Kerala Xmas 2011 / New Year 2012 Archives - Page 2 of 2

23rd December 2011

Day 6 Vanilla County – 23rd Dec 2011

A lazy start with an 8.30 breakfast of rice pancakes with coconut milk and banana jam, omelette, and toast and pineapple jam and excellent coffee from the estate (Robusta coffee) and roasted by a friend.

We the had a 45 min tour of the garden – pepper, cardamom, wild lemon grass, nutmeg, Jack fruit, cashew, vanilla, coffee, turmeric, ginger …..

We the set off for a 2 hour walk cross country over the local hill through the rubber plantations. We now know all about rubber.

Baby our guide also told us all about local plants, bananas, pineapples. Towards the end of the walk the kids started to tire – fortunately we passed Baby Mathew’s brothers house on the last downhill stretch and although the children were skipping merrily down the track they climbed sheeplike into the jeep Baby’s brother who of all they knew was that of some strange man. So much for all the parental advice of not accepting lifts from strangers – it obviously has not quite sunk in yet!! Sadly Anna had hurt herself, falling and grazing her knee, and was someway behind the other children and so missed the lift and had to hobble the rest of the way downhill. We ended up at a local cafe where we had fresh lemon juice diluted with water and sweetened with local sugar. Very refreshing. Our final destination and picnic spot was another rock pool.

The water was lovely after the walk and lunch very good…. Fish sandwiches, local sweet cooked in banana leaves which was rice jelly (?) filled with sugar and coconut, fried bananas, cashew nut biscuits, oranges, local bananas.

We also got to try the local hooch – toddy – made from coco nuts – horrid to my taste! 2% alc but can be 5%. Apparently made daily and sweet in the morning, bitter the evening, as it ferments, and vinegar the next day. Apparently some locals drink 5 litres a time! With hot pickles and curries between mouthfuls.

We then visited a the local palace – Poonjar Palace – (falling down and not possible to visit but 900 years old) which was owned by the local royal from whom Baby’s grandfather bought the land. It is to be refurbished but how long who knows. Just down from the palace is a Hindu temple – Madhurameenakshi – which is 1000 years old and is on the Meenachil river mentioned in Arundhati Roy’s book “The God of Small Things”. The temple and river were very peaceful.

The kids in the meantime found the local kids playing cricket with a plank for a bat and a coconut leaf found for wickets and joined in. More fun than palaces and temples.

We headed back to the house and arrive 5 ish … Dinner at 7.30!

22nd December 2011

Day 5 Vanilla County – 22nd Dec 2011

Left Coir Village @ 9 and walked to bus through villages. 4 hour drive ahead.

Lost 5 of the group on walk as they walked the wrong way having hung back taking photos! Found them pretty easily however on the route the rickshaws took the day before.

Drove through Mannar, Thiruvalla, Changanacherry, Thengana, Vazoor, Ponkunnam.

Lots of busy Indian traffic but otherwise a bit dull.

We stopped for coffee and drinks at the Queens Restaurant, Cheppumpara, Ponkunnam. Instant coffee but actually quite good.

More driving through Kanjirapally, Thidanad and then Teekoy just hear our final destination the Homestay – Vanilla County. See www.vanillacounty.in.

The houses is amazing – made of teak and mahogany with think walls and verandas. Our room has teak ceiling, mahogany floor, rosewood furniture and a extra bed hanging from the ceiling. All the rooms in the house are similar. Charlotte, Millie and Fiz all sharing with Tim in his own room but with all 4 sharing a bathroom.

The house is owned by Baby Mathews – the youngest of 6 – 5 boys and 1 girl. By tradition the youngest inherits the house to look after the parents with. the estate being split between the sons. So Baby is the youngest (49) and has 160 acres of what was a 1000 acre estate bought by his grandfather in about 1947 from the local royal family.

After an excellent lunch we set off for a short 45 min walk down for a swin in the local rock pool below the house. It was lovely and cool! We stopped for a glass of locally brewed chai on the walk back. I walked back with Nick a good 30 min walk but nearly everyone else got the jeep driven by

Dinner at a berry civilised 8.00 pm was excellent – chicken, dhal, pharatas, rice, veg curry etc all washed down with either local Kingfisher beer or Gold Label. Both good.

Bed after a game of scrabble played on the iPad.

21st December 2011

Day 4 Coir Village Resort – 21st Dec 2011

Day 4 starts early on the houseboat moored just down from Thakazhy Bridge.

A lovely bright morning in contrast to the overcast last 24 hours.

We travelled through the backwaters at a very leisurely pace to make the Coir Village Resort at just before 12.

After a welcome fresh grape juice we were shown to our rooms. Very nice villas alongside side the water. The villas all look out onto the water as they are on a small island in the river.

After not too long Tim, Alex and Tom swim after Tom slips and falls in!

Malcolm spots an eagle in tree and both he and I try and get a photo. Not that successfully!

We all troop back across the river in the little boat punted by the hotel staff for lunch @ 1.

After lunch we have a trip to see coir rope making in the village next to the hotel only a very short walk away. Libby, Ellie, Tim and I have a go. It is harder than it looks.

We then went onto to Mannarshala Snake temple by rickshaw approx 30 mins each way. This was a big complex all owned by 1 family. No cameras were allowed. Interesting enough it has women priests. You can read much more about it in the link.

We are all back by 6.30 after buying stars on the way at local shop and after pottering about for a while cross back to have dinner @ 8.

The adults all played UNO afterwards with Eugine. Quite a few laughs while the kids all went back to Millie and Fiz’s villa.

20th December 2011

Day 3 Houseboat – 20th Dec 2011

9 am start and we drive north and stop for coffee in Kollam at the Hotel Sudarsan (see Lonely Planet) on the way we stop at the local fish market which was smelly but fascinating for the people!

Stop to buy wine (Sven did) and then onto board houseboat just south of Haripad.

3 boats – kids all on a 4 bedroom, Malcolm and Caroline on a 2 bedroom ( but stayed with adults during day) and the rest of us on 3 bedroom boat. We had middle cabin with en-suite and a/c.

Lunch after about 1 hour cruising.

Afternoon cruising. Stop at about 4 at Champakulam. Shopping. Shirt for Tim and scarf for Charlotte.

Onto to stop for night at about 6.

Walk on towpath to bridge. Other Explore tour moored up from us.

Good dinner buffet for all of us. Very mild with little spice.

Charades after dinner. Great fun and we all played for about 1 hour.

Sleep. A/c too cold but cannot adjust! Slept ok however!

19th December 2011

Day 2 Varkala – 19th Dec 2011

Woke at just before 7 after a good nights sleep. Pottered getting ready for the cycle ride today to see Elephants!

Breakfast @ 7.30 – we are the first there by about 10 mins followed by N&L.

Cycling was great fun and pretty flat! We cycles about 15km there through villages and small towns to a place called Puthenkulam meaning new well to the Anathavalam elephant farm.

B, C and T all rode. Much less touristy than Thailand!

We then decided to cycle back again while the kids got the bus for lunch on the cliff at Varkala. Hard work for the last 5-10km. Got money from an ATM in Paravur Federal Bank. B fell off after having to brake after Caroline stopped suddenly! Not hurt but a good bruise on her knee!

Excellent lunch of shark baked in banana leaf with Kerala spices with coconut rice and veg on the side at the Gypsy King Restaurant overlooking the sea.

We then wander back to the hotel and the kids rushed to swim in the sea. I followed a bit more leisurely some 45 mins later but B went to make sure everyone OK. I was the last to get there and paddled, got wet and so decided to go into the sea in my shorts! It was very warm and lovely.

At 5 we all met to got to the local Hindu temple just up the road. We stopped for coconuts on the way up opposite the hotel. The temple sanctuary is lit with candles at dusk. Very atmospheric with the

building all lit up with candles and bats flying in the trees.

We then wandered back and met at 7.30 for dinner at Marina restaurant on the beach. Caroline and Malcolm had gone ahead with their kids but we managed to all crown in around them and had a rather light dinner which was a bit disappointing!

We all left 10 ish for a good nights sleep.

18th December 2011

Day 1 Varkala – 18th Dec 2011

Good journey arriving on time in Trivandrum at 4.30.

Walking out of the terminal into a throng, 5 deep, of waiting Indian families we saw a welcome and expected sign for “Mr Michael” …. our taxi ride from Varkala and the Hindustan Beach Resort was there.

An hour later after a hair rising taxi journey, mostly in the dark, where I think we must have nearly hit something a dozen times – mobile phone use, one handed driving, flashing main beam headlights and the odd beep of the horn we arrived some 20 minutes after dawn.

Having checked in we were shown our rooms – 201 and 202 – with lovely views of a beach already full of locals.

We decided to sleep for 2 1/2 hours and get breakfast before it ended at 10.30.

Breakfast was sitting on the balcony rooftop restaurant overlooking the sea watching the local fishermen in 2 boats catch fish. The local birds – big hawk like brown birds with white heads loved it!

We then had a walk down the beach and back before a lie by the pool.

Tour kick off 4pm!

The Eustances arrive at 3. Great to see them again like nothing has changed except we are all older!

The tour kick off was fine. All the families look like they are going to get on fine! One with 3 kids Carol & Swen – kids are 17,15,13? Tom ? and Eve from Chipping Norton the other family from Bath – Caroline and Malcolm with 2 kids ? and Adam aged 13&12.
The guide Eugine is local from Kochi and will look after us well! We ended up paying both our kitty deposit of 8000 and that of N&L as they has run out of cash!

Eugine arranged from us all to eat in the garden of the hotel by the pool and suggested we order so there is no delay at dinner – 4.30 for a 7.30 start!!! – but as it happened it work well after we decided to share soaked with N&L.

We then had another walk along the beach with N&L before getting changed for a pre dinner drink at the No1 Restaurant just along the beach from the hotel.

Dinner worked very well and we were finished by about 10.30. We decided to leave without signing not wanting to wait only for the waiting staff to come to our rooms to ask for us to sign. Poor Charlotte also had to sign!