After Kovalam and many trips to Kochi, the toss up was between going to the north (of Kerala) or discovering a bit more of the south. We chose the latter and specifically Varkala for now, but need to get moving in the other direction soon! “Keral Pradesh ke Varkal mein vacay” was how my Insta reel went. But yes, playing tourists in our homeland is now an annual practice.
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Kochi Chronicles – Part 4
Kumbalangi, as made famous in Kumbalangi Nights! The second time we play tourists in Cochin.
Grand Hyatt. We had to see the place after Jayasurya’s Sunny. What a view! 
They have a sunset cruise, but we were told that that the boat was ‘unwell’! But the fantastic views along the walking path made up for it. Dinner at Colony Clubhouse & Grill at the hotel. Surprisingly good food!
Tip: Choose the city side view for a changeBreakfast at Gokul Oottupura, behind the Siva temple. Now a regular part of the itinerary. There’s something about Puri Bhaji in Kerala 😀 By the way, their dosa chilli chutney is amazing. Fish curry meals at The Grand is another fixed part of the itinerary. Welcome to the Aquatic Island Resort, Kumbalangi It’s all ‘floating’, and the bedroom is below the waterline. No, you don’t get to see it as you might in a submarine. First stop – Chellanam harbour. Less than 30 mins away. Walk the causeway there.
For local cabs, call JJ Tours and ask for Vivek.Puthenthodu beach. In the evening, you can watch the Beach Soccer League in full flow! 🙂 Cross the district border to reach Andhakaranazhi in Alleppey. Vivek’s suggestion. Quiet, with only locals around. Images never do justice. Anjilithara Road is just a mud track at one end, but the sereneness is out of the world. 5 mins walk from the resort. The breakfast view from the resort restaurant. Cherai for lunch. This is Chilliout. Funny name, but clean and pretty! Not to mention, great seafood. Squid and tuna. Cherai beach seemed surprisingly not much to talk about. This is high tide, but… Kuzhuppilly on the other hand, was lovely. Stretching indefinitely, and full of erm, love birds! The Vypin lighthouse as seen from the Puthuvype beach Puthuvype beach. Unfortunately not very well maintained. The National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom (I kid you not) aka Vallarpadam Basilica Remember this, from Kumbalangi Nights? If you know what OMKV stands for, you might drop in only for that kick! But you also have a beautiful sunset view here. One that you can enjoy while you eat absolutely local stuff. The Pal kappa was so-so, but we loved the kappa (beef) biriyani It’s hard to say goodbye, but we’ll be back in a bit -
Kochi Chronicles – Part 3
Where we play tourists at home! This is from 2020.
The Tower House is part of Neemrana Hotels Except for the psychedelic fish tank, very colonial indeed! Comfortable rooms, very old school! Look at that wicker! Don’t go by the cover. This is a boutique hotel – The Postcard Mandalay Hall And we’re in jew Town Fort House restaurant for lunch When in Kerala, gau for Porotta + beef! Mattancherry Palace I wish they maintained the frescoes, and the place in general, better Random tea break, because we have seen this spot upstairs in many movies 😀 Only look, no touch. The place is only for posh tourists. Might be old, but still very pretty! Some of the street art remains. This one is my favourite! Chinese fishing nets. Check. Yet to meet a sunset I haven’t liked The Biennale that revitalised Kochi All 5 heads agree that Kashi Cafe is a good spot for dinner The brownie is good, but the nostalgia is the clincher 🙂 Old school is so cool! -
Agonda
I have to admit, the Agonda vacation was more an “Ok, fine!” reaction to pandemic peer pressure. Having said that, seeing a place after 13 years does evoke a range of emotions!
In fact, Goa is a bundle of memories anyway! Our first visit was in 1997 – a college trip, and we were in Miramar when we heard that Princess Diana had died. I didn’t know then that this would be my home for two years at the dawn of the millennium. Our first vacation after marriage was Goa again, and we dropped in annually for three years from 2006, until we dropped it from our travel list altogether. And then it was 2021, and the world had changed!
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A Kerala Holi Day!
This wasn’t really a planned holiday, but thanks to my AmEx card, we had a Taj voucher to use. That sum being reasonably insignificant in the Taj scheme of things, we wanted to limit the amount we spent for a ‘free voucher’, and that was how Kovalam was chosen as a destination. That, and a chance to see relatives we hadn’t met in over a decade! In line with our miserly approach to this trip, we decided to get there by train. Through some excellent inattention to detail, we ended up in a 2nd Class Sleeper and not the A/C ‘Garib Rath’. It had been a while since we made a summer train journey, and the lack of practice showed! Meanwhile, train journeys are an excellent discovery process – of towns one never knew existed – and this one was no exception. But to cut a long story short, Kerala in the morning was quite a welcome sight!
