Kerala - God's Own Country!

[Shynish M]

Welcome to Kerala! YEs, you are correct. As far as I know, its only Air India. However, there is good connectivity from Bangalore / Chennai / Hyderabad. How long will you be there? How feasible it for you to make your return from Cochin? FYI, by road TVM and Cochin are not that far (may be 5 Hrs max). However there are lot of good places in between.

 

[350Z]

Thanks Shynish! It’ll be a 2-3 day trip, I prefer a direct flight but li’l afraid that it’s Air India () after reaching Trivandrum, maybe I’ll visit Kanyakumari too, if able to spare some time. I did some research and found that Trivandrum to Kanyamari by road is about 5 hour journey. Can you please tell something else which is worth visiting in or near Trivandrum? And Yes, How's the weather?

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Shynish M]

IMO AirIndia is really good. Its much better than AirFrance and Lufthansa flights which is operating to India currently. If you consider a domestic flight, IME, AirIndia rocks man! SAS (here in erupe) sometimes reminds me of our public transport buses

Regarding the climate, it was damn hot till last week and now its raining heavily So if you are planing a trip couple of weeks later, it should be a nice whether. But be prepared for a humid environment which you are not used to.

I am not sure whether you are on a official visit or its a vacation. If you are on official visit, then you may have to visit places in and closely around TVM. Please see a list here Thiruvananthapuram / Trivandrum Kerala , the capital city. Information about Trivandrum / Thiruvananthapuram, places to visit, Hotels&resorts, Tours
Thiruvananthapuram Tourism Attractions, Trivandrum Tour of Kerala India, Famous Travel Places in Thiruvananthapuram
Places to visit in Trivandrum, Trivandrum sightseeing, attractions - TripAdvisor

If you are looking for a hill station, Ponmudi is the nearest hill station to Thiruvananthapuram situated at a distance of 65kms from the city. The hill station also serves as a good base for trekking, hiking and bird watching. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Golden Valley peak, a charming Deer Park and Orchids adds more attraction to this place.

If you t to experience the back waters, you have the option of either Alapuzha Alleppey Tourism in Kerala, Famous Backwater Tours of Alleppey, Major Travel Attractions in Alleppey India or Kollam Kollam Tourism in Kerala, Kollam Travel Attractions in Kerala, Famous Kollam Tour of Kerala India But its all depends up on your schedule. And that's why I asked whether you can make your return trip from Cochin.

Are you a vegi? I will suggest some food you have to try !

Please feel free to ask/mail/call if you have any specific query.

Do we have any members from TVM here ?

 

[350Z]

Thanks a ton Shynish, It was really helpful. I'm going through these links and Yes, I'm a vegetarian. The trip is not yet completely confirmed but if it is, then I'll be visiting by June end.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[raj_5004]

Vibhor, do visit places like cochin & allepey. do enjoy the backwaters in allepey. you will find metro cities anywhere else but you wont find the calm & serene atmosphere of allepey & the houseboats elsewhere. by the way, allepey is my native too! its a big time favourite destination for tourists.

do go to munnar & tekkady. IMO, these are the USPs & special attractions of kerela. if you just come to kerela & roam around in the capital city, its of no use.

points to remember:
1) in a hotel, order only traditional kerelite food. order for fish curries & "kerela parota", they are a yummy combi.
2) its raining heavily there, so be prepared.
3) enjoy the scenic beauty & stay in traditional cottages rather than 3 star/5 star hotels!

if you plan to visit allepey, come down by 11am, see the place & then hire a houseboat for a day & night. you will usually enter the houseboat by 2-3pm, you can spend the night in the boat (it has bedrooms, AC, everything for your comfort) & next day moring 11am, you will be offloaded!

enjoy God's Own Country!

 

[350Z]

Thanks for the tips, Raj. How far is Munnar and Tekkady?

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[raj_5004]

it takes 4-5 hours by road from allepey & 7-8 hours from trivandrum.

 

[Shynish M]

Raj, he is vegetarian! Vibhor your missing a good part of the life! just kidding Try these veg items:

Breakfast/Dinner
Appam & Mutta (egg) curry. If you don't take Egg, order 'Kadala Curry' or Veg Stew. Please note that 'Appam' is also called as 'Vella Appam' or 'Palappam'.
Kerala Poratta & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry.
Puttu & Kadala Curry
Idiyappam & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry. Idiyappam is also known as 'Nool Puttu'
Masala Dosa
Ghee Roast
Idli + Vada
Kappa (Tapioca) and Ulli (Onion) Chutney (since you don't take fish curry).

Lunch
Neychoru (Ghee Rice)
Kerala Sadhya . - Try this for sure. There are lot of hotels serving this. Try to find a place where it is served in banana leaves. Its going to be an experience for you

 

[jalex]

Better try any Aryas Hotel for food,they serve the best vegetarian cuisine in Kerala. Their paper roast,masala dosa, and so on are the best as served anywhere else in southern India. And by the way 'Mutta' a.k.a Egg is definitely non-veg.

And another word of caution,if you are hoping to be driving-Almost all roads, be it the NH or the SH are all in pathetic condition. There were no regular pre-monsoon maintenence this year,thanks to the bloody politics here. Almost every road is flooded after rains cause the drains were not cleared. So be careful while on the road. And also be on high alert while on the roads. Its the worst roads in India to traverse with bad and reckless drivers and pedestrians all around.

 

[maximas007]

Thanks Shynish! It’ll be a 2-3 day trip, I prefer a direct flight but li’l afraid that it’s Air India () after reaching Trivandrum, maybe I’ll visit Kanyakumari too, if able to spare some time. I did some research and found that Trivandrum to Kanyamari by road is about 5 hour journey. Can you please tell something else which is worth visiting in or near Trivandrum? And Yes, How's the weather?

Drive Safe,
350Z

Trivandrum to kanyakumari wont take 5hrs it is about 100kms but it will take 2.5 hrs due to trafic

 

[raj_5004]

Raj, he is vegetarian! Vibhor your missing a good part of the life! just kidding Try these veg items:

ohhh sad! actually even i am a 90% vegetarian! i occasionally eat egg but when i go to kerela, i order fish like anything!!! fish dishes are mouth watering there!

Breakfast/Dinner
Appam & Mutta (egg) curry. If you don't take Egg, order 'Kadala Curry' or Veg Stew. Please note that 'Appam' is also called as 'Vella Appam' or 'Palappam'.
Kerala Poratta & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry.
Puttu & Kadala Curry
Idiyappam & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry. Idiyappam is also known as 'Nool Puttu'
Masala Dosa
Ghee Roast
Idli + Vada
Kappa (Tapioca) and Ulli (Onion) Chutney (since you don't take fish curry).

BURP!

Lunch
Neychoru (Ghee Rice)
Kerala Sadhya . - Try this for sure. There are lot of hotels serving this. Try to find a place where it is served in banana leaves. Its going to be an experience for you

the kerela sadhya is called 'Meals' in hotels. ask for meals.

by the way, i feel vibhor will have a tough time pronouncing all these names!

 

[350Z]

it takes 4-5 hours by road from allepey & 7-8 hours from trivandrum.

I prefer to go by road and won't drive myself but then, like jalex mentioned below that roads are not in so good conditions? Is it okay/safe?

Better try any Aryas Hotel for food,they serve the best vegetarian cuisine in Kerala. Their paper roast,masala dosa, and so on are the best as served anywhere else in southern India. And by the way 'Mutta' a.k.a Egg is definitely non-veg.

And another word of caution,if you are hoping to be driving-Almost all roads, be it the NH or the SH are all in pathetic condition. There were no regular pre-monsoon maintenence this year,thanks to the bloody politics here. Almost every road is flooded after rains cause the drains were not cleared. So be careful while on the road. And also be on high alert while on the roads. Its the worst roads in India to traverse with bad and reckless drivers and pedestrians all around.

Thanks! It was helpful, but I'm now scared a little.

Raj, he is vegetarian! Vibhor your missing a good part of the life! just kidding Try these veg items:

Breakfast/Dinner
Appam & Mutta (egg) curry. If you don't take Egg, order 'Kadala Curry' or Veg Stew. Please note that 'Appam' is also called as 'Vella Appam' or 'Palappam'.
Kerala Poratta & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry.
Puttu & Kadala Curry
Idiyappam & Egg Curry or Kadala Curry. Idiyappam is also known as 'Nool Puttu'
Masala Dosa
Ghee Roast
Idli + Vada
Kappa (Tapioca) and Ulli (Onion) Chutney (since you don't take fish curry).

Lunch
Neychoru (Ghee Rice)
Kerala Sadhya . - Try this for sure. There are lot of hotels serving this. Try to find a place where it is served in banana leaves. Its going to be an experience for you

That’s an amazing list of food items. I’d like to try something different apart from Idli and Dosas, However, very unfortunately I am unable to spell the other names.

Trivandrum to kanyakumari wont take 5hrs it is about 100kms but it will take 2.5 hrs due to trafic

Guide me about this - Is Kanyakumari and Munnar and Thekkady in same direction? If so, then it'll be okay otherwise I'll have to compromise one of them.

by the way, i feel vibhor will have a tough time pronouncing all these names!

Hahaha...You gotta read my mind, Raj.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[350Z]

Does the Beach really looks like this in Kerela? Found this on some kerela tourism website.



Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[naveen04in]

No way.. that's just to attract tourists..

 

[350Z]

Could you take a look at previous page of this thread, I'd like to know whether Munnar and Kanyakumari are in same direction by any chance?

PS: Main question remains unanswered. What's worth visiting in Trivandrum?

Drive Safe,
350Z