Kerala

Kerala, popularly known as God’s Own Country is arguably one of the best tourist destinations in India today. It is the land of exotic backwaters, beautiful hill stations, palm fringed beaches and rich flora and fauna, not forgetting the traditional houseboats and divine cuisine. No wonder, vacationers from all parts of the world flock to this South Indian beauty all through the year.
I dint want a hush-hush trip. I wanted to be there and soak Kerala within me. So we decided to dedicate one whole week of our ever busy year to our beloved abode.
We took a flight from Mumbai to Kochi airport and headed to Munnar by car. It took us 5 hours to reach Munnar. But when we set our foot in there, all the tire was worth it. Munnar is serene, cool and peaceful. We stayed at the Edassery Eastend Hotel. The hotel has all the necessary amenities and an array of rooms to select from.

Munnar: The next day was dedicated to sightseeing, where we were whisked to the famous tea-plantations and tea factory. We couldn’t stop ourselves from buying a whole lot of variety of teas and the home grown coffee. The Echo point is worth visiting and so is the Matupetty Dam.
Thekkady: Its a 5 hours drive from Munnar. Thekkady is famous for its spice plantations, ayurvedic massages and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. We experienced all of it. We made a nice boat trip in Periyar. It is a man-mad lake. The backwaters of Mullaperiyar Dam built in 19th century, form this lake which is enveloped by lush green forests. In this hour-long boat trip, tourists with all their might, try to sight the animalin their wild. We were in luck as a group of elephants had come quench their thirst.

Wayanad: After 2 nights in Thekkady, we proceeded to Wayanad which has a repertoire of being a rain-forest, studded with lush green flora and equally beautiful fauna.

We checked into the Green Gates hotel which is just a few minutes away from the main market area. The staff here are very friendly and ever ready to help. That night it rained heavily… literally!!Pookode is a natural fresh water lake nestling amid evergreen forests and mountain slopes. Boating facilities, children’s park, handicrafts and spices emporium and fresh water aquarium are some of the tourist attractions here.

Vythiri Resort! This was our next halt in Wayanad. We had heard all good things about this resort which compelled us to spend one whole day only to explore the resort. ‘Seeing is believing ‘stands true here. They have their own Malabar Squirrel and the sound of insects, birds and the flowing river soothes all your senses. An exquisite eco-friendly jungle getaway in the heart of Wayanad, its in perfect harmony with nature. They have a mindblowing spread of lunch and dinner buffet… it seems like cuisine from every corner of Kerala is brought under one roof. One day was truely not enough to explore Vythiri.

Allepy: Allepy was the last leg of our trip. It is undoubtedly “the Venice of India”. A trip to Kerala is incomplete without a houseboat stay. It is the most relaxing experience for any age, size or type of people. The boats are extremely eco friendly, merging smoothly into the panorama. We had us booked on a one bedroom houseboat which was comfortably furnished with an open lounge, one bath attached bedroom and a kitchenette. It was manned by an oarsman and a cook.
The not-to-be-missed spectacle in Alleppey is, of course, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. It is now a major event held on the second Saturday of every August and features the gigantic snake-boats of Kerala, the chundans.

Food:
Kerala is every food-lover’s paradise. Kerala cuisine offers a multitude of dishes, ranging from the traditional idli-sambar to seafood delicacies.
With its coconut tree loaded coastline, the cuisine of Kerala is characterized by the use of coconut, either chopped or grated and used as garnishing, coconut milk or paste is used to thicken gravies and coconut oil is used for cooking. Breakfast includes the mandatory likes of idli, chutney, sambhar, dosa, puttu and appams.
The main course includes the local rice served along with sambar and ghee, kichadi, aviyal, a couple of vegetables, a sourish rasam, pappadam, pickle, raita.
A divine but humble dessert, called payasam completes the meal. Unniappam, vatalappam and palambari (fried bananas in flour) are some of the other famous sweets here.