God's own country

I had 2 weeks of vacation and Kerala seemed like a nice place to relax and see around. It has a nice variety of backwaters, beaches, national parks, hill stations and museums to keep you on your toes. Also since it isn't that big a state so travel time would be reasonable. Started the trip by landing in Cochin. Checked into a hotel in the outskirts and started the tour immediately.

First on the list were the Chinese fishing nets of Fort Kochi. They are mostly not in use except to show tourists. According to the locals, the water is clogged with dirt, jellyfish and plants. Some of them work and are quite nice in operation. The catch however does get sold quickly for the ones working. The beach there is a tiny one but worth a visit.

Cochin had been the center for spice trade and still has many shops for spices. There is also a Jew street and a Synagogue. The Synagogue was closed but I was able to see a few shops. There are also many spice and antique stores in the area which are worth a visit. The Dutch palace nearby has been converted into a museum. The paintings and the relics from the ages are interesting to say the least. The evening was spent at the marine drive where a 40 rupee boat ride in the fading light was a real pleasure.

The next day was mostly spent in traveling to Munnar. Saw quite a few waterfalls on the way (Cheeyapara being the largest of them). The hotel there had one of the best views of the valley that I have seen. After some much needed grub, proceeded to a see a dam and a huge waterfall. The mist and the clouds ensure you are never really seeing a scene twice while looking at the same hills. The entire hillside of course is covered with tea plantations and a few spice plantations(cardamom and pepper) and coffee scattered as well.

The next day was spent visiting Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Reservoir,Eco Point(eco as in ecological, not echo) and Kundala dam. The sights are beautiful but also tourist hotspots so quite crowded. The national park is reached by a government bus with a real long queue. The national park itself is a scenic hill where you can walk up, a few mountain goats live there which you can see if you are lucky. The other sites were beautiful as well and the commercialization is minimal compared to the other hill stations. The bird life in the area is quite prominent in the mornings. A sign board on the way summarized it pretty well "As close to heaven as it gets".