Day1 Mumbai to Kochi- Kochi- Munnar - Check-in at Club Mahindra
I took a 6am flight from Mumbai and reached Munnar by 3pm in the afternoon. You know you are reaching Munnar when you start seeing mountains that look like a maze of hedges which are bright green like the colour from a new box of camel crayons, the air is so fresh and the sky so blue that all tiredness just vanish away. Club Mahindra's property is a bit far from town so even before you reach the resort you have seen some enchanting views and gushing water-falls. Our room is a wooden cottage that has a sloping roof and a separate living area, it is woody, warm and cosy. We spent the evening exploring the property and passively participated in the evening activities of games and shows at the resort.
Day2 Munnar Sightseeing
The Tea- Plantations- Munnar is synonym with tea plantations, the tea plant is a small plant with a woody stem and the bushes growing in a disciplined row. There are walkways between two rows for women to pluck leaves and men to spray fertilisers and insecticides. We stopped the car near one such mountain top and climbed down to explore the plantation. The kids went totally insane, running and finding their way through the green maze.
Kundala Lake- Sitting in the lap of the hills is this beautiful lake where you can do a lazy boat ride.( Yes you are given life- vests though not in the best condition)There is a small ticket counter near the lake which was close when we reached there around 12pm. We had to wait for some time for the ticket and the ride. Like most tourist spots in India, this one also had a handful of shops selling food, clothing and toys. There were horses available for a ride and a picinic spot with few benches and trees scattered all round.
Blossom Park- We then went to Blossom Park, merrily swinging from tree to tree were not monkeys but my kids, no kidding but that is what they did that evening at the park rolling, climbing, skipping and while we tried our best to keep the acrobats in control we enjoyed long walks and the varied aromatic, colorful and pleasing flowers swaying in its unquestionable pride. As the park is close to a forest reserve we also spotted a patriarch elephant and his family that seemed to be cuddling...I know, I know you cant imagine big daddy cuddling the little one and not hurting them.
Though my family can break any record in number of sighting in a day but I guess the kids( not the dad) called it a day and we returned to the resort and had dinner in the restaurant overlooking the sprawling mountains and providing fabulous view of Munnar.
Kundala Lake- Sitting in the lap of the hills is this beautiful lake where you can do a lazy boat ride.( Yes you are given life- vests though not in the best condition)There is a small ticket counter near the lake which was close when we reached there around 12pm. We had to wait for some time for the ticket and the ride. Like most tourist spots in India, this one also had a handful of shops selling food, clothing and toys. There were horses available for a ride and a picinic spot with few benches and trees scattered all round.
Blossom Park- We then went to Blossom Park, merrily swinging from tree to tree were not monkeys but my kids, no kidding but that is what they did that evening at the park rolling, climbing, skipping and while we tried our best to keep the acrobats in control we enjoyed long walks and the varied aromatic, colorful and pleasing flowers swaying in its unquestionable pride. As the park is close to a forest reserve we also spotted a patriarch elephant and his family that seemed to be cuddling...I know, I know you cant imagine big daddy cuddling the little one and not hurting them.
Though my family can break any record in number of sighting in a day but I guess the kids( not the dad) called it a day and we returned to the resort and had dinner in the restaurant overlooking the sprawling mountains and providing fabulous view of Munnar.
Day- 3 - Munnar - Visit to Kollukumalai Tea Estate and Factory
This trip within a trip needed a bit of extra planning as we needed to hire a heavy- duty jeep that could battle gravity to endure steep climb (narrow road with lots of loose stones) to reach the highest orthodox tea factory of the world. We left after breakfast not later than 10.00 am all charged up, we passed through some spectacular sites, could not resist the temptation to get down and leave a touch behind- result-a gravel escape from leech attack and memories. The adventure seekers land at the tea estate where the most hospitable staff take us around the property, showed us the factory, it was interesting to see how green leaves turn into black granules. After all that hard work it was rejuvenating time at The- Tasting Room and last but not the least opportunity to buy some of the fresh produce.
Attukal Water Fall- On the way back to the resort we stopped at the waterfall to enjoy its beauty took some photos.
Munnar Market Place- like any place in Kerala, shops in Munnar were full of spices, dry fruits and other natural products. The market also had a few cloths and food shops here and there but nothing really outstanding about it. We did not buy anything as Thekkady( next stop) was highly recommended for shopping.
Ayurvedic Massage Centre- Near the market, was this centre, a humble home converted into the massage centre. The kids sat in the living room watching TV while my husband and I went to separate rooms for Abhyangam.
Sarvana Bhavan- What better place than Sarvana Bhavan to bring down the gastronomic storm! They are quick, you find a place to sit no private tables, food (Idli, dosa, vada) are served on banana leaf. The servers carry food in containers with handles and serve all from them. While we are busy licking fingers, the kid goes its a poor restaurant!
Attukal Water Fall- On the way back to the resort we stopped at the waterfall to enjoy its beauty took some photos.
Munnar Market Place- like any place in Kerala, shops in Munnar were full of spices, dry fruits and other natural products. The market also had a few cloths and food shops here and there but nothing really outstanding about it. We did not buy anything as Thekkady( next stop) was highly recommended for shopping.
Ayurvedic Massage Centre- Near the market, was this centre, a humble home converted into the massage centre. The kids sat in the living room watching TV while my husband and I went to separate rooms for Abhyangam.
Sarvana Bhavan- What better place than Sarvana Bhavan to bring down the gastronomic storm! They are quick, you find a place to sit no private tables, food (Idli, dosa, vada) are served on banana leaf. The servers carry food in containers with handles and serve all from them. While we are busy licking fingers, the kid goes its a poor restaurant!
Day-4 Munnar to Thekkady
Periyar Tiger Reserve- We left Munnar early in the morning (7.00am) so that we could reach the Periyar Tiger Reserve to catch a boat for 11.15 am trip. The tickets for any boat ride are available at the ticketing booth 90 minutes prior to the departing time. We reached around 10 am and stood in the long tiresome queue, not sure if we were getting seats in the 11.15 am boat. Luckily we were the last ones to get seats. The Periyar Lake was scenic but highly disappointing as we did not spot any wild animal not even elephants and the boat was full of noisy people who were making loud conversations, if I were to plot the sound waves it would form a spider's web. After succumbing to our fete of disappointment we were glad to hit the banks .
Club Mahindra Thekkady - The Mahindra resort in Thekkady was very different from the one in Munnar, it was vey jungle like with overgrown trees narrow lanes and cottages that looked like tree houses a few small water bodies, this kind of ambience would appeal some and I belong to that ' some'
The spice Plantation - After lunch we let the kids rest in the room for some time and we stepped to visit the spice plantation, it is privately owned and a guide took us around showing us various species of herbs, shrubs, creepers, climbers and trees. The plantation is a miniature of a tropical forest minus the fauna. Green peppercorns, cardamom and coffee were the highlights of the plantation. The shop in the premises was considerably large selling mammoth products like spices, tea, coffee, oil, soaps, cosmetics and tonic to name just a few.
Kathakali Performance- The great classical dance drama was at its best glory at the Mudra Cultural Centre. The stage dazzled with lights to worship and render dignity to its lead dancer who did an act from the popular epic Mahabharat. We saw the 6pm show and highly recommend it for the whole family.
Kalaripayattu Show- This ancient form of Martial Art is performed in the centre of a rectangular theatre on mud ( they leap up to the sky as foot balls) The practitioners of this skill show infinite control of mind and body while they execute their acts with treacherous weapons with utmost agility and yet humbleness that exhibits years of disciplined practise. The boys loved it and copied their moves from their cosy seats using their little hands.
P.S- While we spend a little less than couple of hours at the Spice plantation my driver bought tickets for the two show for us.
Club Mahindra Thekkady - The Mahindra resort in Thekkady was very different from the one in Munnar, it was vey jungle like with overgrown trees narrow lanes and cottages that looked like tree houses a few small water bodies, this kind of ambience would appeal some and I belong to that ' some'
The spice Plantation - After lunch we let the kids rest in the room for some time and we stepped to visit the spice plantation, it is privately owned and a guide took us around showing us various species of herbs, shrubs, creepers, climbers and trees. The plantation is a miniature of a tropical forest minus the fauna. Green peppercorns, cardamom and coffee were the highlights of the plantation. The shop in the premises was considerably large selling mammoth products like spices, tea, coffee, oil, soaps, cosmetics and tonic to name just a few.
Kathakali Performance- The great classical dance drama was at its best glory at the Mudra Cultural Centre. The stage dazzled with lights to worship and render dignity to its lead dancer who did an act from the popular epic Mahabharat. We saw the 6pm show and highly recommend it for the whole family.
Kalaripayattu Show- This ancient form of Martial Art is performed in the centre of a rectangular theatre on mud ( they leap up to the sky as foot balls) The practitioners of this skill show infinite control of mind and body while they execute their acts with treacherous weapons with utmost agility and yet humbleness that exhibits years of disciplined practise. The boys loved it and copied their moves from their cosy seats using their little hands.
P.S- While we spend a little less than couple of hours at the Spice plantation my driver bought tickets for the two show for us.
Day 5- Thekkady to Ashthmudi via Vembanand Lake
Lake Vembanand- We left Thekkady at 8.00 am and reached lake Vembanand at 12.30 noon. A distance of 165km was covered with considerable amount of traffic, considering the fact that Kerala is very densely populated. It is the largest backwater of Kerala and one of the most populated tourist destination. Thus, there were all sorts of boats( differing in size and luxury) to choose from. We opted for a small thin shikara boat so that we could ride into the innumerable small canals that were thriving villages in the water. We rode for a little more than 3 hours but it felt like just a few minutes as its beauty, serenity and calmness was enchanting!
Asthamudi- We were not a bit tired as we boarded the car to go South towards Asthamudi the second largest backwater in Kerala's Kollam district. The images of floating cottages were already floating in my mind and I could feel traffic rage( which flows in every Mumbaikar's veins) as I longed to reach it before sunset. Alas, it was pitch dark when we reached the resort, around 7.30pm. The floating Cottage was perfect it was anchored to the bank with a large balcony jutting into the wide still waters of the river that spread in congruency with the vision.
Asthamudi- We were not a bit tired as we boarded the car to go South towards Asthamudi the second largest backwater in Kerala's Kollam district. The images of floating cottages were already floating in my mind and I could feel traffic rage( which flows in every Mumbaikar's veins) as I longed to reach it before sunset. Alas, it was pitch dark when we reached the resort, around 7.30pm. The floating Cottage was perfect it was anchored to the bank with a large balcony jutting into the wide still waters of the river that spread in congruency with the vision.
Day 6 and Day 7- CLub Mahindra Ashthamudi
These two days were the best days of the trip as there were no schedules to follow and no plans to execute. I remember wishing that time would not advance so fast and the state of self-ruling and self-directing would be forever. The surroundings could not have been more exemplary in this small resort where the kids stayed busy at the activity centre, they also found boys of their age to play cricket. A Club Mahindra Resort is fairly well equipped with indoor and outdoor sports equipment to keep the young at heart engaged. The view from my cottage's balcony was picture perfect, there was one house boat parked at one side ( at perfect distance to be not obstructing) and it was enchanting to see fishermen sail just before dawn and at dusk to capture the life floating in the neighbourhood. We did a speed boat ride one evening from the resort and felt the adrenaline rush.
Day 8- Trivandrum, Kovalam
We left the resort around 9 in the morning and reached Trivandrum at around 11.30 am, covering a distance of approximately 75km. We plucked Trivandrum Zoo as our choice that afternoon and spent 3 hours plus that afternoon. It is still a better zoo than most in India but yet far away from International Standards.
Kovalam- After the zoo we took off for the Kovalam Beach, nerves pulsating with excitement as its known to be the finest beach in India. Our hotel (German Café) was in the strip ( hotels, restaurants and shops) of the Lighthouse beach and the cars had to be parked at some distance away; so we were quite drooped by the time we got into the room. Well the room was not any where close to the wooden sloping ceiling cottages we have been pampered with at the previous resorts. White walls, hostel beds, no TV and mosaic flooring should be able to create an image. We walked out of the room into the beach and there were restaurants that displayed exotic sea-produce in buckets of water, the kids relished viewing mini-aquariums while we decided to go and eat at the German Café and really recommend the Veg Sandwiches and Lemon Yogurt Cake. Late evening was spend in shopping as you will find the best of India ( handicraft, clothes, bags etc.) all in those stalls. The bed was close to the window and the sea closed to the window thus I was restless al night don't know if it was the bed or the sound of the waves or both.
Kovalam- After the zoo we took off for the Kovalam Beach, nerves pulsating with excitement as its known to be the finest beach in India. Our hotel (German Café) was in the strip ( hotels, restaurants and shops) of the Lighthouse beach and the cars had to be parked at some distance away; so we were quite drooped by the time we got into the room. Well the room was not any where close to the wooden sloping ceiling cottages we have been pampered with at the previous resorts. White walls, hostel beds, no TV and mosaic flooring should be able to create an image. We walked out of the room into the beach and there were restaurants that displayed exotic sea-produce in buckets of water, the kids relished viewing mini-aquariums while we decided to go and eat at the German Café and really recommend the Veg Sandwiches and Lemon Yogurt Cake. Late evening was spend in shopping as you will find the best of India ( handicraft, clothes, bags etc.) all in those stalls. The bed was close to the window and the sea closed to the window thus I was restless al night don't know if it was the bed or the sound of the waves or both.
Day-9 Kovalam
We were too happy to be outdoors, you know why! First was to go into the water and let the kids play there, we went upto the lighthouse to see the view of the sea graduating into The Indian Ocean. Walking past The Hawa Beach and Samudara Beach we went to Hotel Leela Palace, it was a beautiful property and we had lunch there. Later it was time to pack up and leave for Trivandrum Airport to head back home! ( approximately 25 km took around an hour)
Kovalam Sea is blue and the beach is soft and fine but the Lighthouse beach was too crowded and either we were too tired or home sick but my favourite Places are Munnar and Ashthamudi in kerala.
Kovalam Sea is blue and the beach is soft and fine but the Lighthouse beach was too crowded and either we were too tired or home sick but my favourite Places are Munnar and Ashthamudi in kerala.