The post below is being reproduced from another blog. It is about a 1 week trip I undertook to Kerala. 3-4 days with a friend (female) and the rest with my Uncle-Aunt and cousin in 2007. My cousin was graduating from the Aleppy medical college and his parents were going to be there as well as my mum and other relatives. So I planned my trip to coincide with theirs, but ultimately, I was the only one from the extended family who attended his convocation ceremony!! It was interesting to see how colleges affiliated to one of the top medical exams in the country, still looked like a picture from the 60s. Or 50s. Time seems to stand still in some places. Anyway, I digress!
So, the 7 day trip was so much chaotically embossed in my mind but I wanted to capture it all without falling in the trap of procrastination. And that should explain the post below!
When: Dec 2007 (13th to 21st)
Where: Kerala (Cochin, Munnar, Thekaddy, Aleppy, Trivandrum/Kovalam (just a short stopover), Kanyakumari
With: Samiksha, Neeta Mausi, Mausaji and Neetu
13th Dec,Thursday
Left for Cochin in afti..Mumbai airport, new terminal, crossword, forgot to ask for a window seat. excited chattering during the flight, good looking airhostesses, bored old man on the left side (window seat facing the east), cochin arrival, ride back from airport, reminded of the recent trip to Calcutta.
Babycorn sabji and some kadhi like thing (forgot the name) and other stuff for dinner. Chatted a bit and slept later. Also took Ghati food stuff (chakils and chikkis) for aunty.
14th Dec, Friday
Kochi sightseeing, synagogue (closed on friday), Basilica Church (closed for lunch), st francis church, shops and perfumes, snake boat and spices, pepper exchange, lovely weather, dutch palace (closed) and parapet at kochi fort, ships, gobhi and squids, chinese fishing nets and the woman driving an auto uttering "bye sweetie" on the mobile, ferry ride, being called kids by the mallu natives (according to the local friend), speed boat ride, cochin shipyard, mint flavoured lemon drink and frothless coffee and cold tea on the floating restaurant. Fabindia, internet cafe, leaving the mobile in a shop, etc. Just Coffee, Dinner, Packing, Sleep.
15th Dec, Saturday
Left for Munnar at 6:30. Trees with bags, Horror movie poster, Breakfast on the way, Radio, Old hindi, CD, Himesh, Skip, Estin, Photo at the waterfall, mischievous laughter during the photos, counting the HCs, cake and nariyal pani, cane baskets, cake houses, misha holiday home, chocs, lunch, dams and lakes, top point, fog, tea gardens, polieceman who knew hindi, 2 cups of tea and his stories, back to hotel, sleep, phone to anu, spilling of the heartfelt views on munnar, matchmaking, church, carols, shopping, suryasoma-egg curry and chappathi, more matchmaking, thekkady plan, "forgot the key inside story, smiling ushers/receptionist with his "heh heh", walk through the small hill, and ever the courteous Estin.
16th Dec, Sunday
Breakfast, left for thekkady at about 8. Tree houses, Dam, Beautiful vistas, smoking mountains, vast forest expanses, tea gardens, spice farms, beauty all around, sighhs and ooohs and aahs, wild buffalo and elephant statues, periyar lake in thekkady, nests on the trees in the middle, spotting of deer and sambars (??), kingfisher (???) on the wire- both while going and coming back. Lunch, monkeys, Samiksha, Pineapple, return to cochin, scenary, sunset (not viisble though), rubber plantations, Frooti at a hotel, Dinner, Peeping at others' plates, dosa-nayi roast/nay sada/whatever. Arrival in Cochin: 9:30 PM. Exhausted.
17th Dec, Monday
Hot day. Left for alleppy about 7:30 AM. NH 47. Uneventful ride. Hotel Raiben. Daku Mangal Singh received us. No breakfast, Backwaters in the boat, hot day though. Coconut water, Eagle, paddy fields, Women rowing a boat with the man standing, ducks, houseboats, sandwiches at the resort, returned back, lunch, to alleppy Med college, The temple (idols' small temple closed..again..), the small girl, photograph, to medical college, parting of ways. Convocation, Mallu speeches, sweaty hall, sweet lemon drink, weird hair cut of a girl, no spoons at the dinner, came back, slept.
18th Dec, Tuesday
Woke up early, Went to the beach, man with the dragon tee at the railway phatak, beach, crabs, camera went out. Left for kanyakumari, sumo, NH 47, Kollam and many other places on the way, a temple, woman playing a shehnai like instrument, beautiful weather, gold shops, backwaters in other towns etc, roundish snack of kerala, trivandrum, beautiful government buildings, reminding of Fort area in Bby, sharma bhojnalyaya, sunset missing in kanyakumari-late+cloudy, view tower, walking around the market. Dinner, shopping, sleep.
19th Dec, Wednesday
Rains at night. No sunrise. Breakfast of alloo parathas, visit to Vivekanand smarak, Thiruvallur statue, ferry, shaded water expanse, meditation hall, wind mills in the distance, lighthouse tower, shell divers, shopping, baskets, shells, knick knacks, etc. Left for kovalam, beautiful beach, but commercialised, crowded, foreigners, bluish water, sunset through clouds, return back, dinner, back to alleppy, late night talks with mausi.
20th Dec, Thursday
Speeches, sounds from masjid, tv, beach, bike, to cochin, ! sharjah, merry christmas, uncle, talks, phone call, sleep..
21st Dec, Friday
Got ready, packed, breakfast, to airport, shopping at airport, family from uganda, good lookin stewards, coastline, backwaters, rivers, greenery, water gradient, shadows of clouds on water, landforms, mountains, lakes, plateaus, mumbai airport, noise, crowds, long line in the restroom, auto, back....powai lake, coconut trees, back home.
22nd Dec, Saturday
Petrol ran out. Refuelling in progress...
Left for Cochin in afti..Mumbai airport, new terminal, crossword, forgot to ask for a window seat. excited chattering during the flight, good looking airhostesses, bored old man on the left side (window seat facing the east), cochin arrival, ride back from airport, reminded of the recent trip to Calcutta.
Babycorn sabji and some kadhi like thing (forgot the name) and other stuff for dinner. Chatted a bit and slept later. Also took Ghati food stuff (chakils and chikkis) for aunty.
14th Dec, Friday
Kochi sightseeing, synagogue (closed on friday), Basilica Church (closed for lunch), st francis church, shops and perfumes, snake boat and spices, pepper exchange, lovely weather, dutch palace (closed) and parapet at kochi fort, ships, gobhi and squids, chinese fishing nets and the woman driving an auto uttering "bye sweetie" on the mobile, ferry ride, being called kids by the mallu natives (according to the local friend), speed boat ride, cochin shipyard, mint flavoured lemon drink and frothless coffee and cold tea on the floating restaurant. Fabindia, internet cafe, leaving the mobile in a shop, etc. Just Coffee, Dinner, Packing, Sleep.
15th Dec, Saturday
Left for Munnar at 6:30. Trees with bags, Horror movie poster, Breakfast on the way, Radio, Old hindi, CD, Himesh, Skip, Estin, Photo at the waterfall, mischievous laughter during the photos, counting the HCs, cake and nariyal pani, cane baskets, cake houses, misha holiday home, chocs, lunch, dams and lakes, top point, fog, tea gardens, polieceman who knew hindi, 2 cups of tea and his stories, back to hotel, sleep, phone to anu, spilling of the heartfelt views on munnar, matchmaking, church, carols, shopping, suryasoma-egg curry and chappathi, more matchmaking, thekkady plan, "forgot the key inside story, smiling ushers/receptionist with his "heh heh", walk through the small hill, and ever the courteous Estin.
16th Dec, Sunday
Breakfast, left for thekkady at about 8. Tree houses, Dam, Beautiful vistas, smoking mountains, vast forest expanses, tea gardens, spice farms, beauty all around, sighhs and ooohs and aahs, wild buffalo and elephant statues, periyar lake in thekkady, nests on the trees in the middle, spotting of deer and sambars (??), kingfisher (???) on the wire- both while going and coming back. Lunch, monkeys, Samiksha, Pineapple, return to cochin, scenary, sunset (not viisble though), rubber plantations, Frooti at a hotel, Dinner, Peeping at others' plates, dosa-nayi roast/nay sada/whatever. Arrival in Cochin: 9:30 PM. Exhausted.
17th Dec, Monday
Hot day. Left for alleppy about 7:30 AM. NH 47. Uneventful ride. Hotel Raiben. Daku Mangal Singh received us. No breakfast, Backwaters in the boat, hot day though. Coconut water, Eagle, paddy fields, Women rowing a boat with the man standing, ducks, houseboats, sandwiches at the resort, returned back, lunch, to alleppy Med college, The temple (idols' small temple closed..again..), the small girl, photograph, to medical college, parting of ways. Convocation, Mallu speeches, sweaty hall, sweet lemon drink, weird hair cut of a girl, no spoons at the dinner, came back, slept.
18th Dec, Tuesday
Woke up early, Went to the beach, man with the dragon tee at the railway phatak, beach, crabs, camera went out. Left for kanyakumari, sumo, NH 47, Kollam and many other places on the way, a temple, woman playing a shehnai like instrument, beautiful weather, gold shops, backwaters in other towns etc, roundish snack of kerala, trivandrum, beautiful government buildings, reminding of Fort area in Bby, sharma bhojnalyaya, sunset missing in kanyakumari-late+cloudy, view tower, walking around the market. Dinner, shopping, sleep.
19th Dec, Wednesday
Rains at night. No sunrise. Breakfast of alloo parathas, visit to Vivekanand smarak, Thiruvallur statue, ferry, shaded water expanse, meditation hall, wind mills in the distance, lighthouse tower, shell divers, shopping, baskets, shells, knick knacks, etc. Left for kovalam, beautiful beach, but commercialised, crowded, foreigners, bluish water, sunset through clouds, return back, dinner, back to alleppy, late night talks with mausi.
20th Dec, Thursday
Speeches, sounds from masjid, tv, beach, bike, to cochin, ! sharjah, merry christmas, uncle, talks, phone call, sleep..
21st Dec, Friday
Got ready, packed, breakfast, to airport, shopping at airport, family from uganda, good lookin stewards, coastline, backwaters, rivers, greenery, water gradient, shadows of clouds on water, landforms, mountains, lakes, plateaus, mumbai airport, noise, crowds, long line in the restroom, auto, back....powai lake, coconut trees, back home.
22nd Dec, Saturday
Petrol ran out. Refuelling in progress...
