Monday, April 22, 2013

Roadtrip to Kerala

We drove from Bangalore to Cochin last weekend and I must say that I was quite surprised. The roads were in great condition except for a stretch of around 5 km after Palakkad. It was our first long road trip ever since Ellen was born a year ago. I was a little apprehensive about how a one year old would be able to sit in a car for 12 long hours, but she kept herself occupied. We took short break every 2 hours, for her to be able to stretch her legs. 

Breakfast was ham sandwiches, however for lunch we stopped at a place called Rice Bowl in Kerala, assuming it was the same group of restaurants from Bangalore but when we saw the famous "fish curry meals" in the menu we were pretty sure we were mistaken :). 

Anyways, as soon as we crossed the border into Kerala, we were welcomed by plenty of greenery, paddy fields, coconut trees, rivers and ponds. Loverrrly! 

We stayed in Cochin for a few days and then drove to Kottayam, via Kumarakom, another beautiful part of Kerala popular for its backwaters. However, I did notice that it has turned into some kind of a touristy spot, couple of nice hotels, Taj Vivanta being one of them. 

Kerala is hot as hell in the month of April, so a better time to go there would be in December when it is pleasant, not hot and not raining. 

On our way back, we noticed a couple of elephants being transported in large trucks to Thrishur for Thrishurpuram. Was a pity that I couldn't stay back for Thrishurpuram, but may be some other day !