Right Time, Right Place

The Plan

        It was a perfect plan for a summer vacation, started out with online hangouts and chatrooms dicussing options for more than a month and ended up to visit what everybody calls 'God's own place', Kerala, which it really is when you visit the right places in the right time. It was a package tour but with full of customization. We took a 3 night 4 day package from 'Keralaholidays.com'

PROS: The tourist consultants are very friendly and allow us to customize the package to our        needs. The 'Call us Free' option really works and the consultant do follow up very well. 

CONS: The consultants are not so knowledgeable to guide you and provide as many options. You have to do the research and tell them customize the package. Also there are many consultants and each gives you a different cost for the same package

           For those whose who don't want to do all the reading and planing stuff can pick up any package but those who can spare some time doing the planning can come up with a much economical and customized plan that what any package consultant offers.

Kathakali Performer as King Jayanta

         Our plan was to visit Thekkady then move to Gavi an eco tourism spot closer to Thekkady. We want the trip to end with seeing the world famous Thrissur Pooram so we took a day off at Allepey on the way the Thrissur. Thrissur is very hot in summer but Pooram happens only on the first week of May every year. So it is ideal to plan your trip end your trip visiting Pooram.


         Since the flock consisted of people from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad we decided to meet up at Coimbatore. The ideal place would have been to meet at Madurai which is quite closer to Thekkady than Coimbatore. Most of the tour packages provide Cochin/Ernakulam as the start of the journey but can be customized to our convenience.

Thekkady

         The drive from Coimbatore to Thekkady was a bit tiring but we kept moving with all the enthusiasm. Reached Thekkady by evening 6 pm and checked in to our hotel rooms at Sandra Palace. The rooms were very decent and well maintained. The street had a row of hotels all of them we came through when we did our research. Some other premium places would be the Grand Thekkay and Silver Crest.

Greenery 

        We were right on time to watch the major attraction in Thekkady, the Kalari and Kathakali performance at 'Kerala Kalari Centre' and 'Mudra Kathakali Centre' which was right opposite to our hotel. The shows were about one hour each and they charge Rs 200 for Kalari show and Rs 150 for Kathakali show. The interesting part of the show is after the performance is over you will be allowed to take pictures with the swords and shields and also with the artists. It is a must watch show in Thekkady and was entertaining. We spent the rest of the evening by shopping spices and taking a lazy walk on the lanes. There is a ayurvedic massage center which was quite economical but you need to make a booking in advance during the weekends.

Kalari Performer

     The next morning we woke up to see the soothing view of mist moving above the mountains. After having breakfast at the hotel we headed to 'Periyar lake' where we can take boating for an hour. But we started late and since it was a Sunday all the tickets were booked. There are only limited seats and the boating starts from 7 30 AM. It is advisable to early and get into the first boating batch. As sun rises above the heads the boating could be tiring. So we skipped the boating and went for an elephant ride nearby. It costs you Rs 300/per head for a ride around their garden for about half an hour. They also offer elephant shower in a pool for Rs 1200. Don't expect for a wilder-ly adventure here and it is nothing more than torturing elephants for our fun. For kids it would be a blast and the guide also takes good pictures of you with your camera. 

Periyar Lake

Early Morning mist

Elephant Ride

     There is a separate elephant safari through the forest which needs booking which most of the hotels themselves assist. The safari is for three hours and could be taken early in the morning or in the night. I believe the night safari would be very exciting and it would cost you around Rs 500 per head. Plan your stay in Thekkady to accommodate your time to do all the things in one day and half.
If you are looking for wildlife seeing and bird watching the best time to visit would be from November to February. But Thekkady, less crowded with its pristine nature's beauty is an amazing 'beat the heat' summer location.

  Things to do:

       Early morning boating in Periyar Lake

       Kalari and Kathakali Performance

       Spices shopping

       Elephant ride and shower

       Night safari in the forest


GAVI


      Little did we know about this lovely village town surrounded by Periyar Tiger Reserve before we reached there. This one of the well maintained places by the Kerala Forest Department with many foreign tourist visitors during the peak season which is from September to February. A summer visit would also be perfect to just dip into the wilderness. The place and the people made the stay unforgettable and we were lucky to see one of the local villagers festivals.

The Periyar Lake

Elephant Skull

     Once you check in any one of three types of stays a guide accompanies you for your complete stay.You could choose your stay from the packages on their website. They also offer day packages for boating and trekking but when you opt for a stay the activities are all included with that. You have options to stay in tents in forest or in cottage rooms. The rooms are small by decent. There is no ceiling fan but a wall mounted small fan is available. Anyway you will not need any fan there since it was close to 10 degree during April - May. One word of caution is there will be no tower for mobiles or internet and there is no land-line phones also. There will be no shops to buy anything so it is better to take all necessary items like medicines and lotions if you planning for a stay. In spite the cottage has sufficient items for a nice stay. 

Elephant's Femur bone

      Boating, trekking and jeep safari are the important activities here. The early morning jeep safari was bumpy and we were lucky to spot one wild boar. But the breath taking view of the mountains was amazing. After safari they take you to breakfast provided in a common hall. It has bread, eggs, chapathi and dhal. All were home made and good. Don't expect anything exciting to eat here. The food is served on a buffet sharing basis so finish your breakfast on the time is is served. Next they take you through one of the seven trekking trails stating from easy to toughest levels. But most of the trails are closed and only two or three are used by the tourists. Trekking is almost one hour and ends up in a hill with an exciting view of Sabarimala Temple surrounded by many other hilltops. It was an amazing view to see the hilltops getting covered by mist then clearing just like your play hide and seek with the nature. After a tiring trek they serve you with an orange juice and show you through a display of elephant and other fossils. 

    Again the best time to visit depends on the purpose of the visit. It is better to visit during the off season since the crowd is minimum yet you can enjoy the fullest. The tranquility surely amazes you and the people who are so friendly touches your heart. For photographic and wildlife enthusiasts do visit the place during Sep to Feb and stay in the forest tents. The tent stay is available only with a minimum of 10 tourists. 

    Things to do:

    Stay in cottage/forest tent

    Early morning safari

    Trekking and Elephant trail

    Fishing 

    Boating

Allepey and Thrissur

    We visited Allepey on the way to Thrissur since we have booked our return tickets from there. The straight stretch of road running along with lakes on both sides is a beautiful sight. The boat stay is a must in allepey and please don't in any of the resorts. They claim to be good but they are not. There are lot of boating houses provide rides for 3 hours also. The cost depends on the boat's maintenance and you can negotiate with them for the price. 

Thrissur Pooram

    

    The most expected event of the trip was the Pooram and we reached Thrissur around 2 PM on the Pooram day May 1, 2012. The Pooram happens in two sessions one in the morning and one in the evening. Though we missed the morning show we were lucky to see the evening show. Two row of fifteen elephants lined up on either side before the 

vadakkumnathan temple showcase them with colored umbrellas and idols. The sight was blessing midst the astounding music of the 'melams'. After the event the elephants were taken for a procession with musical performances all the way. We walked along with till the temple where the fireworks show happens later. Since we had to catch our trains we left without watching the cracker show. During the pooram times the place will be very crowded and you will not get any hotel or rooms to stay. Please book your ticket very early and do reserve for the hotels.