Kochi / Cochin

Few centuries ago, Vasco Da Gama arrived in Kerala to avoid the monopoly of Venice on trade routes to India via land. My purpose of visit was rather to break the monotony of life. Its been a while I have went on a long vacation with my family.

My parents flew in from Kolkata to Bengaluru (their Cape of Good Hope?) since their were no direct flights. I was fashionably late to reach the airport. They were waiting there furious about the tardiness as I entered the boarding gate just in the nick of time.

Just an hour later, our flight dived right into the clouds past Western ghats. The road to our hotel was long yet smooth as we skirted traffic taking the highways.

The same day we went on an evening stroll and was surprised to see empty or closed shops that too on a weekend. Marine drive felt like a quieter, less crowded equivalent of Kolkata's Hooghly riverfront. We saw few vessels pass by hosting some private functions. Towards the horizon, there was a ship dockyard. No wonder the city remains an important port as it has been since times immemorial.

The next day we went to Fort Kochi. This part of the city is quite different from the modern and edgy city we know of today. The sea front is dotted with fishing nets which were probably adopted from the Chinese traders from distant past. This place also features colonial buildings like the St. Francis Church (where VDG was buried), Matancherry Palace (a gift by Portuguese to the Kingdom of Cochin), Dutch cemetery among others.

Munnar

After having a lunch meal of rice, dal, a mixed vegetable curry and a portion of seafood, we embarked on the long journey to Munnar. The name Munnar is a combination of the words Munnu and Aaru in the Malyali language meaning "three rivers". The tortuous 130 kilometres route made for a tough ride. Mild breeze through the window brought relief from the tropical Kochi weather.

Our hotel was situated at a quaint cul de sac. The rooftop had a sprawling view of the town but the chilly gusts of winds neccessiated to put on whatever warm clothes we were carrying. In the evening, we sauntered through the town to procure our first batch of local produce such as spices, tea and coconut oil.

Next day, we went deep into the green territory. On our way to Madupetty tea factory, we took a short detour to take a look at the state run horticulture centre. It turned out really well as we got to not only stretch our legs, but also got a curated experience of knowing the local flora. The entire region has multiple tea estates. Mattupatti dam has created a huge artificial lake. On one shore of that lake there's this echo point where monkeys and humans let there screams out to resonance.

Thekkady

Next morning we went to one of the spice gardens on our way to Thekkady. The place was lush with groves of various Ayurvedic plants and spices. Being a city-dweller all my life, I had a hard time learning all the names of the exhibited flora. We stocked up spices for the whole year from the adjacent shop. We got rave reviews of the quality of spices from the people we gifted to.

Thekkady lies quite close to the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In the evening, we went to watch some live performances.

The first one was of Kalaripayattu martial art, touted as the oldest one. The stuntmen began their routine by worshipping to the goddess. It was a spectacle to behold as they progressed from free hand exercises, stick fights culminating to more lethal sword fights and literal fire fights. The art form felt somewhat similar to the Lethel practices of medieval Bengal.

If Kalaripayattu was all about physicality, Kathakali felt more about subtle movements. It began with enacting various emotions just with facial expressions. The performance ended with a small part of Ramayana being enacted by the artists. A typical performance includes the artists who paint their faces with bright colours and wear iridescent costumes; accompanied by classical music. Perhaps a knowledgeable person, would appreciate the mudras (dance movements) better.

Next morning we went to the Periyar National Park for a launch ride in the big lake. We spotted a few cranes, bison and deer. If you want a more involved experience you can opt for the safari and maybe get to see a tiger. The chilly winds passing through the lake made me wear back the quintessential Bengali monkey cap.

Alappuzha / Aleppy

Next day the descent from the hilly terrain to the costal region of Kottayam felt akin to a frozen piece of fish being put into hot oil. Even in the late winters, the humidity was barely tolerable.

From Kottayam we took a boat ride to Aleppy. The ride started of in a narrow creek of water which ultimately met to a huge swathes of backwater. To beat the heat, we resorted to the gift of nature, coconut water. The sheer beauty of the place made up for the weather. Both sides of the narrow stream were lined with coconut and banana trees; beyond which lied vast areas of paddy cultivation, resembling fields of our rural Bengal. The backwaters plays a crucial role in the local economy in terms of water distribution, transportation and of course tourism. We spotted many houseboats along the way. Unlike houseboats of Dal Lake (in Srinagar of Kashmir), these were cruising at moderate speeds despite being fully equipped with all amenities that a normal cottage can provide.

Thiruvananthapuram / Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram was unlike any other big capital cities. Even Kochi felt a bit bigger.

After lunch, we headed towards Kovalam beach. Despite being moderately crowded, the beach was no wonder exquisite. We saw one of the most spectacular sunsets there.

We woke up very early the next morning to visit Padmanabhaswamy temple. This is probably the richest temple of India. We were expecting to see very few people as we went there around 6 o clock but lots of pilgrims had lined up for the same. It was really a humbling experience, everyone decked up in the mandated traditional attire, with different aspirations congregating to pray to Vishnu, The Preserver among the Hindu holy trinity. It was fascinating to look at the architecture which consisted of granite idols, lotus and other symbols of the deity.

Kanyakumari / Cape Comorin

Later in the day, we departed for Kanyakumari, the southernmost part of mainland India. In the afternoon, we went for a walk in the adjacent markets. It was a busy area with small shops selling all types of paraphernalia. Since we were already late, we decided to visit the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial the next day.

We headed towards the pier to view the sunset. The pier went quite deep into the sea and felt almost like modern day Ram Setu. The heat was counterbalanced by the tri-sea cool winds. The pier was still under construction and after a point simply a dump of large rocks. This afforded as a degree of seclusion to enjoy the evening.

Our hotel was right next to the light house. Next morning we huddled up on our terrace to view the sunrise which was unfortunately partially covered with clouds. After a quick breakfast, we queued up for the first batch of visitors for the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. For the uninitiated, Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu ascetic and reformer who travelled across India. In search of meaning, he swam to a small rock island few kilometres off the coast of Kanyakumari. As we sat on the oscillating ferry boat, I kept wondering how did he swim taming the menacing waves without any life support. Inside premises had grand monuments with prayer halls, libraries, shrines etc maintained by Ramakrishna Mission. Next to the rock, is the huge statue dedicated to Thiruvalluvar, an ancient Tamil poet and philosopher.

At one end, we were surprised to distinctly see hues of two seas.

Chennai / Madras

Later in the evening, we boarded a train to Chennai to catch our flight home. We had a narrow window next morning before flight, so we also caught a glimpse of the Marina beach. During the day very few stalls were open but we found breakfast at one. As I walked through the long shoreline for the last time, I ruminated what an enriching experience it was to travel this fascinating part of India.