[GrandTourer]

With a busy schedule at work, the lockdown finally provided some time to finish this travelogue. Silver lining after all.

While most of our friends were scramming to get those last minute tickets to New Year Eve's parties and event, iceman. and I decided to convert a trip for a common friend's wedding to a road trip. Guess that is what is expected of two petrolheads. The wedding was to take place in Kochi on 28th Dec, so it only made sense to plan a trip across multiple towns in Kerala.

Before I begin with the usual descrtiption and photographs of the places we visited, let me just say that team-bhp has touched lives not just on the roads globally, but has reached depths greater than ever imagined.

[GrandTourer]

The road trip started on the wee hours of 27th Dec with a bag full munchies, a full tank of petrol, two enthuiastic nutters and this beast:


Without further ado, let's dive into first leg of the trip.

Day 1: Bangalore to Munnar
Started from Bangalore at 2 AM to avoid all kind of traffic and other nuisance on the road that usually starts with daybreak. The plan was to reach Munnar around noon and explore the misty mountainous city in the evening and grab a spot for a quiet sunset.


Everything was going as per plan - we were making great time on the beautiful roads leading to Kerala; not a pothole in sight on the Bangalore - Salem - Coimbatore - Munnar route. With a steady pace of ~80kmph, there was no mental fatigue or anxiety as is usually associated with our highways, what with people and livestock crossing the tarmac without a care in the world.


Even with the roads getting narrow to just a single carriageway, the quality of the surface did not let up.








The drive through the night was uneventful for the most part and if there's one thing we realized, it's that FasTag has made lines at the toll booth a lot shorter. None of the tolls took more than a minute no matter how many cars were ahead of us.

Soon we were at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve entrance. The officers take down the car's number and number of occupants. Although, we didn't spot any wildlife to out disappointment, we did come across some of the most beautiful roads snaking through the greenery.

Entry checkpoint of Anamalai Tiger Reserve:


A quick break for a photoshoot before we enter the forest zone:



After driving for about 8 hours, we finally saw the first of the tea plantations. They say leopards lurk in tea plantations, but the only things lurking there were a string of buses.

Somewhere close to Munnar:


You know you have bought the right car when you can't seem to stop clicking it:



Beautiful tea garden, but we didn't indulge yet as there was some distance still to go:




Truly God's Own Country.

[GrandTourer]

Both iceman. and I were singing praises about the road and about ourselves - how we started so early in the night and avoided all the traffic and reached Munnar in record time without even touching a 100 kmph. Well, the universe was catching up to us and it had different plans. As we neared the Eravikulam National Park, which is less than 20km from the city of Munnar, the traffic got so bad that we took 2 hours for the last 20 Kms.

And if that wasn't enough, we had forgotten to book the stay at Munnar (we booked stays for other places we were visiting, but not for the very first one ). But this surprisingly turned out to be a blessing in disguise. At the last minute, we managed to book a place about 5kms away from the city which opened just 21 days prior - Flutterby Inn. This place is situated on the top of a hill with the entire city of Munnar visible below. And what a view from the room. The road however, to the inn was so terrifying that I didn't have the heart to take the car out for lunch and sightseeing, for fear of nicking it, or worse, falling off the cliff.

The approach road to the Inn was just about wide enough for the Polo to pass. Had any other vehicle come down the road from the opposite end, even a two wheeler, I would have had to back up on this scary piece of mud road:


The fall on the other side was quite steeeep:


Sticking to the safer side, hoping I don't scratch the car


Once you step out of the driver's seat, it is actually a breathtaking view:




With the car parked precariously too close to the cliff, we took off on foot, well initially at least. You get those big auto rickshaws/tuk-tuks that run in every town of Kerala (Piaggio Apé and the likes).


Because of the traffic we encountered coming into Eravikulam National Park, we were late for almost every tourist attraction in Munnar. However, to be honest, we didn't really want to go to crowded places. Instead, after grabbing a modest meal, we walked around a bit till sunset.

I believe the most peaceful time I have had on a road trip was between that particular sunset and the next morning. I'll let the photos do the talking:
Lake near the Hydel Park:


The downwash of the plant:


The best twilight shot I ever got:




Our attempt at night photography, from our Inn:




And then some with astrophotography:
Camera: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+



And finally the best shot with a DSLR:
Nikon D3400 18mm f/4 30.0s ISO1600

[GrandTourer]

With the Euphoria of the night still lingering on when we woke up, the view from the window couldn't have been any better. First time in life, instead of checking messages, the first thing I reached for was the camera, while still in bed. Oh the view just demanded that. Decide for yourselves.

At dawn, with the sun still behind the mountains, no filter:


The light now getting the little brigther:




The Sun finally breaching the mountain tops to greet us with warmth:


Flutterby Inn located right at the top of the Hill:


That's all Tata's:




Just couldn't get enough of the view:


Creating a time lapse in parallel of one of the most beautiful sunrise:




After another hour or so of photography, we decided to finally move on to the next part of the trip. This road again

[GrandTourer]

Day 2: Munnar to Kochi

Leaving the beautiful hills and a breathtaking sunrise behind us, we left for Kochi, for that is where the wedding was... the entire reason this trip happened in the first place.
There wasn't much to talk home about on this route, except for the fact that it was a ghat road with lots of sharp twists and turn. Also, roadworks on most of the hilly stretch was playing spoil sport on our otherwise smooth and involving drive.

Soon we reached the town of Kothamangalam and decided to stop for breakfast. Being the hardcore non-vegetarian, we had to stop at a couple of places only to realize they were serving just veg. Surprising for Kerala (please forgive my ignorance, but I think of beef fry when I think of Kerala )
The sun was shining brightly, so was luck. At the very next junction we came across a restaurant by the name of "Cafe Manara", and what a place it was. The plan was to get a little something to recharge our bodies just enough to reach Kochi and gorge, but little did we know they we were going to do the exact opposite. We ordered some beef roast and a couple of parotha and hogged on the food like there's no tomorrow. It wasn't that we were famished, but more to do with how delicious the food was. We ended up eating 7 parothas and 2 beef roasts for breakfast (mind you the portions weren't small as well). The best surprise came when the bill arrived.

Rs. 330 for two people:


For a good enough setup:


We are no way related or affiliated to Cafe Manara, and it's a pretty darn good place to eat, if you happen to be on the route:


Traffic in Kochi somewhat reminded us of Bangalore, nothing too bad though. Initial plan was to go roam around Fort Kochi, but the temperature and humidity in Kochi made sure that we spent most of the afternoon in the airbnb.

By evening, I set out for the wedding (iceman. wasn't attending - he was in for the road trip alone) and iceman went on to explore Kochi by sunset. The wedding was a beautiful little affair. I really loved the simplicity in which the Kochites manage the entire wedding. Something else I noticed while driving to the wedding venue was how disciplined the traffic in Kochi is. Speaks volume about how education and civic belonging shapes a community to care for each other. There were hardly any motorists who cut across lanes, and everyone created a single file of cars to take a U-turn on the main roads. I have to admit I had to be extra careful to not let the Bangalore driving genes rear their ugly face there and get a bad rep amongst such disciplined drivers. Now this was our personal experience, and if you have seen similar or different behavior, we'd love to hear that.

Throughout the trip I was looking for a car wash, as I don't like to drive around in a dirty car as much as possible. Time being of essence, we couldn't stop and clean the car thoroughly, which was bugging me throughout the journey. More on that in the next chapter of the road trip...

[GrandTourer]

Day 3: Kochi to Alleppey

After a good night's sleep in the air conditioned airbnb in hot and humid Kochi, we reluctantly got ready to leave. It was however, unacceptable to me to take the car any further without some much needed TLC. So I asked the host if I could get a hose to wash down the car before heading out.


The car looks spic and span with a little wash.

With GMaps set to the airbnb booked in Alleppey, we set out for the next stage of the trip. Heading out of Kochi was a pain as we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic right on the outskirts of Kochi, but Google being Google, took us down some country road, and we were nothing but grateful for it.


You see, it took us to one of the most secluded, clean and empty beach. Not a single soul in sight at Thaickal Beach.


That's iceman. showcasing his skills with the camera.


Don't know why, but this tree caught my fancy:


One of those NatGeo photos


That good boi is living the "beach" life



With a plan in place to return to this beach at Sunset, we went on our way. The airbnb we booked was not exactly in the city of Alleppey as we wanted to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in a peaceful part of the district. And what a decision it turned out to be.
The place was in the middle of coconut plantations and the property itself had a few fruit trees and bang in the middle of it was this beautiful villa.



In terms of comfort and amenities, this was the best airbnb on the entire trip, that too at a very reasonable cost of 1800 per night. With just us and a middle-aged german couple, this was as peaceful as we had expected. Without any further do, we got back into the car and made a beeline to Marari beach - another super clean beach. It's just something about the people of Kerala, even the tourists that visit become responsible citizens here. I did not see anyone breaking traffic rules or littering. We came back to this beach come evening and grabbed a couple of beach chair and sat there watching the sun slowly meet the horizon and then eventually go for a swim.

[GrandTourer]

Oh, now did you really think we'd go to Alleppey and no do the backwaters boat ride? This one deserves it's own post.

Before starting from Kochi, we checked with the house boat operators and the costs were exorbitantly high (in the vicinity of 10-15k depending on the kind of house boat) and decided it was not worth spending that kind of moolah on a boat stay (I could remap my GT in that amount - stay tuned for that ).
Instead we booked a shikara and took a ride along the backwaters that cost us 2500 with the entire boat that can easily seat 10-15 people to ourselves.

The Journey starts:



That thing right there is over 10k a night.


That is how the residents go around the backwaters. A water shuttle service.


This one followed us all the way around. Maybe it just knows it's gonna get featured.


There were several houses like this one which were constructed on the small strip of land spread within the backwaters. The water ferry shuttle or tiny canoes being their only mode of transport.


Also, very beautiful resorts...




Not to mention, the very friendly hawk...



If you happen to be in Alleppey, please check out this place called Halais Restaurant. I have never seen such a setup before anywhere in India. The entrance to the restaurant is inside a shop, and there is a queue as long as the best restaurants in Bangalore to get a table. The shop itself is unlike any other and stocks all kinds of imported delicacies.

Brings back childhood memories of when we used to get sweets and candies from the middle east.

The entrance to the restaurant, inside the shop:


Loads of m&m's and Toblerones:


It's not just sweets. Household stuff imported in from various countries:


Ohh the sugar rush




Sorry forgot to click any photographs of the restaurant. The service was so quick and the food so delicious, that we forgot the act like the Instagram generation.

[GrandTourer]

Day 4: Alleppey - Periyar National Park - Bangalore

With that, the last leg of the journey commenced. We started early to avoid any kind of traffic, having learnt our lesson leaving Kochi the day before. The roads this time were really great all the way upto Periyar National Park. The country roads around Alleppey reminded us of out childhood days and of course we played the clichéd song "Ye Jo Des Hai Mera, Swades Hai Mera" through the narrow streets, although neither of us hailed from here.

The gentle hills, the chicanes and the blind hairpins, all added to the fun of driving along the ghats near Periyar. With such beautiful roads, iceman decided to take the wheels again. For the second time, when he sat at the helm, the Gods had different ideas for him in Their own country. The road surface took an unpleasant turn and iceman was soon pissed. Cursing his luck, he handed back reigns to me and voila!!! Beautiful road was back. It's like the road knew who was driving

We reached Periyar some 20 minutes late and the last boat safari had already departed. We decided however, to take the Jeep safari which takes you to the border of the forest. Yours truly misunderstood the operator and assumed it would be to the border at the far end "through the forest", when he actually meant the border "to the forest".
The only time during the entire trip where we felt shortchanged. Nevertheless, we had paid 2500/- for the Jeep safari and no scope of wildlife sighting (I was hopelessly positive though- And no, we didn't spot any animals). Determined to make the most of the safari, a devilishly smart plan hatched in iceman's mind. He'd ask the driver to let us drive the bare bones off-roader in the forest. The driverl, Talha, politely dodged the question. And rightfully so. The terrain was near impossible for a total novice to drive on. Iceman had some experience in off-roading, but I was as inexperienced as they come. A total off-road virgin, if you may.

The immensely capable off-roader, Talha (behind the wheel):


Iceman capturing the moment before the big climb


The forest in the vicinity, yet out of reach



The dirt track that you see... That's the one we climbed up in the 4x4. While most of the other drivers were building up speed racing up the hill, our guy just paced himself, put the CL500DI in 4Low and glided up the hill slowly, yet steadily.


Pose was all we could do at this point.


On top of the world:




All was not over yet. The cautious, yet friendly Talha let us have a go, each in his beloved... on the tarmac though.


I will end this travelogue with a "classy" Sardar Khan pose

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[JojyKerala]

Voted 5 stars. Never been to any of the places you mentioned though Periyar National Park is definitely in my to-visit list.

Regarding the Halais Restaurant mentioned by you, its quite popular with branches throughout Kerala. In Trivandrum itself, I'm aware of 2 or 3 Halais outlets. In fact, there is one called "Halais Infosys" because it's bang opposite the Infosys campus near Technopark.

[WhiteKnight]

Excellent travelogue. Truly respect your discipline on the road. Sad to know about missing the boat safari. However that could also have gifen you no animal sighting, if you weren't lucky. You should explore that place deeper to get to see the wonders.

Now you got the lady of the land, next time, plan to focus on a specific area—there are to many beautiful places out side the standard tourist attractions.

[Flyer]

Nice travelogue. You covered two of Kerala's best destinations in one trip. Btw is that a TBhp sticker on that house boat that followed you around?

[Dinesh_Malhotra]

Really good travelogue. I have always felt like visiting Kerala. It really is a place that is blessed with goodness and happiness both in the right proportions. No wonder most of the Keralites come across as humble beings filled with love and respect for each other(exceptions acknowledged!).

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by JojyKerala

Periyar National Park is definitely in my to-visit list.

Yes it should be... I'm going to visit it again with more.time on hand and finally get to the proper safari.

Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

Now you got the lay of the land, next time, plan to focus on a specific area—there are to many beautiful places out side the standard tourist attractions.

Definitely... That's the plan.

Originally Posted by Flyer

Nice travelogue. You covered two of Kerala's best destinations in one trip. Btw is that a TBhp sticker on that house boat that followed you around?

Yes it is. The moment we saw it, we knew that photo is going to be the first post in this travelogue.

Originally Posted by Dinesh_Malhotra

No wonder most of the Keralites come across as humble beings filled with love and respect for each other(exceptions acknowledged!).

Yes, it definitely shows.

[Aviator_guy]

Planning a 4-5 days trip to Kerala from Bangalore in April first week (2 adults+ 2 kids 10 yrs). Houseboat experience is our primary objective and we are ok to stay one or two nights for the experience. Looking for recommendation for 2BR houseboat and also possible things to do around Alleppey /Kochi apart from the houseboat.

Hill station like Munnar visit is out of scope for this trip as I plan to do it some other time.

Would highly appreciate good and reliable referenc or trip suggestions from our fellow BHPians