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-   -   Gujarat - Kerala Odyssey ! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/65192-gujarat-kerala-odyssey-2.html)

Beautiful snaps. Waiting for coastal Karnataka & Kerala snaps..

you missed Saputara -Nasik route. I have done a trip To Trivandrum -Dwaraka - Trivandrum in March on Gypsy.
On the way back I took this amazing route via Saputara.

We use the Saputara-Nasik route everytime we go to Shirdi (which is once a month). If i wouldve traveled through Nasik, I wouldve had to take the Pune-Goa route. We wanted to drive through NH17, as I wanted to show my girl the pretty Mumbai-Goa route. :)

BTW - Trivandrum-Dwarka must've been a splendid drive too!

Some dry pictures on the Panjim-Calicut route...

Mathranik

Beautiful photos, nice narration and very detailed too; way to go. Reminds me of my many trips on the same route from Ahmedabad to Kerala and back. Waiting for more Kerala photos...

I use the Saputara roure too on my way to Shirdi, its devine during the rainy seasons. Once on my way back to Ahmedabad, I drive all the way from Pune to Shirdi, Saputara to Ahmedabad about 730 kms was a very tough drive on a Fusion.

-Ramky
=====

Nice images and vivid description.

@ mathrank,

Very good description and thanks for all the info. and the pictures. The last time we were at Donna Sylvia, will check out Cidade de Goa next time.

K bhai

It was a great travelogue. I know that from Karawar to Kasaragod, the highway is totally in ruins. Yesterday, one of my friend came from Kochi in his M800. He told me that from Calicut to Kasaragod entire stretch of National Highway is in bad condition. Moreover hundreds of bullet tankers carrying LPG can be seen in this stretch. Amazed that you had only one puncture!:thumbs up

Nice Pics indeed... Keep them rolling...

My trip to Dwarka was great indeed. Roads in Gujarat is inpressive. I studied and lived in Baroda more than 13 years and never did any big travelling while i was living there.
Dwarka is a powerful place but I didnt feel that about Somnath.

Both, Dwarka and Somnath, have their own significance and beauty. But I guess Dwarka, as a spiritual place, has more following and as you said, it does come up to be very peaceful and strong in one's senses.
The roads in Gujarat are definitely very good and even the State highways are well-maintained. But when it comes to scenic beauty along the roads, a very few States can tough Kerala for its reputation (ofcourse counting Himachal as an exception!). Its green, pretty clean, beautiful and has some great backwater villages. You would definitely notice it in my upcoming posts in this threat.

The sound of rains woke us up at 7.30am. We had decided to sleep without an alarm, as it wasn't really a long drive today. We were to get ready, have our buffet breakfast at the hotel and drive to Kumarakom today via Cochin. It was a 225 odd kms to drive, but having had a good measure of the Kerala roads already, I had estimated it to be a 6-7 hours drive! After a lazy getting-ready ordeal, we had one of the best breakfasts of the trip so far. The great thing about the Kerala Cuisine is that its simple and easily digestible and yet so tasty! Most of the good taste otherwise is sinful... :D
The Calicut beach was right next to the hotel, and we drove up to it - one thing that was very noticeable was the cleanliness. A beach like this in Gujarat wouldve been full of litter! Very impressed here.
Then started our drive through the city, to the highway and then to Kumarakom via Cochin and Shertallai. The roads till Cochin were impressive, with the luxury of 4-lanes every now and then! We made goodd time again, and it took us 3 hours and a bit to cross Cochin. The city is mighty impressive, even by the look of it from the highway! The development has been incredible since the last time I saw it. I guess a lot of money has been steadily flowing in from the 'Gelf'. :)
I had been following the Autocar India direction maps in Kerala, and they helped a LOT! :thumbs up The road from Shertellai is considerably narrow with villagers passing by on bicycles and motorcycles. Average speed here was slow, but who wanted to drive fast with such beautiful scenes around. We had the first sight of the backwaters soon, and she wouldn't stop jumping up and down! (She has been born and brought up in the US, and hasn't seen anything remotely similar - and the houseboats really excited her!)
Our destination now was Lake Song Resort, where we were to spend one day, before a couple of days in Coconut Lagoon.
At around 2.00 pm , we reached the resort (after a bit of hunting, due to numerous forks on the way and us taking the wrong roads a couple of times, losing around 15-20 mins) and the first reaction was 'Wow!' . It was right on the banks of Vembanad Lake, and was newly built (relatively). Lush green, ducks running around, a small canal right through the whole property, beautiful cottages and a nice pool overlooking the lake. Any more words, and I would be doing injustice to it . Pictures would explain it better!

It is truly a bliss to be in Kerala in monsoon. Everything there oozes of serene beauty! We had around three days at leisure in Kumarakom, including half a day in a houseboat. I wasnt keen on spending the night on the houseboat, as I had done it before and I feel that the real beauty is to see the sunset in it, and then head back to the luxuries of your cottage!
Lake Song as well as Coconut Lagoon were perfect examples of luxury with old-world charm and a touch of true local heritage - especially Coconut Lagoon for the latter. They are a very eco-friendly property, and have taken a lot of initiatives in this front. They even had a rare breed of cows there, to preserve the type.
The only approach to the resort is through a boat. We parked our car at their private jetty, and were swiftly transferred to the resort. It is amazing to notice that their main entrance gate is actually a barrier(ala railway crossings) right on a canal! We were welcomed with fresh coconut water and garlands! While we were being explained the activities and amenities at the resort, I was more on the 'observation' mode. It was truly a piece of brilliance. How one yearn to be in a silent yet soothing environment, and its right here!
Beautiful wooden interiors in the 'mansion' awaited us. They had a unique open-to-sky bathroom. It was two-level mansion, with living room on the lower level and the bedroom on top. The smile on our faces just wouldn't fade!
That day was spent well in and around the property. There was a lot to do.. Fishing, kayaking, village tour, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary(done the next morning), evening sunset cruise, doing Nothing lying down on a hammock tied neatly next to the vemdanad Lake....I had already started believing that it was too short a time to spend at such a nice place. Oh, and did i mention the food?! Amazing...just brilliant stuff! The sea-food, local cuisine and everything else...couldn't pronounce some of it, but what the heck - I wouldnt find it in Gujarat anyway!!
It didnt rain till late evening, when we went in the pool for some lazy moments and drinks right IN the pool :thumbs up There was a nice jacuzzi within the pool, and the place wasnt exactly crowded. Retired at 1 am..

Next morning was an early trip (6 am) to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, right across the canal at the resort. A lot of birds could be spotted early on, and we were given the option of a guided tour with a motor boat or a self trip on a kayak. We chose the latter, and were given binoculars. Its a very silent, almost eerie, walk down the Sanctuary. Old wooden-bridges, small water streams flowing through the trek...and a lot of strange bird noises. Another great feeling! We spotted quite a few birds, ofcourse not exactly identifying them without a guide - I guess a Siberian stork, heron, darter, among others. All this is pure guess work, comparing what we saw to the bird chart they had given us.
An hour and a half later, we returned for another great breakfast, and then off to our house boat. It was a luxurious affair, and a new well-maintained boat. It was an 8-hour cruise, with lunch. Although it was my third time on the houseboat, it never ceased to surprise and impress me. She, ofcourse, was way too excited, noticing the villages on both ends of the backwaters, the coconut trees leaning dangerously all around, shops on water, the paddy fields and a lot of other huge houseboats and fishing boats. There was a small, but beautiful, church right in the middle of the waters - what a sight! The backwaters here are strikingly different from the ones in Allepy. There was a marked difference in the scenery.
Lunch was served, with our choice of lobsters. Needless to say, it was tasty. A lot of time was then spent on the upper deck, with no one but few birds every now and then to disturb us. We were absorbing all that the nature had in offer for us...nice fresh breeze, peaceful silence and greenery all around...

Some pictures from the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary and around..

Pictures from the houseboat cruise ....

Good photographs am a regular visitor to Kerala.I have done these roads for the past 23yrs.I go to Sabarimala every year you bet monsoon is the best time to be in Kerala.Roads never a problem.