did it for us, qualifying it as one of the best cities in Europe that we have visited. The highlight for us was the bike tour of Budapest which took us on the main roads through lovely streets and sights like the Heroes’ Square, Szechenyi (thermal) baths, etc. Since we were biking, we covered more ground than on the walking tour the previous day, but would definitely recommend one does both as there is no overlap and one gets a good idea of the Buda and the Pest (pronounced ‘Peshtt’) sides from the two tours. Our guides, Ursula and Perrine were very interesting as well, which made all the difference. Following the tour, our visit to the Great Market Hall was fun, with stalls everywhere selling paprika of all kinds – which Hungary is famous for - and the eateries on the second level showcasing typical Hungarian gastronomic delights. We tried the Langos (the slightly healthier, ‘rustic’, rather than deep-fried, version though) which was good. Then it was time to soak in the Gellert thermal baths to relax after all the biking and walking we had done during the day.

Szentendre was a lovely little town near Budapest that we visited with the ride back on the boat on the Danube lovely indeed. Another highlight of the trip was the Hungarian folklore show where the dancers as well as the orchestra were amazing! I loved the Hungarian instrument, the cimbalom, which I got to hear for the first time. The Dohany synagogue on our tour of the Jewish Quarter and the Hungarian Parliament building were spectacular as well and must-dos on any Budapest itinerary.

As far as food goes, Hungarian food definitely surpassed Czech cuisine (however, Mincovna and Krcma in Prague, both near the Old Town Square, were decent options) and our best meals were at Hungarikum – a must-do if in Budapest. Unfortunately we did not get a dinner reservation, which features a live band to go with the delicious fare on offer, but we made up with two lunches there. Thanks Shefu for the recommendation! The Szimpla Bar – a ‘ruin’ bar in the Jewish Quarter – is also a must-visit. It has several themed rooms which one can choose from and there was loads of diverse alcohol on offer. An experience in itself!

Before we knew it, our trip had come to an end, leaving us wanting for more, and we vowed to return to explore other exotic destinations in Eastern Europe. Signing off now till the next travelogue …

September 2015 - Prague, Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic); Budapest (Hungary)