[Rajain]

Hey Lalu this is an excellent narration complimented by fine photography that gives a a wonderful view to areas that we don't normally see in magazines and shows. You are right any drive over 2500 kms is a lot of drive. Let the pictures keep coming. Just curious what height is Ponmudi?

[basilmabraham]

Wonderful post. Even though I live in Cochin, I never made time to have a thorough visit like you did to any of these places. Kudos to you and family for taking the time out.

Wonderful snaps too.

[rknair]

Lalu, though I lived half my life in Thiruvananthapuram, never got a chance to go around my native state. Thank you for showing my dream holiday through photos. Hooked on to this thread...

[Dhar's]

@ Laluks
Beautiful photos. Excellent writeup as usual.
So amazing that my own home town is so beautiful. I hail from Kollam and live just 2 kms away from Thangasseri light house but I never have climbed up the light house yet!!
This makes me understand what and how much I miss this place.
Thanks for sharing.

[SS-Traveller]

This must have been such a nostalgic trip down memory lane for both of you, and a very insightful trip for the girls. Fondly remember a number of the places from your pictures, from an extensive trip back in 2004 (when I forgot to carry my camera too ). This was a family trip, but the first time I travelled around KL was in 1994, on a Yamaha RX100 borrowed from a friend who was studying in Thiruvananthapuram.

Unfortunately for us, I remember the weather to have played spoilsport to some extent in early December, with rain and high humidity making it difficult to travel around - esp. since someone from north India is already well into winter mode at that time of the year!

[MotoNanu]

Another masterpiece from laluks!
I love the way you make the whole trip a fun and learning experience for all of us. Great way of spending family time

DSC_5235: "Some one punched him in his eye"

[vinair]

Kidallan photos maashe!!! This place is truly a heaven on earth!! Having lived all my life in Bangalore and occasionally visiting Kerala (read that has once in 5 or six years!!), I feel I have just seen a fraction of this place!

I have now made it a point to visit Kerala every year during the monsoon to just bask in the glory of this land that does every justice to its famous tagline, 'God's Own Country'!

[hellstar]

Originally Posted by Rajain

Hey Lalu this is an excellent narration complimented by fine photography that gives a a wonderful view to areas that we don't normally see in magazines and shows. You are right any drive over 2500 kms is a lot of drive. Let the pictures keep coming. Just curious what height is Ponmudi?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponmudi

Approx Altitude: MSL+ 1100m

[rajeev k]

Excellent photography as usual. These places never had it so good and were never etched so beautifully earlier. The world becomes more beautiful through the lenses of committed connoisseurs of this art like you. Keep clicking.

[ravib]

I still keep seeing your Valparai trip fotos in awesome civic and tell my wife, we need to go here again.

Now you are increasing the to-visit places list with kerala snaps !


-Ravi

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

(Beef fry and banana fritters are truly irresistible for mallus!)

Originally Posted by laluks

[b]
Banana Fritters - Mallu's cant resist this

Not only Mallus, even others can't resist "banana fritters", or Payampori as I know it! Fours years of engineering spent eating that stuff and you can't have enough of it all your life!

Lovely photolog @laluks. The first few (night) pictures are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! And so is the place of course! Thanks for sharing this!

[sushrutha]

Fantastic pics...
I know how some of the pics are pretty nostalgic, sentimental & Emotional
Crisp narration too.

[BinFord]

Wow, awesome post laluks.I think I have followed your post on Gavi ( Civved to Gavi)and went for a trip last year to Gavi with fellow BHPian Rajni . Actually it was an informative post and we got enough updates for planning the trip in a nice way. Thanks for that.

Anyways nice to see a detailed ,well descriptive and pictorial travelogue.
Keep going.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Super post Lalu. The food especially, made my mouth water. I miss the "Naadan" food and ambiance here in Bangalore. Beautiful pictures too. Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam both are special to me, so is Sasthamkotta. I keep visiting those places now and then. Your travelogue brought out lot of good memories. Thank you
(Beef fry and banana fritters are truly irresistible for mallus!)

How much I missed our food, was evident after I cam back. Added a couple of Kilos to the already heavy body

Originally Posted by Rajain

Hey Lalu this is an excellent narration complimented by fine photography that gives a a wonderful view to areas that we don't normally see in magazines and shows. You are right any drive over 2500 kms is a lot of drive. Let the pictures keep coming. Just curious what height is Ponmudi?

Thanks Rajain. hellstar has answered the query for you.

Originally Posted by hellstar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponmudi
Approx Altitude: MSL+ 1100m

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

Wonderful post. Even though I live in Cochin, I never made time to have a thorough visit like you did to any of these places. Kudos to you and family for taking the time out.

Wonderful snaps too.

Originally Posted by rknair

Lalu, though I lived half my life in Thiruvananthapuram, never got a chance to go around my native state. Thank you for showing my dream holiday through photos. Hooked on to this thread...

Originally Posted by Dhar's

@ Laluks
Beautiful photos. Excellent writeup as usual.
So amazing that my own home town is so beautiful. I hail from Kollam and live just 2 kms away from Thangasseri light house but I never have climbed up the light house yet!!
This makes me understand what and how much I miss this place.
Thanks for sharing.

Its quite natural that we tend to overlook our own places. The moment we realise the same then it might be just too late or we are too far away, etc.. I just could not resist the urge. And thanks to my wifey to help in making the plan and places to visit.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

800 Kms within a week in Tvm, WOW!
Thanks for sharing the experience, wonderful captures and captions too

That by any means is a lot of drive, considering the size of districts.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

This must have been such a nostalgic trip down memory lane for both of you, and a very insightful trip for the girls. Fondly remember a number of the places from your pictures, from an extensive trip back in 2004 (when I forgot to carry my camera too ). This was a family trip, but the first time I travelled around KL was in 1994, on a Yamaha RX100 borrowed from a friend who was studying in Thiruvananthapuram.

Unfortunately for us, I remember the weather to have played spoilsport to some extent in early December, with rain and high humidity making it difficult to travel around - esp. since someone from north India is already well into winter mode at that time of the year!

Very true SST. The PPGs had no clue what their mumma dadda had experienced at their age. They have not missed the beaches much, but the backwaters, the greens, the temples, the narrow roads, etc..would have given them a good feel of what we were used to

In 1994, there could be very high chances that I would have crossed your paths somewhere in my RX100 in Trivandrum.

Originally Posted by MotoNanu

Another masterpiece from laluks!
I love the way you make the whole trip a fun and learning experience for all of us. Great way of spending family time

DSC_5235: "Some one punched him in his eye"

Thanks MotoNanu. Glad you liked the pictures. That Gold fish really looked as if he came out of a fight!

Originally Posted by vinair

Kidallan photos maashe!!! This place is truly a heaven on earth!! Having lived all my life in Bangalore and occasionally visiting Kerala (read that has once in 5 or six years!!), I feel I have just seen a fraction of this place!

I have now made it a point to visit Kerala every year during the monsoon to just bask in the glory of this land that does every justice to its famous tagline, 'God's Own Country'!

Thanks vinair. Kerala has always been beautiful, and I only wish I could see her retaining it for the years to come.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Excellent photography as usual. These places never had it so good and were never etched so beautifully earlier. The world becomes more beautiful through the lenses of committed connoisseurs of this art like you. Keep clicking.

Thanks rajeev_k for the kind words. Infact we needed some memories to look back to, it is not often one can do such trips.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Not only Mallus, even others can't resist "banana fritters", or Payampori as I know it! Fours years of engineering spent eating that stuff and you can't have enough of it all your life!

Lovely photolog @laluks. The first few (night) pictures are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! And so is the place of course! Thanks for sharing this!

Payampori - especially the very ripe ones fried in Ghee

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Fantastic pics...
I know how some of the pics are pretty nostalgic, sentimental & Emotional
Crisp narration too.

Very Very True Sushrutha.

Originally Posted by BinFord

Wow, awesome post laluks.I think I have followed your post on Gavi ( Civved to Gavi)and went for a trip last year to Gavi with fellow BHPian Rajni . Actually it was an informative post and we got enough updates for planning the trip in a nice way. Thanks for that.

Anyways nice to see a detailed ,well descriptive and pictorial travelogue.
Keep going.

Thanks BinFord

[_raVan_]

Laluks, Thekkumbhagam is the place where my dad was brought up. We visit there every year when possible. I have got a lot of fond memories from that place as I used to go there during my vacations My cousins and relatives still live there and in Karunagappalli.

Thanks for sharing these pics, and your photographs are really good.