Seven day whistle-stop tour of Kerala
A desire to check out if the God's own country hype which attracted 2.5 million foreign tourists last year is unwarranted, prompted a short investigative tour of the better northern half of the state
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Within a continent-sized nation which despite its rich heritage of ancient cultural monuments and natural attractions draws a mere 3.5 million foreign tourists annually (cf. China 30 million), the southern littoral state of Kerala — heavily promoted as ‘God’s own country’ — is a rare success story. Last year this modestly populated (32 million) state attracted a massive inflow of 7 million tourists including 2.5 million from abroad to savour its unique combination of beaches, backwaters, game sanctuaries, ayurveda, meditation and yoga.
Though overseas, Kerala has projected itself as an exotic holiday destination offering sun, sand and ayurveda, in India the state has a dubious reputation as a bastion of communism, a thousand trade unions and cantankerous clerks who have driven out the best human resources and capital from the state, creating an industrial wasteland. The desire to check out if the God’s own country hype — ironic for a state which has been ruled by communist governments for decades — is warranted, prompted an investigative, short holiday tour of north Kerala, reportedly the better half of the state.
In the high-pressure scribe’s profession in which deadlines are omnipresent, lengthy holidays are impossible. Therefore a tightly-packed six nights-seven day tour package (entirely self-financed) which would combine sight-seeing (to get a feel of the much-hyped Kerala experience) with rest and recreation, was carefully designed in consultation with the Bangalore-based tourism and travel firm Tour Planners (estb. 2003).
December 1 (Bangalore-Cochin)
The starting point of the tour (Rs.16,000 per capita for four adults) was Cochin which can be conveniently accessed from Bangalore by train. Indian Railways’ Kanyakumari Express departing at 9.45 p.m daily from Bangalore (city and cantonment stations) offers a convenient and painless passage to Cochin arriving at 9.30 a.m. Tour Planners’ Hilna Paul recommends making train reservations at least 15 days prior to the date of departure.
Included in the price of the toughly negotiated tour package was a Toyota Qualis SUV (with English-speaking, law-abiding driver Godfrey at the wheel) provided by Indian Voyages Pvt. Ltd, a Cochin-based travel firm, which was ready and waiting at Ernakulam/ Cochin station and stayed with us night and day for the duration of the tour.
December 2 (Cochin-Allepey)
Following a tepid breakfast in Cochin at the Avenue Regent (Best Western) hotel, the seve |
| Backwaters cruising: clean and tidy backdrops |
n day tour of Kerala began with a two-hour drive to Allepey aka Allappuzha, a scenic backwater town (pop. 2.6 lakh) which is the most-preferred jump-off point for Kerala’s famous backwater cruises. Fully furbished houseboats can be hired on a day or night basis to cruise the tranquil backwaters of Alleppey. Though one could strike a bilateral deal with any of the several houseboat operators located on the main jetty, it’s best to book your houseboat beforehand through a travel agent who will bargain hard on your behalf.
Around noon we boarded a fully equipped two-bedroom houseboat of Rainbow Cruises, an Allepey-based firm which operates a fleet of ten. According to its director George Mathew, in fiscal 2003-04 Rainbow Cruises hosted 7,000 guests, including Australian cricketer Mathew Hayden and fashion designer Calvin Klein. Twenty to 25 m long, meticulously crafted from huge jackwood planks without use of nails, the houseboats or kettvalloms offer an open deck lounge, roomy bedrooms with attached baths and chemically treated toilets, fans/ air conditioning and a well-equipped kitchen. On board everything is eco-friendly starting from the solar powered energy system to coir décor and cane furniture. The courteous crew comprising the captain, chef and two skilled oarsmen are on service round the clock. It’s advisable to let the chef know your food preferences — Indian, continental or Chinese — as soon as you board. If not, stand by for heavily spiced local cuisine. All meals are served on board.
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| George Mathew |
After a typical Kerala lunch comprising fried fish served with rice, the houseboat leisurely lapped through the scenic backwaters passing unusually well maintained villages and homes set atop emerald paddy fields. Contrary to expectation, Kerala’s backwaters and embankments are clean and tidy. After traversing over 20 km we anchored in mid- water to experience a magnificent sunset. Not having given notice, dinner was spice-rich chicken curry, rotis and rice. The sunrise in Alleppey against the backdrop of canoes ferrying children to school and adults to work, is worth waking up early for.
December 3 (Alleppey-Thekkady)
The small town of Thekkady which is the base camp for visiting the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is a 164 km drive from Alleppey. Enroute you pass neat towns where councillors and officials seem to have some acquaintance with town planning, past red-tiled homes, rubber and spice plantations — all set in charming landscapes. A striking feature of Kerala — India’s most literate state — is its middle-class ambience. In a society characterised by ribbon development i.e where town and country merge into each other, the urban-rural divide characteristic of India is hardly noticeable. Indeed (as in Goa) the smaller towns and villages of Kerala are cleaner and more orderly than the cities and people look well fed, well housed and aware of their civic obligations.
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| Desperately seeking wildlife in Periyar |
The four-hour drive takes the visitor through tidy hamlets past softly contoured hill slopes covered by coffee, rubber, cardamom and pepper and immaculately carpeted tea plantations. The air becomes crisp and rejuvenating, wafting delicate aromas of this spice-growing epicentre of Kerala.
Muthoot Cardamom County is an idyllic resort built on a hill, offering air-conditioned twin bed cottages set amid spice plants and other flora. It houses a restaurant, swimming pool, and an ayurvedic centre offering traditional therapeutic Kerala massages and yoga facilities. This resort is the base point of the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, home to herds of bison, antelope, wild boar, tigers and elephants. Sprawling over 777 sq.km, and featuring an artificial lake of 25 sq.km, it is best viewed from the top deck of any of the numerous boats that offer two-hour cruises. However book your cruise ticket through your hotel because counter bookings at the state-run game reserve office are unreliable. Though given the noisy engines of cruise boats you are unlikely to spot any big game, the flora — magnificent forest with numerous tree species in autumnal red-hued bloom — is a visual feast. Serious game spotters should opt for a full-day (and silent) bamboo raft expedition on the lake. The evening was spent shopping for spices and exploring the quaint little town. Since a tight time deadline mandated only one night at Thekaddy, we were unable to experience the town’s other attractions including a three-hour walk through the jungle; a night in an observation tower or tree house or a spice garden tour offered by every spice shop in town. Perhaps another time!
December 4: Thekkady-Kumarakom
Following an early morning breakfast at Cardamom County’s somewhat claustrophobic All Spice restaurant, a four-hour downhill drive west across the narrow waist of Kerala took us to the Vembanad Lake and Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Included in the package was a day and night at the much-acclaimed Kumarakom Lake Resort. Listed in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Directory (2004), the resort lives up to its claim of being "perhaps the only paradise on earth". The lobby and 50 heritage cottages — recreations of vintage Kerala homes — are set amid carefully landscaped gardens and winding canals. Masterminded by Calicut-based architect Tony Joseph, the cottages have been transplanted from their original locations across Kerala and re-assembled with meticulous care.
Specially recommended are the 28 meandering swimming pool duplex villas with verandahs directly opening into the pool. According to Shelley Thayil, manager of the resort, the safe (4 metres deep) meandering pool measuring 2 sq. km is the largest in Asia. Moreover the resort also offers a traditional swimming pool with a jacuzzi enclosure on the banks of the Vembanad Lake.
All meals (buffet-style) are served in Ettukettu, an eight-sided multi-cuisine restaurant featuring elaborate Indian and continental cuisine. Traditional Kerala tea is served on the lawns of the lake every evening. Venture out in the evening, not for the tea, but to catch a glimpse of captivating bird formations as they wing into the bird sanctuary 16 km away. A Kathakali performance in a courtyard contiguous to the restaurant accompanies dinner.
A la carte meals are served in Sea Wind, a pricey seafood restaurant. Also on offer are somewhat over-priced ayurvedic oil massages and several rejuvenation packages.
December 5: Kumarakom-Munnar
Bidding a somewhat reluctant farewell to the exemplarily courteous staff of Kumarakom Lake Resort, headed north-east and uphill for Munnar. The three-hour drive to this hill station (5,182 ft) yields awesome vistas of green valleys, gushing streams and sweeping hillsides covered with manicured tea estates reaching into the clouds.
A former summer watering hole of British officialdom and tea planters, Munnar is surrounded by dramatic hill vistas, crystal clear streams in what was once known as the High Range of the kingdom of Travancore. To this day it remains the commercial centre of 30 massive tea plantations, the majority owned by the Tata Tea group of companies. In sharp contrast to most towns in Kerala, Munnar is noisy and somewhat grubby, but there are good quality hotels on the periphery. The hills provide ample opportunities for adventure activities such as trekking and mountain biking.
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| Manicured Munnar tea gardens |
We were booked into the olde world High Range Club, owned and maintained by the Tata Tea companies for the rest and recreation of its estate managers. Affiliated with several major clubs in India (Bangalore Club, Bombay Gymkhana etc), it welcomes members of affiliates for short stays. However please note that the club has its own pucca traditions which are inviolable. Dress restrictions apply after 7:00 p.m in the club lounge, bar and dining room. Though less than five-star, the rooms are comfortable and offer all mod cons including spectacular views of the club’s golf course and the Periyar river which flows contiguously. Meal menus are set. So if you have particular food preferences, order lunch/ dinner well in advance.
Our package didn’t include the price of accommodation at the High Range Club. Therefore travellers who don’t have the affiliate club option should negotiate hotel rates preferably through tour operators. Winter days are bright and sunny, but night temperatures can fall to a bone chilling 5ºC-7ºC . Therefore warm clothes are vital.
December 6: Excursions ex Munnar
Our itinerary for the day included the Nyamakad waterfalls, Rajamala Sanctuary and the Tata Tea sales depot.
Nyamakad. Situated 10 km from Munnar near Rajamala, Nyamakad has two scintillating waterfalls, dropping from a height of 5,440 ft. However the path to the thicketed falls is tricky and tortuous. Don’t try it in high-heeled shoes. Unfortunately the waterfall pool is littered with picnic debris.
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| Rajamala Sanctuary valley view: picture perfect |
Rajamala Sanctuary. Sixteen km from downtown Munnar, this is a haven of the endangered Niligiri Tahr (mountain goat). Only cars/ SUVs are allowed up to the final forest reserve check post. Buses and light commercial vehicles are stopped at the very first check post and tourists have a long uphill (about 4 km) trek. From the final check post you can walk up hairpin bends to the highest point (8 km). The walk is strenuous but the faint-hearted needn’t worry because even mid-way you can experience the sweeping vistas of picture-perfect tea and coffee plantations. With over 1,000 mountain goats in the sanctuary, it’s easy to spot this endangered species.
The Tata Tea Depot in Munnar town is a one-stop shopping point for tea (organic, green, etc), spices and lemon grass and rose oils. Packed in attractive wooden chests, the company’s fine teas are ideal gifts.
In the afternoon on the to-see-list was the High Range School and Madupetty dam.
High Range School is CBSE-affiliated and was set up in 1984 to provide education facilities to children of workers/ managers employed in the tea plantations of Munnar. This was a business visit, as the school’s principal Santosh Kanavalli is a subscriber and avid reader of EducationWorld.
The Mattupetty lake and dam (25 km) is a scenic picnic spot and the site of a modest hydro-electric project. The lake is bordered on either side by verdant forest and the air is rich with the aroma of exotic flora. Boating facilities are available on the lake.
December 7: Munnar-Cochin
Cochin is a three-hour drive through the neat and well-planned towns of Adimalai, Aluva and Changanacherry. Locating the less-than-optimally sign-posted Kamyakam Haven, which bills itself as Cochin’s first complete luxury backwater resort, posed some problems. But once there, its offshore visual charm is striking. Access to the resort is by way of a five-minute speedboat ride from the Chittor ferry. Inform the hotel staff of your exact time of arrival for the resort-owned speedboat to be ready and purring.
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| Kamyakam Haven: idyllic setting |
Perched on Kothad Island in the backwaters of Cochin, Kamyakam Haven offers five-star facilities — spacious air conditioned rooms, blue swimming pool, pole line fishing in an internal lagoon, pedal boats, rowing and (over-priced) ayurvedic oil massages etc in an idyllic setting. Cut off from happening Cochin nightlife, the evening was spent taking walks in the manicured garden of the resort. Watching television is out (no cable connection) and the food and service at the two-year-old resort managed by former chemical engineer Punnoose P. Abraham needs some upgradation. The great location and infrastructure needs to be supplemented with last mile hospitality know-how.
December 8 (Cochin)
The last day of the tour was reserved for sight-seeing in Cochin. Check out the 436-year-old Jewish synagogue, the oldest in the Commonwealth whose mid-18th century hand painted, willow patterned floor tiles from China, clock tower, Hebrew inscriptions, scrolls of the Old Testament, etc draw large crowds of visitors. Also take in the Chinese fishing nets cantilevered in Vasco Da Gama Square and brought to Cochin circa 1350-1450 AD by traders from the court of Kulblai Khan. Shopping on Jew street for antiques, spices and other memorabilia is a pleasant experi-ence. For lunch try the French-cuisine Casa Maria, where Induchoodan provides service with typical native charm.
Paucity of time didn’t permit a visit to Santa Cruz Basilica, a historic church built by the Portuguese, the Mattancherry (Dutch) Palace which houses portraits of old maharajas, the coronation robes of former maharajas of Kochi as well as period furniture.
In retrospect the seven-day whistle-stop tour of Kerala which reversed many preconceptions and prejudices about this much misunderstood state, was perhaps two nights too short. Though an exhilarating experience, frequent coast to hills and back dashes left a tad too little time for rest and recreation. Ideally the same itinerary spread over nine days would have been ideal. May be next time round, because India’s most literate state is worth another visit!
Summiya Yasmeen