My Blog - Page 9 of 10 - Michael Naylor

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!

15th March 2011

Media: Twitter Embeds

Really cool to read through and find so much awesomeness added to WordPress 3.6 while I was gone. I should take three weeks off more often.

— Andrew Nacin (@nacin) April 3, 2013

This post tests WordPress’ Twitter Embeds feature.

5th October 2010

Post Format: Standard

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, “Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!” This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

Continue reading “Post Format: Standard”

9th September 2010