Trip to Kerala

I went on a vacation to Kerala along with my parents. It was one of the best ever trips I’ve ever gone (not that I’ve gone many times, but best of the few that I’ve gone till now). I generally love travelling and was very excited about the trip.

On 19th afternoon I left office and went home to pick my parents. Then we drove to the airport. This was the first time we were travelling by air!!!!!!!! IT 2483, a Kingfisher flight, leaving from chennai at 6.45 pm and reaching cochin at 8.15pm. Though it was the first time at the airport, all the routines were performed without much confusion coz of the wonderful service rendered by the Kingfisher attendants. Soon we were dropped near the flight and we boarded it. I was soooooooo excited!!! As soon as the flight took off, I kept peeping out through the window (though it was dark outside). The city lit by the street lights looked like a star studded sky during the night. They served snacks which consisted of a Blackforest cake. I gobbled mine and before laying hands on my mother’s :-p. As we were about to land, I had an uneasy feeling in the the stomach as if I was on a giant wheel going down.
At cochin airport, we met the driver sent by the travels where we booked a tour package. The package consisted of a one night stay at cochin, two nights at Munnar, one night at Thekkady and one night at Alleppy. We reached the hotel at Cochin and stayed there for the night. The next day, after breakfast, we started to Munnar. On the way, I was gaping at the sceneries once we started going up the hills. Each moment was worth capturing(missed taking a video cam). The greenery was captivating. There were houses on the slopes of the hills. They looked very cute. On the way we came across a few waterfalls, viewpoints (from where there was a wonderful view of the tea plantations,houses, lakes down the hill). It was a feast to my eyes. Though the drive to Munnar was long, I enjoyed each and every moment of it.

We reached the resort, where we stayed, at about 5pm that evening. There was a sit-out in the room from which we had a wonderful view outside. There were so many beautiful flowers on the way and also at the resort. The next day we went to the Matttupatty dam and went boating, initially on a speed boat and then on a pedal boat. The scenery was breathtaking and I enjoyed every moment of the boating. That day night we watched the other lodgers celebrate Diwali at the resorts. There was also a campfire where people were dancing.

The next day morning we started to Thekkady. We reached there at noon. Unfortunately, since it was a Sunday and the day after Diwali, we did not get tickets for boating. So the whole day was wasted. We just roamed around for sometime and did some purchasing at a handicraft shop. The next day morning we got the tickets for boating at 7am. It was a 2 hr long boating trip. Though two hours was very long, we saw a few rare species of wild animals on the way. There were some blocks erected in the middle of water. Some of them had nests which housed certain rare birds. They looked very beautiful.

The best part of the trip is yet to come. After we came from the boating we had our breakfast and then started to Alleppy where we were to stay in a HOUSEBOAT!!!!!! Yes, a houseboat, which will have only us and a three member crew one for controlling the movement of the boat on cruise, one for cooking and the other for housekeeping. We checked in at about 2pm. The boat consisted of a sit-out containing dining table with 3 chairs and benches on the sides for having a wondeful view of the backwaters with the coconut trees adding to the beauty of the scenery. It was so calm and peaceful and we are left to ourselves to enjoy. The food was cooked in the boat itself and it was very homely. We loved it. Then there were two rooms consisting of doublebeds and an attached bathroom. It was very neatly maintained. I felt at home there.My parents also loved the stay. As soon as we checked in, we moved away from the shore. It was a cruise on the backwaters. We saw similar houseboats and waved with excitement at the inmates. According to me it was heaven on earth. My parents and I were far away from the tension,pressure and stress that we face back at home. It felt great. There was a balcony at the top which also offered a fantastic view of the backwaters. During the night the boat was anchored in the middle of the backwaters near some fields. It is better to book a AC houseboat since there will be flies and mosquitoes disturbing us once the boat is anchored for the night. There was a TV and VCD player also. Since we stayed only for a night, we did not require anything and we were just satisfied with enjoying the nature’s beauty. But if you are staying for more than a day it is better to take some CDs or books or anything that will help you to avoid getting bored. I just loved this stay very much.

The next day we checked out at 9am and reached cochin. There were some sightseeing, boating and finally we reached the railway station at about 5pm to board the Alleppy Express and reached Chennai on 25th morning. On the whole it was a fabulous trip which I will never forget in my life. I relished each and every moment of it.