Entertainment in Kottyam, Kerala ?

esteem_lover · 5th June 2008, 17:43

dear mallu BHPians,
am visiting kottayam on saturday 7th June. I have all day to kill & would love to know what is hot in this town. Any bhpians around in this place ? Any nearby place that i could visit (not more than an hour's travel) ? Any ideas would be greatly welcomed.

cheers

supremeBaleno · 5th June 2008, 17:49

Hey John, how are you going down to kerala ? Train ? I would be catching the train (2623 Tvm Mail) tomorrow evening to spend the weekend there.

Regarding entertainment options at Kottayam, you have Kumarakom and the backwaters pretty close. And as is said about Kottayam, "After sunset, there is only one person in Kottayam who is sober - the statue of M.K.Gandhi in the town square". So you know what to expect ?

Proper Kottayam residents can throw more light on other places nearby which are worth visiting.

esteem_lover · 5th June 2008, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Hey John, how are you going down to kerala ? Train ? I would be catching the train (2623 Tvm Mail) tomorrow evening to spend the weekend there.

Regarding entertainment options at Kottayam, you have Kumarakom and the backwaters pretty close. And as is said about Kottayam, "After sunset, there is only one person in Kottayam who is sober - the statue of M.K.Gandhi in the town square". So you know what to expect ?

Proper Kottayam residents can throw more light on other places nearby which are worth visiting.

He he he , seems like we are on the same train. Where are you headed from kottayam ?

kutlee · 5th June 2008, 17:56

Kumaroakom, may be the ideal option. But the rains? i think it should be more fun.
or may be you can have a drive to Kumili and come back?
Or a drive to Munnar and come back same day?

jkdas · 5th June 2008, 17:57

Kolle! I bet e_l will have a kuppi on board the train now!

Kumarakom bird sanctuary

Kumarakom for kallu
A boat ride to Muhamma from Kumarakom
Food at Chic King near Windsor
Food at Karimbumkala

Drive down to Alapuzha, meet TBHPains at Kallu shap at AC road.

esteem_lover · 5th June 2008, 18:26

Thanks all for the response, hope to meet some of you there

JayD · 5th June 2008, 18:31

M.G University!!!

speedzak · 5th June 2008, 18:40

John, welcome to god's own country.

There are lots of good places to see around Kottayam. Kumarakom being the most famous, I would suggest you a daytrip there. You can go on a backwater cruise, get high on local toddy, fill up your belly with unlimited truckloads of prawns, crabs, pearlspots, visit the bird sanctuary (if it's season now) and more....
Then, you can also opt for the hills if that's your brew. Vagamon, Kuttikkanam etc.. are not very far and can be done as a daytrip too.

If you are an avid fan/want to try authentic Kerala cuisine, a visit to Karimpinkala at Pallom (about 6 kms from Kottayam town towards chingavanam) is a must. There are 2 Karimpinkala. One comes first on the left side of the road and the other a bit ahead on the right side of the road. I would recommend you to go ahead to the right side one. Their food is far better, but they don't serve booze there.

esteem_lover · 10th July 2008, 18:02

Thanks SB, kutlee, jk & zak.

I just lazed around in my hotel room till afternoon & then took a bus to kumarakom. Was shocked to see that there was only one small road & rows of houses on either side when the conductor said this is kumarakom. I got down & just wandered a little bit & asked a shop wallah 'where is the real kumarakom ? ' He said something like i have to take an auto & travel for another half an hour something. I did not want to risk getting too far away from my train station in a completely unknown place. So just decided to hang around & then saw a board 'Ayurvedic massage' & took the plunge

. Wasn't too good, just spent an hour & took another bus back to kottayam. Heard from SB that buses stop by 8.00 pm. I took mine at 7.45pm. touch & go. All in all a day spent lazing around.

Rusty · 13th July 2008, 17:15

I would recommend Karimpinkaala too. It's a must if you are in Kottayam.

In Kumarakom, don't expect to see too much though. It's a bird sanctuary but both times I have been there I didn't see anything other than a crow

Anyway it is a beautiful place, awesome scenery. It would be also worthwhile to take a ride in a hand rowed boat ("Vallom"), that was the best part of both our trips there.

If you have some time, you could also visit Rammakkal Medu. Its roughly 100Kms from Kottayam nearing the TN border. It's worth a visit.

5th June 2008, 17:43	#1
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Entertainment in Kottyam, Kerala ? dear mallu BHPians, am visiting kottayam on saturday 7th June. I have all day to kill & would love to know what is hot in this town. Any bhpians around in this place ? Any nearby place that i could visit (not more than an hour's travel) ? Any ideas would be greatly welcomed. cheers
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 17:49	#2
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,698 Times View My Garage	Hey John, how are you going down to kerala ? Train ? I would be catching the train (2623 Tvm Mail) tomorrow evening to spend the weekend there. Regarding entertainment options at Kottayam, you have Kumarakom and the backwaters pretty close. And as is said about Kottayam, "After sunset, there is only one person in Kottayam who is sober - the statue of M.K.Gandhi in the town square". So you know what to expect ? Proper Kottayam residents can throw more light on other places nearby which are worth visiting.
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 17:56	#4
kutlee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,141 Thanked: 232 Times View My Garage	Kumaroakom, may be the ideal option. But the rains? i think it should be more fun. or may be you can have a drive to Kumili and come back? Or a drive to Munnar and come back same day?
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 17:57	#5
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Kolle! I bet e_l will have a kuppi on board the train now! Kumarakom bird sanctuary Kumarakom for kallu A boat ride to Muhamma from Kumarakom Food at Chic King near Windsor Food at Karimbumkala Drive down to Alapuzha, meet TBHPains at Kallu shap at AC road. Last edited by jkdas : 5th June 2008 at 17:59.
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 18:26	#6
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Thanks all for the response, hope to meet some of you there
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 18:31	#7
JayD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cochin! At last Posts: 3,236 Thanked: 2,568 Times View My Garage	M.G University!!!
	() Thanks

5th June 2008, 18:40	#8
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	John, welcome to god's own country. There are lots of good places to see around Kottayam. Kumarakom being the most famous, I would suggest you a daytrip there. You can go on a backwater cruise, get high on local toddy, fill up your belly with unlimited truckloads of prawns, crabs, pearlspots, visit the bird sanctuary (if it's season now) and more.... Then, you can also opt for the hills if that's your brew. Vagamon, Kuttikkanam etc.. are not very far and can be done as a daytrip too. If you are an avid fan/want to try authentic Kerala cuisine, a visit to Karimpinkala at Pallom (about 6 kms from Kottayam town towards chingavanam) is a must. There are 2 Karimpinkala. One comes first on the left side of the road and the other a bit ahead on the right side of the road. I would recommend you to go ahead to the right side one. Their food is far better, but they don't serve booze there.
	() Thanks

10th July 2008, 18:02	#9
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Thanks SB, kutlee, jk & zak. I just lazed around in my hotel room till afternoon & then took a bus to kumarakom. Was shocked to see that there was only one small road & rows of houses on either side when the conductor said this is kumarakom. I got down & just wandered a little bit & asked a shop wallah 'where is the real kumarakom ? ' He said something like i have to take an auto & travel for another half an hour something. I did not want to risk getting too far away from my train station in a completely unknown place. So just decided to hang around & then saw a board 'Ayurvedic massage' & took the plunge. Wasn't too good, just spent an hour & took another bus back to kottayam. Heard from SB that buses stop by 8.00 pm. I took mine at 7.45pm. touch & go. All in all a day spent lazing around.
	() Thanks

13th July 2008, 17:15	#10
Rusty Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	I would recommend Karimpinkaala too. It's a must if you are in Kottayam. In Kumarakom, don't expect to see too much though. It's a bird sanctuary but both times I have been there I didn't see anything other than a crow Anyway it is a beautiful place, awesome scenery. It would be also worthwhile to take a ride in a hand rowed boat ("Vallom"), that was the best part of both our trips there. If you have some time, you could also visit Rammakkal Medu. Its roughly 100Kms from Kottayam nearing the TN border. It's worth a visit.
	() Thanks