Kollam - A hidden gem (Day 1)

Off we go - I thought finally and was super excited even for our super short trip to Kerala ( Gods Own country it is called in India due to its divine locations, general calmness and the beauty). Due to some repeated health issues and other obstacles our different kinds of trips planned to Thailand, then to Bali etc did not get implemented. Cancelling all the foreign trip plans - we rounded on somewhere near - udupi ( TamilNadu) or Kerala in June - even they all got postponed or cancelled and so on...

This summer threw me a curveball - some health issues turned chronic and demanded long treatment sessions. I ended up spending weeks indoors, barely touching my usual hobbies or even picking up the phone. Also I believe there is NONE to call to coz all are in their soup! I don't feel like calling friends when there is really no plan or nothing exciting happening. Just to mope, it doesn't feel right! Every one nowadays prefers to mope like a mop in a corner😜 Doing otherwise is a blasphemy for adulting :) and anyway so all plans kept getting cancelled!

So we finally planned a 3.5 days or I must say just 3 day trip to Kollam , Kerala via Trivandrum. As soon as we reached, huge waves of Arabian sea welcomed us just outside the airport premises (I thought it is Bay of Bengal and my daughter corrected me with a taunt that what did I even study in school? 😀). Our moods got lifted seeing the sea...and another highlight of the day is meeting an old friend, who became a good blogger friend during one of A to Z writing challenges - Shail Mohan, she and her husband suggested a restaurant and we all met for lunch there...Sea food eating folks ordered some prawns and all of us tasted some Kerala style chicken biryani. Even if I don't eat fish, the fish gravy tasted great and biryani is okayish for my palate.

I felt jubilant on meeting Shail and we recollected , relived all the moments from our last meet which was nearly a dozen years ago in Hyderabad! Phew. Time did fly. I felt like a baby then, now am meeting her with my baby ☘️♥️ . We all guffawed , talked and went click click click but we had to disperse sooner as we wanted to continue with our trip and do some boating the same day...

We reached the Fragrant nature resort around 2 PM and were welcomed with a sweetish tangy beetroot juice I guess. I didn't ask what it is but felt good on the taste buds. The drizzles also gave a lyrical welcome to us. The resort is located just on the shores of paravur lake. The resort itself is nearer to paravur beach and a local Elephant park! Quite a dreamy setting for a long weekend get away. As I started taking in my surroundings, the resort manager or whoever it was - greeted us and explained breathlessly what we can do, what we need not, weather updates, complimentary boat rides so on so forth! As we already had an early lunch, we had time to relax for a while before we go ahead with our Kayaking! 

Welcome 

Interiors at the resort

    

Window view

"Kerala Travelogue- Day 1 - Bangalore to Cochin -- Munnar"

Finally I can almost strike off one long lasting wish from my "Wishlist of places to visit"! Kerala was on my to visit list from long and finally we formulated a plan to visit Munnar & Alleppey in Kerala (well there are many other places in Kerala which I want to cover but had no time). As we were 8 people (Me, my husband , my parents, In-laws and my brother and sister-in-law) the itinerary slightly differed for us. I started with my husband from Bangalore at 8:30 A.M. on the morning of May 1st and the rest of them started from Hyderabad at 9. A.M.. We reached airport well in advance and spent our time by doing something which will please both of us. No.Before you put your naughty minds to work, we both relished the hot BisiBellebath and Pongal at a Tiffin center followed by hot coffee. After strolling aimlessly in airport finally the boarding of our flight was announced and we got in to the bus which will take us to the Air India flight which we need to board. For a moment I felt we will go to Kerala in the same bus as it rounded the entire airport. We got down and the first thing I remembered was a toy airplane with which my nephew Ayaan plays. The plane was tooo small and looked pretty old. Due to recent MH 370 news I was dead scared and kept chanting whatever prayers I know. Unlike the look and feel of the flight which is ancient and rugged , the take off and landing were smooth.

In roughly 2 hours we reached Kochi (Cochin) airport and started waiting for our parents who joined us in half - hour. As and when I stepped out of the airport I realized Kerala was too humid and too hot. The horrible traffic jam en-route Cochin- Munnar dampened my spirits. We stopped at a hotel named Nanny's to have lunch which didn't suit our taste buds at all. There was mota - rice (rice bulkier than the usual rice we have here in Andhra) , fish fry and chicken , dal , avial and some other curries. Every thing looked delicious but there was less salt which made me eat less food. So in a way I was able to follow my diet regime perfectly :p

We had a mango ice candy to get temporarily relieved from the burning sun ! With out much ado we started off to Munnar. Zig zag roads, hair pin bends and the wet mud smell were all inviting and soothing. In no time it started drizzling and then it rained heavily.As we traveled more and more it got more and more dense and green. We came across many waterfalls and many churches on the way to Munnar. Clicked few of them. The below shared image is of Cheeyappara water falls

Cheeyappara water falls

The beautiful weather and backdrop of a church

The weather and the greenery made me sing songs and I totally got drenched when I got down to click some pics.

 

  

Clicked from the car window

After a long journey of about 4-5 hrs which actually seemed short due to blissful climate we reached our destination - "The Birds Valley resorts." We were warned by the hotel personnel that if we don't start by 4 we won't be able to catch the Kathakali and Kalaripayattu performances. We were informed that as it is a hill station by 5 - 6 O' Clock every thing will be closed. I felt bad as it was already 4:15. We all were pretty tired and hence ordered some tea which was served cold or may be it got cold due to the foggy / misty weather. We enjoyed the ambiance and clicked few pics quickly.

The beautiful Birds valley resorts

view from the resort room

We got ready asap and started off to Punarjani traditional village.  I always love the bumpy / scary rides at hill stations even if I momentarily get scared. We couldn't stop any where as we already got delayed. Unfortunately Kathakali performance has already started and I felt devastated as I always wanted to watch it. Kathakali is Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion (source: wiki ) . We tried to peep in to the auditorium from the gap between curtains but were glared at by one of the organizers. The performance seemed too energetic with a lot of rhythmic shouting along with the dance. The ticket was 200/- per head but I guess it was worth it. We went in to the arena where Kalaripayattu will be performed after Kathakali and waited patiently. Kalaripayattu is a Indian Martial art. It seemed like forever as the audience watching Kathakali had to come and settle in the area where we already were seated on benches. The seats were raised and arranged like in a stadium, in a circular fashion so that every one gets a clear view of the performance. Finally the show started and before going there I never thought it would be such an enthralling experience which I can remember through out my life. I only saw songs and performances on TV and never admired it much. I remembered SRK from Dil se and the song Jiya Jale Jaan Jale as and when I saw their attire but once I started watching I realized the performers are the real heroes. Enchanted is a small word to describe my feeling. Below are few glimpses of the performance. Their strength mesmerized us. Their body mind co-ordination amazed us and their valor made us stand and applaud!

One of the most dangerous acts with fire

Jumping through fire rings. I gasped

We got an opportunity to pose with the performers. Many other visitors who watched Kathakali got an  opportunity to pose with artists and dancers too. I almost wanted to take an autograph of an young chap who was exceptionally good compared to others but I was not partial and praised every one and clicked most of them. Punarjani means rebirth and every performer's name had this suffix when they were called in to the arena to perform!

My husband posing with one of the energetic performers. He was more charismatic than the others :) I became a FAN, no, not to my husband but to the actual performer :P

This was a great show and if at all you are visiting Munnar you should make this a must visit place in your itinerary. This is truly a nail biting show and will make you gasp and shriek. I also felt very good as our traditional art forms are preserved. I wish they get more and more funds and help and they make it  more BIG! You will be engrossed for a total 2 + hours and after watching you will feel the ticket was not that pricey! For more reviews go to trip advisor. After this performance we reached our resort and called it a night immediately post dinner as we were exhausted. This ends the day 1 of my Munnar trip which was soothing and the Punarjani performance spiced up the day :)

The Kathakali performance which we missed at Punarjani

                                           

 Image source: here

It was love at first sight as soon as we stepped in to this town midst Western Ghats! Sharing this beautiful love song- Jiya Jale Jaan Jale about which I spoke earlier. SRK looks extremely hot in this ;) It has few Malayali words which I decoded with the help of few Mallu friends! Meet you soon again with day 2!