To Kerela and back
It all started with a long weekend for independence day coming up and me wondering about where to head out . Having heard about the Nehru Boat Race for a very long time I asked around and soon found some enthusiastic team mates ready to join.
ALLEPPEY
Looked up team-bhp and found the route for the long drive out:
I started from home around 4:30am and picked up the other folks on route and we were at Silk Board Junction and ready to hit the high way at 5:00a.m. . Turned on some good old golden hits from Kishore Kumar and RD Burman and hit the gas pedal and started cruising.
We stopped by at A2B near Krishnagiri for breakfast around twlight. After piping hot idlies and coffee started the long haul . It was all tolled roads all the way from Bangalore NH7 to Coimbatore. The best stretches was the early morning section around Salem with misty hills all around . The rest of the highway was all high speed driving all the way till we hit the Avanashi-Coimbatore stretch. After a short break for tea at a roadside stall I started the toughest part of the drive with huge craters around Palakkad-Thrissur . One was perpetually on first and second gear , trying to avoid the huge cracks in the ground. A friend had forewarned me on that stretch but its only to be driven to be believed. The Palakkad-Thrissur-Coimbatore section is quite scenic but the huge craters kills it a bit. We stopped at Thrissur for lunch and were at the final pit stop Alleppey, just in time for tea. We checked into the lovely cottages at keraleeyam overseeing the lake for the night .
That night was spent in a whole lot of discussions on various topics and some music again .
We woke up next morning and since the online boat race tickets hadn't yet been delivered as promised , a couple of frantic calls had to made and we were told to collect it from the Tourist office. So post breakfast we headed that way and onto the Boat Race zone.
The 100–120 feet long canoes made of a forest wood locally called "Aanjili thadi" carrying 90- 110 rowers which moves like a snake through the channels , is an eye catching sight for any tourist. The Chundan Vallam also has the record as "the biggest water vessel used for sports purpose" .
We headed back to the cottage and had another long session discussing various issues till late night .
COCHIN
We wanted to find a place to stay around Fort Cochin and also visit a few historical places that I had readup on and mom had mentioned. As we entered the city , the sign boards lead us to the Dutch Palace and Jewish Synagogue . To my surprise most of the shops at these tourist spots of historical importance were of Kashmiri merchants with one or two Antique or Spice markets. I didn't get a local touch feeling to Kochi.
After that we called up a homestay number to check for availability and were lucky enough to find nice big clean rooms for just Rs 600 per night. A longish lunch at a restaurant that took forever to bring the food and then a bit of rest at the homestay and we headed to the beach to catch the sunset.
Walking around the Fort Cochin area was a pleasure with hardly any traffic and lovely old cottages all around. Life had a slow pace here and you could see people playing football, folks just cycling and walking around.
We walked around the market area and got back for dinner , where some big prawn fries awaited us.We were then all set for the drive back the next day.
As always I woke up early and went out to discover the Fort Cochin surroundings and looking at the architecture of the old buildings around.
I came back to the homestay and wokeup everyone, rather hurried them up to start our journey back to Bangalore.
It would be an 8hrs drive back home with the last stage , turning out to be extremely toughone with heavy downpour , hardly any visibility and huge queue at every toll booth.
Overall a good long drive and a fun filled weekend ..
Pictures from the trip here:
Alleppey
Cochin(Kochi)
ALLEPPEY
Looked up team-bhp and found the route for the long drive out:
Bangalore - Salem - Avanashi - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Ernakulam - Alleppey
--600kms drive that would take 12hrs with few short breaks .
I started from home around 4:30am and picked up the other folks on route and we were at Silk Board Junction and ready to hit the high way at 5:00a.m. . Turned on some good old golden hits from Kishore Kumar and RD Burman and hit the gas pedal and started cruising.
We stopped by at A2B near Krishnagiri for breakfast around twlight. After piping hot idlies and coffee started the long haul . It was all tolled roads all the way from Bangalore NH7 to Coimbatore. The best stretches was the early morning section around Salem with misty hills all around . The rest of the highway was all high speed driving all the way till we hit the Avanashi-Coimbatore stretch. After a short break for tea at a roadside stall I started the toughest part of the drive with huge craters around Palakkad-Thrissur . One was perpetually on first and second gear , trying to avoid the huge cracks in the ground. A friend had forewarned me on that stretch but its only to be driven to be believed. The Palakkad-Thrissur-Coimbatore section is quite scenic but the huge craters kills it a bit. We stopped at Thrissur for lunch and were at the final pit stop Alleppey, just in time for tea. We checked into the lovely cottages at keraleeyam overseeing the lake for the night .
That night was spent in a whole lot of discussions on various topics and some music again .
We woke up next morning and since the online boat race tickets hadn't yet been delivered as promised , a couple of frantic calls had to made and we were told to collect it from the Tourist office. So post breakfast we headed that way and onto the Boat Race zone.
These boats personify synchronization and sheer skill of a different kind, with 90-100 rowers in unison keeping it afloat and trying to get to the finish line. One mistake or out of synch motion meant a tumble into the water and the end to their dreams of lifting the trophy.
Each of these boats usually has a captain with either a drum or a whistle at the center or some teams also had a theme song to keep them going in a rhythm. I was also amazed to see middle aged women participate.
Each of these boats usually has a captain with either a drum or a whistle at the center or some teams also had a theme song to keep them going in a rhythm. I was also amazed to see middle aged women participate.
The race was mismanaged and authorities let in anybody and everybody and after awhile it was difficult to even stand and watch the rowers so we left in between and headed to the beach to catch the sunset. The alleppey beach to my surprise was well kept clean and some of the others took a dip and swam in the water.
We headed back to the cottage and had another long session discussing various issues till late night .
COCHIN
I woke up early next morning and explored the surroundings and then when everybody was up and about we headed to our next stop Kochi .
We wanted to find a place to stay around Fort Cochin and also visit a few historical places that I had readup on and mom had mentioned. As we entered the city , the sign boards lead us to the Dutch Palace and Jewish Synagogue . To my surprise most of the shops at these tourist spots of historical importance were of Kashmiri merchants with one or two Antique or Spice markets. I didn't get a local touch feeling to Kochi.
After that we called up a homestay number to check for availability and were lucky enough to find nice big clean rooms for just Rs 600 per night. A longish lunch at a restaurant that took forever to bring the food and then a bit of rest at the homestay and we headed to the beach to catch the sunset.
Walking around the Fort Cochin area was a pleasure with hardly any traffic and lovely old cottages all around. Life had a slow pace here and you could see people playing football, folks just cycling and walking around.
As always I woke up early and went out to discover the Fort Cochin surroundings and looking at the architecture of the old buildings around.
It would be an 8hrs drive back home with the last stage , turning out to be extremely toughone with heavy downpour , hardly any visibility and huge queue at every toll booth.
Overall a good long drive and a fun filled weekend ..
Pictures from the trip here:
Alleppey
Cochin(Kochi)
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