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Kerala
  • Kim M
May 2024

Kerala

A 15-day adventure by Kim Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 2, 2024
    Kim MKeralaTraveler

    On my way

    May 2, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I can't believe it's already May! This trip has snuck up on me so quickly even though its been finalised since January and planned since 2020. I'm so glad that I'm doing this as a guided tour. I don't have to worry about any of the logistics, just wake up on time and be packed and ready to go.

    London is still quite cold 🥶 It's as if spring doesn't want to show its face. I'm looking forward to being warm and not having to wear a coat.

    I'm flying with Emirates and its delayed an hour because of weather issues in Dubai. Originally I only had a one hour window to transfer to my connection to further my travels to Kochi... Emirates sent a message that they will sort the connections out. I guess I'll see in 7hrs when I arrive in Dubai.

    I wonder how many others are on the same tour as me on this flight. We don't have a WhatsApp group to connect with each other.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Dubai

    May 3, 2024 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Landed in Dubai an hour late because of the connection flight delayed as well so its all good. The flight on Emirates was ok. Economy seats are comfy enough but service leaves a lot to be desired. I ordered a vegetarian meal as the options online was beef or lamb. Those meals are usually labelled with the seat number and delivered before the food service. The person delivering the food tried to deliver my meal to a few different seats then came to my seat and asked in an annoyed manner if I switched seats with someone, which I didn't. Then when drinks service came around that person didn't bother asking me what I wanted and avoided eye contact and tried to walk away but thankfully my seat mate stopped her and said she should ask me if I wanted a drink. I had the same treatment in Ethiad Airlines when connecting in Dubai. I think flight attendants for Dubai are just a bit racist. I'll see if the service connecting to Kochi is more friendly.Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Arrived

    May 3, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    The second flight was a bit better with service as in the flight attendants looked me in the eyes this tome. I'm still not impressed by Emirates though.

    Cochin is lovely so far. It looks super green from the sky. I'm on a group tour and from the people picked up at the airport this is catered for the elderly 😆 there a couple with mobility issues that I'm not sure will be on the whole tour. There was 27 of us in total. I'm the only one travelling solo. I was too tired to be friendly in the lobby when waiting for our room keys but we have an intro dinner tonight where I'll try to engage a bit more. I'm chilling by the pool before the included hotel buffet lunch starts.Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    1st day

    May 3, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The rest of the day was a blur. I tried to stay awake by going to the pool to swim a few laps. The pool was shallow all around, just 4.5 feet all over which is interesting. I did a couple laps breast stroke to keep my hair from getting wet but I tired quickly. I did a photoshoot in the water to capture the memory. I had the pool mostly to myself which made it nice for me to fully relax. I slept a bit in the sun and then made my way to dinner.

    When I arrived to the section reserved for us few ladies said I should sit with them and not alone. I joined them. As ot was our 1st night of the trip the host Alex had us all introduce ourselves and say something interesting. Most of the group is retired. There is one couple younger than me, in their 30s but other than that lots of 60 and 70 year old people.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Tour

    May 4, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    Today was an early start to get to the Dutch Palace before it got busy. Today we toured the old Kochi Town and hit a few of the highlights. The Palace was quite small but it contained some really interesting pieces. One of the most interesting was a couple of paintings in the style that the subject followed you as you moved across the room. It's such a cool technique.

    We then moved on to a manual laundry facility. The workers belong to the lowest cast in the Indian society and thrm and their family have been doing that type of work for decades. It's really manual hard work. They scrub clothes and smack them against the rock to clean and after its the clothes are ironed with coal fueled irons. I tried the iron and it was super heavy.

    We then went to St Francis Church and then to look at the Chinese nets fishing. The process is super environmentally friendly. News are lowered into the river then after some time they are raised quickly catching fish.

    Along the boulevard fishermen are selling their fresh catch. If I had cooking facilities I would have bought some to cook. We finished the tour in a government approved cultural facility. A few of the group bought rugs and intricately embroidered duvet covers. I just stood chatting and getting to know my group a bit better.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Shared experiences

    May 4, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    At lunch I sat with the ladies again. We decided to go for a walk to find a grocery for my tonic water. We made it 100 yards away and found a clothing shop. I bought 2 dresses and the ladies got a few dresses as well as clothes for grandkids. One even bought an extra suitcase to accommodate the extra luggage. We were in the shop a few hours. Afterwards we went to the grocery and they didn't have tonic. I then helped them find a pharmacy yo get a prescription filled.

    I normally like to go around shops by myself but I enjoyed their company. No one pressured the other to leave earlier. I found out about all of their grandchildren.

    I went to the rooftop to capture the sunset and it didn't disappoint. The sky was filled with hues of orange, red and yellow.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Waterfalls

    May 5, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Today we had an early start to get to the waterfalls before it got busy and too hot. On the way out of the hotel there was a young lady and her mother dressed in formal Indian dresses. The guide said it was indicative of wedding attire. I love the decorative nature of the formal women's dresses and jewellery. The style is bright, bold, colourful and requires much skill to make it look delicate while also being strong enough to wear.

    The drive to the waterfalls was long and beautiful. The guide warned us that there was a chance it'd be dry as this isn't monsoon season. Thankfully that wasn't the case. There was a 10 minute walk down a steep path to the bottom of the waterfalls. As it was Sunday there were many Indian families also there.

    The walk back up was tough! It took nearly double the time as the weather was now a boiling 38C! On the top there were families of monkeys playing. The baby monkeys were very cute.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Ayurveda

    May 5, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    After the waterfalls we made our way to Thrissur. On the way we stopped at a restaurant for a traditional Kerala lunch. The food was really lovely but the portions was small. I'd read about this style of food served on a banana leaf. You were meant to eat it in a certain order. In the restaurant they didn't bother to let us know which order to eat the meal.

    The ride to the hotel was uneventful. I had a traditional Ayurveda treatment booked for the evening. It was meant to be an oil massage. I've had lots of massages over the years and this was the most bizarre. When I arrived the masseuse said to take of my clothes and then she stood there and watched me! She then tied this string with a thin strip of tissue paper around my waist to cover my vagina and asked me to lay on my front. As my hair is in braids I told her not to touch my hair but she could proceed. As I lay on this wooden table with raised sides she poured oil over the entire back of my body. It was so much oil it pooled on the sides of the table. She then started rubbing my calves up and down in a quick motion. After doing the same to each section of my back I turned over and she did the same to my front. It wasn't a massage per say but more of an oily rub down. Then she lead me to an open room and poured soapy water over me then proceeded to rub me down again now with soap and this time I'm completely naked. I was too shocked to say anything and just went with the flow. It's surely something I'll remember for a long while.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Dance

    May 6, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    This morning the jet lag and full on days finally caught up with me. I didn't set an alarm and subsequently didn't wake up on time. I almost missed the event! The tour guide, Alex, came to my room to collect me. I threw on a dress from the previous night and ran outside. Thankfully I keep my day bag packed each evening.

    We rode tuk tuks to the kathakali university. I took video of all the others in their vehicle. It was a nice way to get to the place. We watched students doing the traditional dance. They have to study for 10 years starting as early as 10 years of age. The dancers we saw were really good.

    Afterwards a few of us decided to walk back to the hotel. I needed to get my steps as well as trying to find tonic water. Walking in the midday heat was intense. It was officially 35C but feels like 40C! I got some yogurt, granola, apples, crisps and lemon lime soda as there was no tonic water.

    I spoke to the guys mostly on the walk. We chatted about travelling, what we thought about the group trip and various other bits.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Free afternoon

    May 6, 2024 in India ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    Since I did my massage yesterday I had the entire afternoon to catch up. I went to the pool with my book to relax. It was roasting hot, so much so the pool was lukewarm, not even slightly cold. You could climb straight in with no hesitation. I started my book and soaked in the pool for 3hrs which was lovely.

    This hotel is nice but the electricity has turned off a few times since bring here. The food isn't as spicy as the previous one. I'm not sure if our guide had a word with the chef. When the food is being served the chef comes out and watches us.

    I caught a great sunset tonight. I also hung out with some different people for pre dinner drinks. I helped one lady figure out how to record whilst using her selfie stick.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Munnar

    May 7, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    This morning thunder woke me before my alarm. It was storming rain but it cleared up in the hour it took for me to pack my bag and get ready. I was worried Id see a bug because of the rain but i didn't.

    We left Thrissur this morning for a 6 hour drive to Munnar. Its in the hills and sat on a tea plantation. The drive here felt like it was taking forever. We had one stop to break it up for 20mins. Its good that we are travelling to different places over Kerala but I wish the programme considered the timings better.

    The new accommodation is ok. All of them have been ok thus far. It's nothing special though and now we're getting closer to my birthday I'm wishing I'd done a solo trip as opposed to group travel. That way I could pick my hotels and stay special places for the trip. Lesson learnt!    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Cultural trip

    May 7, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today we have tix to see 2 cultural shows in the evening. One the theatre that Kerala is known for, Kathakali and the other a martial arts show. Before that we have a visit to the market. I've been feeling pre-birthday blues all day. Now sure where it came from but I'm guessing it's because I can't control exactly what I'm doing tomorrow. I like to have the chilled birthday, sleep until I want, not have to follow any schedule and tomorrow is not going to work like that. I hate the wake up calls. Unless I'm travelling somewhere that really requires group travel I think I'm done with this.

    The Kathakali was awful. The performers seemed tired and there was hardly any dancing. What the theatre lacked was more than made up for with the martial arts. That was amazing. I really enjoyed the show especially the bits where there was fire.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Park

    May 8, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today is my birthday! This morning the view was amazing looking over the mountains with the birds singing. I felt good about today and shook off the birthday blues. We headed to Eravikulam National park after breakfast. There is a famous goat that you could possibly see and a 15mins walk to a viewing point. I walked and took pictures of the beautiful surroundings. The tea plantations stretched for miles and made for a wonderful background.

    After the park we went to a tea museum. That was cute
    We watched a propaganda video of how the land became cultivated to produce tea. Apparently the people who were living there 1st didn't know how best to use the land and the British figured it out and made the people feel more fulfilled. The part I enjoyed was being in the tea fields. I got some great shots.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Birthday

    May 8, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    At lunchtime the tourguide organised a birthday cake for me. It was really sweet and unexpected. I loved it and appreciated everyone joining in to sing. I've only been on the tour a few days but everyone was lovely about it being my birthday.

    After lunch we went to visit a dam and an echo point. Between the 2 points were stalls on the side of the road selling things for the domestic tourists. I got a coconut which was delicious and refreshing. One of the lovely things about being in the mountains is that it's so cool temperature wise here.

    On the way back a few of us got dropped off at in the town to have a wonder. I bought some rum from the only liquor store in the town. It was filled with local men getting booze. You had to queue up and enter this metal cage to order what you wanted. I bought a bottle of ginger flavoured Barcardi rum. I've never tried it before so I'm looking forward to it. Many of the others was buying alcohol as well to take on the houseboat were staying at in a couple of days.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Masala chai

    May 9, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today is a moving day. We started at 7.30am and are heading southeast towards the lakes. Some people on the tour had some issues at checkout in that there was discrepancies in payment of the bill. We've been told to pay our bills at night before we checkout and this couple insisted they've paid. The hotel maintained that they hadn't paid so they paid again. That put a sour mood to the morning. The hotel usually caters to domestic tourists and were not used to the amount of alcohol the group consumed. The regular nightly drinkers complained about the lack of service in the bars and being ignored.

    We stopped one hour and a half in the journey for a toilet & refreshments break. I took the opportunity to get some chutney flavoured crisps, peanut brittle and masala chai. I watched it being made and interestingly enough they put drops of essence from a bottle in the cups of tea to flavour them. It was still lovely though but made me realise that when we try to recreate what we think is authentic and are disappointed it might be that we are not equipped with the correct materials. A few people bought packaged tea with the hopes of recreating it when they get home.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Thekkady

    May 9, 2024 in India ⋅ 🌩️ 29 °C

    We arrived at the nature reserve in time for lunch. It was interesting coming inside here as its like going on a safari reserve. The native people still live here and they are allowed to live of the land. There are 3 hotels behind the gates and the one I'm staying in is government run. There were monkeys roaming everywhere from we entered the gates and all along the 5 mi ute drive to the hotel. We are briefed to keep our windows shut otherwise the monkeys will enter. This is a bit of an issue for some guests as there is no air conditioning in the room, only a ceiling fan. The monkeys also come up to the windows and look all cute wanting to be let in.

    At 3pm we head on a boat safari on the lake. Unfortunately it starts pouring rain so no animals come out. The boat ride was beautiful though. After dinner there was a chance to spot a deer and porcupine that come on the grounds.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Festival

    May 10, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today we travel from Thekkady to Alleypally backwaters. This morning I went for a walk along the lake because we will have a long travel day. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful. I encountered a monkey straight away on the path to the river. There were a few boats going out for the morning safari. There were busses of domestic tourists being brought in for the boats as well as walking safaris. On the walk I also saw the deer from the previous evening just laying around.

    I had a nice 30 mins walk then headed back to the bus. On the way out of the reserve we saw a festival. Brand new pots are bought to cook rice.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Alleppey

    May 10, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    We boarded this gorgeous 7 bedroom houseboat to cruise on the backwaters and have an overnight stay. Its lovely. The rooms are air-conditioned and ensuite. There is shaded seating near the captain steering wheel on the lower deck and a covered air-conditioned dining area on the upper deck with a small area exposed to the sun. They greeted us with fresh jasmine necklaces and fresh coconut water.

    I sat in the sun on the sail out to the middle of the lake. It was lovely to be doing a chilled out activity. For lunch we had a traditional Kerala fish meal on the banana leaf and a few of us tried eating with out hands. It was really delicious and one of my favourite meals of the trip. We had banana fritters for afternoon snack which were delicious. After that one of the group negotiated a small boat ride through the canals for £3 each. That little boat ride was dreamy. We went into the residential areas and saw lots of locals fishing, washing clothes and just getting on with life.

    We then had a lovely sunset on the boat followed by dinner. At dinner we all joined tables and had some good conversation.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Backwaters

    May 11, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Last night on the boat was lovely. The room was freezing cold from the air-conditioning and there was a slight rock to the boat. I slept very well. It was one of the best sleeps I've had on the trip. I woke up with the sunrise seeping in through my blinds.

    The crew made banana pancakes, omelette and toast for breakfast and it was all very good. During breakfast we set off on a cruise down the river. After eating I sat on the back of the boat to get the last bit of riverside sunshine.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Jatayu

    May 11, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    First stop of the day is to visit Jatayupara Earth Centre. A rock them park with the worlds largest bird sculpture. It was a sight to behold. A large concrete bird on his back. There is 800 steps to the top or a cable car. I wanted to try the steps as I'd previously done 1260 steps in Thailand in 30 mins so I knew the steps were achievable. We arrived at the centre later than expected so didn't have much time there so I thought I'd just go in the cable car up. It took just as long waiting on the cable car as it would have been for me to walk. I think I would have appreciated the sculpture more if I'd walked as well. I'm not getting the huge step count I usually get on my travels.

    After taking a few photos we headed for lunch. I had the traditional thali fish curry. For the two lunches we've gotten just a tiny portion of fish. On the boat the fish curry was a bigger portion so I'm thinking the restaurants are short changing us.

    This hotel is good. I'm staying in a top floor room overlooking the pool. I had a scheduled massage tonight. It was a proper massage with lots of oil. I enjoyed this one much better than the 1st. I do widh the masseuse would give some privacy when getting undressed as opposed to standing there watching you get naked!

    We had the final dinner as a group tonight. I sat with surgeonsthis time. Was lovely getting to know another group.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Palaces

    May 12, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Today is the last of the entire group trip. We went on a tour of Trivandrum. This is the official capital of Kerala. Their parliament sits here and the Palace of their monarchs is here also. We visited the latter after the tour. The Palace is grand and beautiful. I was shocked that it was so lavish and runs independently of the government. There were lots of jewel studded ornaments in the rooms and the walls were really intricately carved.

    After the guided trips we were given some free time for shopping. The guide took us to a liquor store. All of the liquor stores are state ran and separate to any other stores. It was down a back alley and up 2 flights of stairs. We were the only tourists in the place. The alcohol in the hotel is super expensive, £9 for a glass or £35 for a bottle of cheap wine. I bought a bottle of barcardi ginger and barcardi guava to take back to the UK with me.

    The rest of the day was relaxing. I walked to the beach and people watched a bit. The beach had potential to be lovely but the sand was filled with litter and no shade at all. Also there were boats everywhere and the water was rough. I'm looking forward to the beach at the ayurvedic treatment centre tomorrow.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Treatments

    May 13, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I left the big group behind today for the last section of this trip, 3 days at an Ayurveda treatment facility. Two others booked this extension so we all shared the transfer car here. I naturally woke up early so caught the sunrise from my hotel room. It was lush.

    After breakfast we set off on the hour long drive to the facility. The drive went through a fishing village. There were churches every 5 minutes on the drive. The driver said the village was 95% Christians. It was weird driving past so many churches in such a short period of time especially ones with large statues of pink figures outside.

    The treatment centre is set up on a cliff edge overlooking the sea. It's basic accommodation but lovely grounds. Lots of places to sit with a book. The walk to the beach is easy enough 8 mins down the hill. Again no shade on the beach and rough sea so can't enter the water.

    I had 2 treatments back to back to ensure I had both today. I received a face massage followed by a dry scrub massage followed by an oil scrub massage then a seated back and shoulders massage and finally a steam in hot box. This is finally a good place to experience Ayurveda. All my treatments were top notch. I fell asleep whilst she was massaging my face it was so relaxing.

    The meals are tiny and vegan. They are delicious though so I can't complain.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Beach day

    May 14, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I had another early morning. I woke up to do the morning 5.45am yoga session here at the facility. It was quite nice, different than any other session I've tried. This focused more on breathing. I then had my 7am ayurveda session. It was a relaxing seated back massage, then face massage, then dry rub, followed by oil massage ending off with a wash down from the masseuse. I then had breakfast of fruit, a rice bread thing and coconut salty thing. I made a banana sandwich with the rice bread and ate the fruit. I'm missing coffee now. I'll find some in the town tomorrow.

    I walked 20 minutes up the beach to get in my steps. It was a nice walk and the sea was a bit calmer than yesterday. I actually got my feet inside and the water was warm. Security was preventing people from going out too far though. There are police signs saying swimming isn't allowed. There are lots of stray dogs as well. One followed me for a bit until he realised I didn't have any food.

    I set a towel down and people watched my morning away until it was time to head back for my second treatment. This one was a seated upper and lower hot oil massage, then full body hot oil massage then full body heated bags massage then steam box followed by a wash down by the masseuse.

    I spent the afternoon reading whilst laying on a cabana bed. It was lovely to watch the birds and listen to the waves crash. For dinner I was served beetroot soup and cauliflower curry with roti. A couple sitting next to me finished their meal with watermelon and papaya juice and that seemed refreshing. They are super strict here. I asked for papaya juice instead of tea and the waiter had to call the doctor. Doctor said no to papaya juice but I could have watermelon juice.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Black Sand beach

    May 15, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Today is my last full day in Kerala! I fly at 4.30am tomorrow morning so this will be a long day. I'm having a lie in as it'll be a long travel period and I can't sleep on planes. This morning flew past. I had my 1st session at 11.30am. The masseuse were so cute. They said they will miss me. They have never met someone from the Caribbean so I was a novelty for them. They kept saying how beautiful I am. It was very sweet. I'm glad that the scrubs are done though. My skin feels fully exfoliated! It doesn't help that I'm sitting in the sun alot without sunscreen after these treatments.

    I realised that I didn't take any pics in the red robes that we wear to go to get our treatments. We are completely naked under the robes. The masseuse come and collect us from our rooms and lead us holding hands towards the treatment rooms. It's an interesting sight to see people in red robes being lead by therapists in purple jackets to dark rooms. When we get to the rooms we take off the robe and put on a piece of tissue lining around our crotch. Some people wander around the grounds in the robes all day.

    I walked a few km to black beach today just to get a change of scenery. It wasn't fully black sand but was nice to see more or varkala. The North cliff is definitely more crowded and touristy. I wore a dress I've had since 1996 today. I love that dress. The colour doesn't fade and since it's a wrap dress it still fits. I bought it for our high school senior day. I wear it every few years now just so I can maintain it.

    I came back to have my final treatment and I asked the girls to take my picture in the steam box. It's super old fashioned but effective. I love the basic but effective treatments they provide at this facility. I caught my final sunset on the cliff. Waiting now to go to the airport.    Read more

  • Kim MKeralaTraveler

    Business class

    May 16, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    I just got upgraded to business class on my 1st leg of my flight ✈️ 😍 I was pulled out of the queue when boarding and told I had an upgrade. I even got a window seat. On the plane when they took my breakfast order the flight attendant said that ground staff told me I could only have economy food in the upgraded seat. The flight attendant said she'd work around it and took my order any way. I ordered a bloody mary and it was fantastic. She asked if I wanted it extra spicy, which I did, and I'm sure she made it extra alcoholic as well. The breakfast was good and the seat was comfy. I thoroughly enjoyed that flight.Read more

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