Varkala – Paradise in God’s Own Country

We left Alleppey around 10 am after our breakfast in Alleppey and headed through the potholed roads, southwards. The roads are extremely bad and the monsoon performed its part. During traffic hours, it gets worse. The 104 kms stretch approximately took us 4 hours to reach, because of the road condition. Finally, with a number of tea/coffee breaks, we reached varkala at 3pm. The moment we reached, the view and the sound of the wild sea  from the cliff brought back all our energies. We walked past the cliff lined with all the cafe, eateries and stay places.

   

Varkala is very similar to any other seabeach in India, the shops with dokra, cheap clothes, small artifacts and traditional Indian shops. There are huge number of Kerala Ayurvedic Massage centres which offers a good range of massages in a very good price. The places to stay on the cliff overlooking the sea are expensive one, but as we take the by lane, there are a large number of places to stay, comfortable and affordable.

As I always go by the Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet, I kept looking at the ones that are recommended. in one of the by lanes, we found Mummy’s Bamboo House, a small yet sparkling clean place. We got our rooms in the ground floor at a price as low as Rs.400/- per day. The room is spacious and a big washroom. The building looks as good as new. The Best part are the hammocks outside the rooms. When I spoke to the host, Rani, she said that it was 9 years old. Wow!! What a beautifully maintained place. Rani had been by far, the best host we have come across. Warm and smiling. She gave us amazing tea/coffee and great Kerala lunch and coconut pancake in the later day. The surprisingly best part of Varkala is that every place is Wi-fi enabled.

Once we got the place to stay, we headed out for lunch. The Little Tibet caught our sight among all the Casa Del Sol, German Bakery, Buddha Cafe and the others. We ordered Thupka, Mutton Momo, pancake and Sizzlers. The food tastes amazing here. The prices are relatively low. The a little time the took to serve us was because the food is fresh and steaming.We hanged around in cliff that day for sometimes and went back to our den. We rested the early evening in the hammocks and finally decided to retire fast that day after our dinner in another hangout called Caffe Italiano. A good looking attractive place that looks like a library and is filled with artificially woven cobwebs. The ambiance is beautiful. The Food was not upto the mark. The cocktails served were good, but the pasta was sauce less and dry, food had no taste at all and the seafood was extremely expensive for a sea side.

The next day was the day to look around the varkala town after our English breakfast and pancake time at Casa Del Mar, We visited a Vishnu temple, a Sivagiri Maath and the Kappil Beach outlined with the backwaters. The Kappil Beach is the flat beach with a tremendously rough sea and beautiful backwaters. Its and experience. We spent about 2-3 hours there and got back to Cliff. After freshening up for the evening, we spent time, shopping and walking by the cliff. Post that, we went for the most recommended Kerala Ayurveda Massage. A good 60 minutes relaxation was really good.

We had our dinner in a place called Sky Lounge. The food was great there and extremely inexpensive. The pepper chicken, Thukpa and the Pancake was amazing and the cocktails again were the best. We also ordered steak in pepper sauce and that too tasted great.

 

The next day was our day to depart from Varkala. We limited our breakfast to our B&B menu of appam and curry from a place round the corner from Mummy’s Bamboo house. Our Lunch was the definitely no to miss Kerala meal and coconut Pancake.

As we packed up, we saw the Anchuthengu Fort,the Varkala Lighthouse and the Varkala Tunnel.

Drive to Alleppey – Venice of the East !!

10/08 we started from: BANGALORE for our most awaited Kerala Tour.

Our first destination is the Venice of the East, ALLEPPEY.

We started late at 6pm from Bangalore and hit the Mysore road to stop for a fishy dinner at Pujari-Fishland around 10 pm. As always, it is my dream fish place to hog and hog and start for the journey. We crossed our planned 37 kms to Nanjangudu and then to Gundlupet. We halted, took a coffee break and fooled around for sometimes to wail off time as much as possible.

Around 1 am, we reached before the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at Sultan Bathery, the forest remains closed from 9pm to 6am. There were about 150-200 cars waiting for the check post get to open. We waited for about 3-4 hours and greeted daybreak and sunrise in the forest. A pitch dark night by the forest is definitely an experience to enjoy. We had read a lot of reviews of the different routes to Alleppey from Bangalore, we avoided the coimbatore road to ignore the forever bad 80 kms from Palakkad to thrissur. This route had nowhere been mentioned and hence we took the road not taken and ended up spending a night by the forest, an experience to be cherished.

We took the Kozhikode-Mysore-Kollegal Hwy/NH 212 and headed in Kerala. The road remained green and winding all throughout with a stretch of 20kms downhill that was bad due to rain and thick vegetation. The natural beauty left us awestruck and we photographed our way to our destination.

At about 12pm, we reached SH 71/State Highway 71 at Manjeri and stopped for a long break of lunch and relaxation.  Our lunch consisted of Kerala paratha and curry with biryani and kerala style chicken kabab. Once done, we walked around for a while and then started our drive.

Post 12 kms, we took the Palakkad Ponnani Rd/Shornur – Perinthalmanna Road, saw the beautiful OttuPara Juma Masjid and got into the Salem-Kanyakumari Hwy with an entry toll of Rs. 3/-. Funny it was for all of us. As we kept going further  we passed Thrissur and the Cochin- Ernakulam through a beautiful stretch of urban kerala that looked more like one of the Middle-East towns.

Post this stretch started the horribly potholed 30 kms road to Alleppey. This was the unavoidable stretch of the last few lapse of the journey and was extremely frustrating. Finally around 7 pm, we reached the backwaters of Alleppey.

Tired as we were, we were warmly greeted by the houseboat owner. Our car was parked in a safe household for an amount of Rs.100 for the next 2 days. Coffee and Banana pakora was served to us as a welcome drink and snacks.

As we settled to freshen up in the splashy and swanky air-conditioned bedrooms, the boat started to take us into the darkness of the backwater. After an hour, it stopped by a small island rowed with other houseboat like a queue. We had a quick dinner of Kerala food and enjoyed the ripple of the water till we went back into the cosy blankets.

At 7am, it was the knock for the morning tea/coffee. I woke up at daybreak with the sound of rain. I slided the window and moved the curtains to see the dark sky and rain lashing on the water. What a beauty, I told myself. We sat in the common area for breakfast around 9am for the hot steaming dosa, idli and appam. The houseboat kept rowing it way through the vicinity of small villages where the daily mode of transport are the small boats.

People ferried their way to work in passenger boats, students went to school in school boats, milkman rowed his boat to stop by every household to deliver milk, the vegetable seller stopped by every house to sell the vegetables. What a wonderful like Alleppey had. Every household had a boat shed to garage their personal boats, like we have our car parks in the cities.                                                         

The cook and the helper caught fishes from the back water and fried it for us.

At 1 pm, the houseboat stationed by a stretch of land. We were served our lunch and post lunch, we got down to take a walk around, had tender coconut water and stopped for some banana chips and soft drinks.

The boat started to row again and as we passed other houseboats, we clicked photographs and waved out to them. The rain kept showering on and off. We had our share of sunshine as well. At 5 pm, we were served with snack and tea and coffee post which, we settled for some beer and the hot fried fishes. The rain lashed again on the houseboat and it was amazing.  We continued to enjoy the scenic sunset on the water and enjoy the evening. The houseboat was again stationed by a small island for the night with the others. At about 9pm, dinner was served. Post dinner, we played some card, sang some songs, talked for awhile and finally it was a birthday party on the houseboat. After wishing Vinay a very memorable birthday on the houseboat and raising a toast, we retired for the day at about 2am.

Next morning, at around 8am, we were served with our breakfast as we headed to the shore where we started from. Our Houseboat experience finally came to an end. The feeling was lovely, will be cherished for sometimes other than the time bound routine that we were tied up into after a very long time. Convent life flashed back into my memories in the houseboat and all my hostel matrons revisited me in Alleppey.

On the whole, it was a good memory.

Gokarna

Finally the long awaited holiday time.

We left for Gokarna in Bus this time. The State transport bus picked us up at about 9:10PM from Anand Rao Circle and we soon were into the traffic through Yashwantpur, Jalahalli,Peenya till we touched Tunkur road.

The road was clearing up and the weather was cooling down. the bus stopped at a Dhaba for dinner. We had finger licking Butter roti, paalak paneer and dal fry with deep fried chilli.

post dinner, the bus left and I fell into a happy sleep.

At about 5am, we were hitting the roads through Yana, Kumta and finally to gokarna.

Fresh from the beautiful foggy weather, we planned to walk through the town first. Early morning scene in the town would remind you of the tele serials of malgudi days and lokmanya Tilak, old houses, men in dhoti, women in saree and most activities revolve around temples. We saw tribes selling flowers and sound of the conch shell and bell from the temples around along with chanting. As we took a left lane, we reached the “Kotitheertha”. Huge lake, silent, people praying and bathing…it looked beautiful.

There was a picture of a crocodile on the gate, did not understand what it means since the script was local.

Once done, we walked around and took the other way, saw a library on the way and finally started climbing. We trekked up to watch the coastline and then climbed down to the Kudle Beach. The Beach is desolate at this time of the year except for a couple of places to stay. The gokarna International is one that is open all year round. this place on the whole is just not a great place to stay. just beside this place is the Umamaheshwari Guest house. That is where we checked in. Pocket friendly and cosy place to stay. We spent the day in Kudle, walked around the beach, bathed in the sun, enjoyed the rain and finally sat through the evening counting stars and listening to the waves.

Next day was the day for the beaches. We hired a fishing boat and sailed up to the midsea and go around the coasts. We went to the almost desolate paradise beach and the beautiful half moon beach. Monsoon and off season is the prime reason for the beaches being comparatively empty. There are no shacks as well in huge numbers. Gokarna Beach and Kudle Beach has a couple of places open on the whole.

Once done with all the beaches, we said goodbye to the fishing boat in Om Beach.

At Om beach, we checked-in to the only abode “Namaste Cafe”. This place is open all year round and has accommodation from Rs.2000/- to Rs.300/- per day. Since it was already evening, we did not do much other than enjoying the sea breeze sitting at the restaurant along with awesome seafood.

Next day was very early. I watched the sun rise sitting at the restaurant rim of Namaste Cafe. I watched the day break, the fishermen go to deep sea, tourist start coming to the sea, cloudy sky darken the horizon and the start of the rain. It rained all day and I enjoyed my Novel with amazing Lemon n ginger tea and more seafood. Late afternoon, the rain subsided when we packed our bags and walked up to take an auto and go around the town again to see the Mahabaleshwar- Mahadeva temple, the Ganapathy Temple and the Mahabaleshwar Beach.

In the late evening, we had a good sumptious North Karnataka meal and took our bus back to Bangalore through the rainy roads.

We were back to Bangalore at 7am.

Mahabalipuram - Mystic Mahaabs !!

Coonoor – Kotagiri

Alamparai Fort – Drive from Chennai

A wonderful drive through the beautiful highway of Tamil Nadu.

The fort is deserted

A wonderful day out by the sea

Ruined and ignored that needs immediate attention of the Govt.

Away from the Maddening crowd – Mandarmoni

Posted on November 20, 2012by Sohni's Mind Store

What would anyone wish after an eventful Bengali wedding occasion of having 7 days of celebration and 500 or more odd guest around you?? Silence, Serenity and a beach.

That is what I did, googled this silent beach place in West Bengal and took off for 3 odd days. I boarded the local bus, paid Rs.250/- and enjoyed the ride till Chowlkhola. The bus was an experience, the vendors selling stuffs in the bus at every odd bus stop ranged from food, books, stationery to everything under the sky. Once we reached Chowlkhola, we had to get down. From here we took this amazingly assembled and created mode of transport like a Motor van uptill the beach of Mandarmoni. It was about 45 mins ride but an awesome experience.

The beach is lined with Resorts to stay, we checked in one called Neel Nirjoney. Good place, quiet, on the beach and clean cottages at very budget cost. Once settled everything, we came out and sat at the deck chairs on the beach from afternoon to sunset. We walked down the beach, we jogged across the water hitting our feet till darkness came over. Back to the resort, we sat at the dekh chairs till dinner time talking, playing cards and reading book in the dim light.

The food was amazing, seafood, prawn was the cherished delicacy. The rice they served had an authentic taste.

The following day started with a lazy note. Later we jogged on the beach, bathed till late afternoon, did paragliding and parasailing and came back to the resort for lunch.

Post lunch we went to Mohuna, the place where the backwater ends and the river meets the sea. It was full of red crabs. With the afternoon sun, it looks amazing like an army of red or a red carpet moving across the sand. This was a beauty, an experience I would hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

I cherished my stay in Mandarmoni, with practically nothing to do other than swinging in the hammock, reading a book or having a beer or looking onto the vast sea bordered by the horizon. No city life, no pollution, no mobile phone and no connectivity.

It was indeed the most wanted break for us.

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Off to the French Custodian – Pondicherry

by Sohni's Mind Store

Friday Evening always has an excitement geared up. This time its about visiting Pondicherry. We reached the Shantinagar Bus Terminus at about 9pm after a quick dinner. We bought out on the spot ticket for 10pm bus and were off to Pondi. The bus stopped twice by the highways to catch a quick coffee in the onset of October breeze. The roads are amazing like buttered and the buses are extremely comfortable. Something to boast about the Karnataka State transport is  their fleet of Volvos, Isuzus and Mercs. It makes my travels so much more relaxed and rested.

We reached Pondicherry at about 5am and the seabreeze called upon us. Morning walk down the market place looking around the french colony while we were searching for a place to park ourselves. We stopped by the A2B for coffee that is amazing over imagination. This place is opposite the Arulmigu Manakula Vinayaka Temple at the heart of the town on Nehru Street. Soon after we saw a beautifully decorated possession from the temple pass through the street and the centre of attraction is none other than the temple elephant. Once the possession passed, we took our way towards the sea. We walked up through the shore road and tried to get a place to stay in the meantime. The french houses were beautiful and incredibly expensive. Finally, a corner french house is what we planned to treat ourselves with. Once freshened, we walked out and went to daily bread on Nehru street for breakfast. The scrambled egg, cold coffee, pancakes, cookies and the pastries were amazing. once done, we moved out and hired bikes which are easily available around every streets on daily cost. We moved towards the M.G.Road and saw the Varadharaja Perumal Temple. It is a 16th century Vishnu temple. The best part of this temple is the water flowing continuously at the entrance, so that the visiter have their foot washed before entering. Photography is not allowed here. We kept moving towards the end of the road where stands the the majestic Church of the Sacred Heart, beautiful and a serene Basilica. Further down, right opposite to the railway station is the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges with its beautiful Indo – Gothic Architecture. We could not have missed this when in Pondicherry. In the evening we were back to the beech road, saw the Gandhi Statue, the Promenade Museum and finally went up to the terrace of Hotel Ajanta for a seaview evening beer and enjoy sunset. We then came back to our nest to freshen up and spend our evening in relaxing around the beech road. 

Next day was early as we covered the Aurobindo Ashram Premises, the Mother’s house (MatriMandir), the a few more places by post breakfast. We went to Paradise Beach and played in the water till late afternoon. The seaside fish fry and tender coconut completed our lunch. Once back, we  freshened up and started towards Auroville. The Auroville store is simply amazing in its Artwork and the Linen Fabric is worth a buy. Evening was completed with the Hibiscus syrup from the Auroville Cafeteria. We decided to hang around Auroville that evening and hence checked in to the Bay Castle Service Apartments. Budget and extremely clean place with very good hospitality. Our dinner was at Tanto’s Woodburn Pizza and Mango Sherbat. We retired at the terrace of our service apartment and completed our candle light relaxation.

The next morning was spent in the meditation centre of Auroville. Be prepared to have a registration done beforehand else the place is always overbooked. It was followed by some time spent on the beautiful Auroville Beach.

By evening, we were ready to say goodbye to Pondicherry.