A Vacation Inside Your Dreams

Surreal and divine, the efflorescence of the visual magnificence of the backwaters of Kerala can leave one hooked and awe-struck. So welcome aboard!

Pic:Aditi Sharma

It is not everyday that the natural wonders around us have the ability of striking a dalliance with the spectators. Kumarkom is the that place which pulls its green curtains to reveal a long, unending stretch of clear blue. The backwaters silently reach out, touching the various islands sprawled around Kumarakom, leaving the spectators completely enthralled. The backwaters are born from here. The further you look, a beautiful blue-green union will leave you spell-bound, while it's all reflected in the azure sky.

Way to the waves

A flight to the Kochi airport is the starting point to the many wonders sealed inside the state. There are many roads that lead to the wonderful backwaters. One can book a cab or hitch a bus ride to the Kumarakom, which is at a distance of approximately 80 kms. If one is already enjoying some time off in the clouds and hills of Kottyam, then a train or a bus ride of just about 2 hours could take one straight to where the waters begin. It is a given, ofcourse, that a missed trip to the backwaters of Kerala is almost criminal, if one decides to visit the state that God calls his own. So do make sure to include this absolutely unearthly experience as a part of your Kerala itinerary.

Pic: Aditi Sharma

Riding on the ripples

Around 900 kms long and wide, the backwaters of Kerala can be explored, covered and clicked through a boat ride, the entire adventure of about 5-6 hours long. This is where the Arabian Sea meets the fresh water rivers, and gives rise to a unique marine world. As the bus/car starts descending, towards the banks of the backwaters, once can see the roads on either side, dotted with gangling Palm trees. The states name, infact, originates from the two words- 'Kera' + 'Alam', where 'Kera' means coconut and 'Alam' means land or location. It is therefore, quite common to spot small, rickety and straw-thatched shops selling not only coconuts in all sizes and colours, but also all kinds of fruits. As one enters Kumarakom, serene, almost freshly-laundered environment of the place takes one by surprise. The chirping of wild birds, peeking from an unknown distance help break the mysteriously silent atmosphere of the backwaters.

A bed of clay sand and a slippery inlet leads one towards a colony of the most exquisite, some majestic and extremely beautiful houseboats. Some houseboats have an open wide front, designed for some lazy bachelors, who want to lounge around with a small TV, food and drinks (a fridge kept in the corner), and watch the calm water. Some house boats are designed to carry not only one enthusiastic family, but the capacity to hold, almost 5 families at a time, providing privacy to all, by having almost 3 floors, with rows of rooms and large balconies.

Rowing towards the horizon

Pic: Aditi Sharma

The long hours spent on the boat, looking out to the mesmerizing waters goes by in a wink.  As one glides deeper and deeper, into the heart of the backwaters, the natural wonder and the one’s fabricated by man on the various islands that surround the waters come together as one perfect, picturesque view.  The aquatic life of the backwaters is varied and rather interesting. Not only do they provide a good habitat for crabs, frogs and mudskippers, terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants,  small turtles and otters also seem to call these waters their home. The labyrinth that breeds these sea creatures make the staple diet of the commoners of Kerala, and are quoted as delicacies when served on the plates for the tourists to gorge on.

The various islands that make a semi-circular cover around the backwaters are converted into the most breath-taking and luxurious resorts. Long, comfortable benches are spread along the banks of these islands, where happy and relaxed bones find peace and tranquility, watching the non-activity ahead. The boat, which starts in the morning, is inevitably parked at some random island, to break for lunch, where the inmates use that time to not only dig-in, but also assume the thrill of an adventurer and explore the wilderness of the island, with a group of babblers and an accompanied camera.

Pic: Aditi Sharma

The vacation, which is full of the greatest sights, food and travel, is no less than a fantastic dream. Visit Kerala, and reality might just happen to suddenly lack luster. Unbelievable? Believe it.

Living inside a perfect picture

Kerala, a state that is surreal and still a tangible reality has the most incredible sights and locations, tucked away inside its magical green wings. Welcome to Kottayam.......

 

The dense green world welcomes all
pic: Aditi Sharma

Now is the time to fall in love, helplessly. A vacation to the south of India ensures more than just a magnificent visual treat and a skipping of a heartbeat. The state of Kerala, with its breath-taking views and its serene environs, joins its hands together, to welcome one and all, in its region covered with a green carpet, a strong aroma of coconut, with platters of appam and puttu and a shy “namaskaram”.

A corridoor of green
Pic: Aditi Sharma

On the way from Kochi to Kottayam
Pic: Aditi Sharma

All along the winding roads

The world that starts descending towards a land that almost looks cononised by wilderness and a dense forest of evergreens, gives one a feeling of almost invading into a place which looks calm and untouched. As one reaches the airport, the simplicity of the civilization of Kerala becomes more pronounced. A small arrival hall, with scattered outsiders and a few locals witnesses lazily the countless tourists who come to feast upon the beauty of their land.

To reach Kottayam, one can hire a bus or a cab and enjoy a 2.5 to 3 hour ride uphill (around 76 kms) to be a part of the wondrous western ghats experience. One could also get there by rail. As the car purrs along narrow roads, one can almost feel the unadulterated air rushing through one’s lungs. Grey clouds march towards their calling, reaching out to the somber mountains, giving one company all through the way...it's such a refreshing sight. The tall slanting trees grin at the passer-bys, wearing blue plastics around their trunks, their drool constantly producing expensive rubber.

Up on cloud no 9

Motoring along the zig-zag roads
Pic: Aditi Sharma

Sitting on the lap of the mountains, the town of Kottayam seems lost among the white-grey cotton clouds, almost touching the endless sky, living with a happy disconnect with the world. One would to surprised to know, however, that Kottyam is the commercial centre for the state of Kerala. The city produces rubber to be exported to various states and other countries. While at Kottayam, one must visit the open market for buying the most unique and exquisite chips (banana, lady finger, butter gourd) and spices. The entire market area is walkable, although one can hire an auto or even tour the minimal length and breadth of the city by bus.

In the middle of the busy market place
Pic: Aditi Sharma

Let’s make a day

The district of Kottayam, which has majority of both, Christian and Muslim inhabitants, therefore, has churches and mosques, with the most breath-taking architecture.

Valiyapally, one of the biggest churches in Kottayam, sitting at the heart of the city, has an architecture that has a striking touch of the Persian rule. Thazhathangadi Mosque is about 1000 years old and is the important mosque, attracting the maximum pilgrims here.

The Hindu populace though limited and tight-knit has its own Shiva temple that attracts all the wandering eyeballs that visit the city. Thirunakkara Mahadeva Shiva temple, is the home to the most exquisite murals, with the decorations of various Hindi Gods around the place of worship.  

Almost like a center point to various other tourist places, Kottayam is the ideal take off point to Peermade, Munnar, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Ernakulam and Madurai. Just by hiring a cab, hopping onto a bus or taking the train, within a radius of a few kilometers, it is possible to make an eventful and exciting vacation, starting from Kottayam.

Pic: Aditi Sharma

A small and highly memorable town calls out to the restless souls to visit its land and take back home, a happy heart and a bag full of memories.

The weekend with 'blues'



Pic: Ria Bhatnagar



A Welcome Wave

Dig your toes deep, deep into holiday spirit. The two days of the weekend arrive only after a week long of torture. Getting away from the maddening city life is therefore essential sans the mental baggage of what was to come and what must be ahead. Lighten your cranium of every trace of information that spells 'work' and get ready with just a pair of shorts and a long breezy hat to enjoy in the sands of Manori beach.

Tracks to Tuu-tuu'ing on waves

The stifling atmosphere of the city is some 40 kms away from the little island of Manori. Chug through the railway tracked Mumbai interiors till the Malad station. Hop on an auto till the beach and climb onto the ferry for a fun 15 minute ride. Sitting peacefully and attracting adventure are small islands all around the sea. The Manori beach lays sprawled on the restless waters, ready to take on more tourists than its land can possibly contain. You will mostly have chattering and loud fishermen for company as you de-board the ferry and move towards the auto stand to venture into the island. 

Around the sands, along the water

The long and winding road of the small island of Manori has a series of cottages and hotels, springing up like a colony of mushrooms, infested with both humans and small creepy-crawlies. With your small baggage of bare essentials (which should definitely include sun block, sun glasses and a good camera), all you need to worry about is to find a decent place to spend the night. At the crack of the dawn, the island populace comes to life, buzzing and marching towards the endless shore of the beach.

The island has no concept of vehicles, both for the better and for the worse. The lack of petro-powered machines signals the obvious need to be on one's toes, literally. The entire length and breath of the island, in fact, can be happily and easily scaled just on foot, preferably with click-happy company and great conversations. A bed of rocks are almost, aesthetically designed for the left half of the beach, where some thinkers, self-proclaimed philosophers spend time watching the vast expanse of blue-green. For the one's who fancy being a part of the sea adventures feel no inhibitions in running into the sea and riding on the unpredictably menacing and over-hyper crescendos.

Food stalls and chuski walas station themselves in the middle of all the activity, drowning the ice-cones into the shocking red, green, orange and blue concoctions. It takes more than self-discipline and self-control to not walk towards once such stall and buy yourself one of those pretty ice-lollies. They're an absolute pleasure to the taste-buds and disasterous inside the winding interiors of the digestion system.

Pic: Ria Bhatnagar

While deciding on going back to where civilization exists, a short-cut from the beach and a considerable walk will lead you to the main road. If you are lucky, you might be able to spot a horse-cart. Of course, not all horse-cart owners are willing to take surly, over-walked and soaking tramps. However, with a little persuasion and at an overpriced non-bargainable rate, they may finally give in and drop you till the jetty.

A small world that lives secretly on the giant sea is more than welcoming and happy to be visited. Shade your eyes against the sun, look around you, a perfect, exciting and also peaceful weekend might just be hidden behind the last wave.

Pic: Ria Bhatnagar

Over the Hills and Far Away

Matheran

Pic:Ria Bhatnagar

A small hill station with the best tourist spots and trekking mountain ranges makes Matheran a perfect weekend getaway from the maddening city life

When the happy, almost hypnotic winds sneakily gain access through the window slits and fill your world with wondrous prospects of the outdoors and with promises of unending fun, it is time to pack your bags and get ready to travel!

Matheran and the Wonders of Wilderness

“A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”  It is said that the best trips are always unplanned. Matheran, approx. 100 kms. from Mumbai, presents itself as a great place for the adventerous few.

Boarding the train from the CST station (Mumbai) to the Neral junction, in about an two hours, you will find yourself at the foot hill of Matheran. A Toy trains chugs all the way up to the hills and back since the climb  to the hills is of about 20 kms. For the adventurous spirits, there is another option. Half way up the hills by a rented cab and the other half on foot can be just the tiny opening to a great start to the stay in the exciting hills.  

The first pleasant surprise that one gets almost overwhelmed with is the pollution-free environment. The air seems almost freshly laundered and the sound of nature through the thick trees and rocks is almost surreal. Matheran is an eco-sensitive region declared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest. It is one of the few places that has restriction on vehicles, a practice which helps maintain a healthy and clean environment.
  As one walks through the eerily mysterious but fascinating winding roads, the wilderness of the place becomes more pronounced. It is not unique to find sign posts that read “Suicide is punishable by law”, depicting the serenity of the place obviously being abused by some.

A little warning and advice for travellers looking for lodgings
 It is always wise to personally verify the lodgings or get bookings done online, at a standard, slightly more expensive place than opting for a hotel at the Neral station. Apart from the monkeys that practically rule the hills, frogs too seem to assume themselves as an indispensable part of the welcome party. Finding them stuck to room doors, bathroom fittings and lurking under beds is a common sight. A lot of people find themselves being fleeced by the booking agents who book rooms at the station by merely showing them pictures of the hotels, before they reach the hills. The hotels that one finally checks in are invariably far from being even habitable.

The world around is a painted picture
A walk of around 2 KM from the Post Office takes one straight up to the place famously called the Echo Point. This place gives a complete view of the hill station, with mountain ranges surrounding you from all sides. It sort of gives one a feeling of being in a tiny corner of a majestic soup bowl. As the name suggests, it’s almost like tradition to free your vocal chords and hear your thunderous echo back. Various tourist points too, can be seen from here, like waterfalls and the Lousia Point/ Lion’s head, which incidentally also resembles a phallic symbol from a distance!

A considerable walk ahead of the Echo Point and a sharp turn reveals the surprisingly beautiful and natural Charlotte Lake, which also supplies water to Matheran. Since the water is used for the purpose of consumption, boating, swimming, etc., is prohibited here. The banks created on the side of the lake allows one the opportunity to relax and watch the cool breeze brushe through the water, creating small ripples around. Small tea stalls that stock up biscuits, chips and sweets are seen in the corners with the happy clouds of swirling smoke rising from their tea pots. 

The Charlotte Lake gives way to trekking for the restless few. What one finds most exciting is the complete lack of designated trekking spots and assigned sign posts pointing one in the correct direction. One is completely direction-less, in fact, and that invokes the feeling of adventure. As you climb up and find empty stretches of nothingness or a sudden shock of green with a wild variety of bright flowers, one really never knows what the next turn promises. With little surprises packed away in these untamed hills, you want to continue your journey, to reach to the very top.

The market area downhill is just the destination for everything you’re looking for. Be it restaurants, fruit or vegetable stalls, video game arcade, curio shops, etc., all cramped in not more than a stretch of 1 Km. It also has a horse stable for those who do not fancy walking all the way down the hills to where civilization exists.

Matheran is almost unreal, with curiously toy shaped huts sprawled across the far off hills, an unnaturally quiet atmosphere, and a constant flow of pure, unadulterated oxygen running through your rejuvenated self. The lack of commercialization, technology and even traces of humans just makes it the perfect place for a well-deserved, weekend getaway. With just a small bag of essentials, a little money and lots of adventure all packed away in your backpack, all you need to do is put on your travelling shoes and hit the road. As they always say, the World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.