Kerala, one of the most beautiful places I have been to. I have grown up in Cochin and some of my childhood memories are of Katari Bagh, Naval base in Cochin. So when we were deciding on a place for our travel, we locked down on Kumarakom, which we hadn't seen .
Our flight was in the morning about 9 ish which is a great time for us.
We reached the Kochi Airport around noon. The airport is so clean and just so beautiful.
A really long drive through some really narrow lanes took more than expected two hours and we were really tired when we reached Illakalam lake Resort.
It was really beautiful and right overlooking the Vembanad lake. The place wasn't what I had in mind, its more like a home stay and not a resort. We did cringe a little on the privacy part too cos we had to share the lawn space with all the guests and according to me it lacked the feeling of just kick your feet up and relax. However, we settled and acknowledged the fact that this is how it is going to be and adjusted.
We were booked here for four nights. So, the first day we just relaxed did nothing much really. Though the website mentions a lot of things you can do, its really a 5 min walk around the place..so we just unwound.
The cottage deserves a special mention though and it was perfect for us. It has two rooms with attached baths. This was cool because now with Ansh counted as an adult, we usually need two rooms unless the room is exceptionally big to accommodate a bed comfortably.
This cottage layout was just perfect for us.
Day 2 - The next morning , we headed out to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. While we didn't spot too many birds, it was such a lovely, serene, unrushed , unpopulated walk that it made up for everything! we hardly saw anyone during the trek. And just one family who obliged us with our family pics.
As we were nearing the end of our trek, we decided to take a boat ride which is within the sanctuary and there are official boatmen who take you on a boat safari. Except for it being too sunny, the boat ride was beautiful and scenic and lasted 45 mins.
Since we were not prepared for this ride, you can see the kids without their hats and me without my shades.
It had been quite a while since we had started our day and by the time we sat in the boat , I was dying to use the restroom. The boatman took us to one of the houses you can see in the background of the pic below, which was his house. His wife and family were so sweet. Phew! once done we moved on..
This is one of the properties touching the sanctuary
Look at how a net has been placed just under the coconuts. One can collect the fallen coconuts and also there is no risk of guests in the property fearing a casualty by a fallen coconut. Some pics of the water birds spotted during the ride.
After the trek, we got back to the cottage, ate lunch and relaxed a bit.
Mumma n lil baby
We enquired and got to know that there is a huge jetty coming up and apparently, people visit that place a lot. So we decided to hire an auto and go to the jetty. The jetty I am sure will be a beauty once complete. When we visited it was under construction. It has many docks for many boats.
At the jetty, it was way too hot and the kids wanted to get back to the room so we headed to our home for a few days. Ordered some snacks for the kids and they settled in to watch some TV. Ankush and I stepped out to explore the place as we walked about a km away, we came across Zuri. We walked in to drink some tea and we so loved the place. We had some snacks walked back to the cottage and got the kids back with us to Zuri for dinner. Probably one of the best dinner buffets we've had at a hotel. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience
Back with the kids for dinner :)
I look so high here;0
Day 3 We woke up and had breakfast at the resort. Quickly called our autowalla friend and reached the boathouse in Kumarakom. Where we got on to our Shikara for a half day tour.
Sea food in the shikara.. the prawns and lobsters were to die for! I don't remember what I ate. But I do remember drinking Coffee:)
As the evening approached Anks and I decided to walk upto the jetty , with kids behind unwinding and munching their snacks, we set out to explore.
Day 4: We had no plans for today. so we woke up and had a sumptuous breakfast and just lazed around. Veena and Prajeesh who are our neighbours back in Chennai live near Kumarakom . The moment they got to know we are in Kumarkom, they came and took us to their home where we had a delicious homecooked meal made with so much love. It was so lovely and warm to be taken care of like that. Absolutely loved it. This trip is etched in my memory first, for the hospitality and love they extended to us. And to come to think of it, Veena - Prajeesh and we have never got together in Chennai because of our busy lives!
Stomach filled of food and heart filled with love, we got back home. after resting for a while, all of us set out for a short walk
This would be our last night and we didn't want to leave without another buffet at Zuri so delicious Dinner was at Zuri:)
Day 5: Though our flight was at 9 pm from Cochin, Ankush and I wanted to explore cochin. You see , I have spent a few years in Cochin growing up and I have vivid memories of staying in Katari Baug . Courtsey FIL we also were privileged to have a ship visit. I cant post the pictures on social media but what an experience it was. For Ansh who is so inclined towards the armed forces this was a brilliant opportunity. We wanted to reach cochin post lunch and we had plenty of time on hand. Here is the entry of the most interesting person of the entire trip - Danny our cab driver for the entire day.
9 days of travel of 4 people calls for a lot of bags. When we opened the boot of the cab , there was a bag, a laptop and a DSLR there. Ankush requested Danny we need the space and Danny politely obliged. That was the starting point of our conversation with him. Danny is a budding photographer. He has his own website and, his pictures are also there on some reputed tourism sites along with testimonials of tourists from around the world. A young educated, articulate man with amazing photography skills didn't aspire to do more. He was so content with what he was doing and what he had. makes for an interesting perspective of life.
We needed to spend some time someplace and eat lunch. There is a Boathouse on the way and Danny recommended that we stop here, so we did. A bustling place with so many people..we spent some time fishing, some time boating but the highlight was the number of Brahminy kites next to the restaurant.
I pulled my camera hurriedly...I just couldn't miss this magnificence
While I was taking pics so was Danny, and oh my god! His pics were so beautifully composed. i couldn't stop praising his photographs and then we started for Cochin.
Cochin Naval Dock Yard.
We visited the training ship INS Magar. As a kid we had ship days, and family is allowed on ships. We used to have such fabulous times and now, when we visit these same places and are stopped questioned I know the value of the uniform my dad wore and the ID card he always had, and still does wear. My heart swells up with pride and head bows down in gratitude to the Indian Navy for everything.
To be a Fauji family, is a feeling that can and should be experienced.
I took many pictures here but I cannot share those pictures on the social media. This one will say it all.
(Gosh I was inappropriately dressed- a dress and slip ons..facepalm)
I got so nostalgic. I remembered so much the main road with so many cars that I crossed as a kid in 2nd standard to get milk from the milk booth, my journey from the school to my house, the shop I ran to with the little money I was given, to get the best locally made candy. The park, the houses the streets everything is still the same! I relived all my memories and I cant explain in words what that means. It's like a movie scene being replayed..just like in the movies.
My school!!
The house behind is where we stayed for a good 5 years. The garage didn't have the gate - it was open. I spent every afternoon there playing with a ball - throw, bounce, catch. The bougainvillea tree still exits but the swing we had set up isn't there. My pet Chetak a Rajapalayam, used to sit on the porch, which is no longer there.
This is the road where my friends and I would cycle and we also had some picnics next to the sea. we carried bedsheets and snacks laid them and enjoyed. God I don't know how my mom just let us do anything!
The Club - the place our dad just didn't want us to be in. I hardly ever came here but whenever we did I was so exciting! We just had to sign and could get anything:) little did I know that the bill comes to dad at the end of the month. I remember Santa coming in a boat on Christmas, winning a tomato ketchup bottle in a race. so so much fun!
This is the shop I came to with the money I saved to buy one kind of a candy.
This is my eldest sister's College. She used to pay 10 paisa in the bus to get to Tevera. And later she got a cycle and would cycle to college.
After visiting all these places, we still had time for our Goa flight which was at 11pm. So we asked Danny to take us to LULU mall. We spent a few hours here eating an early dinner and started for the airport . On the way we crossed this Church St George's Forane church . We stopped here for a while and it was here that we bought 2 lottery tickets one of 7 Cr and the other of 1 Cr.
After discussing n laughing over what each one of us would do, if we did win the prize money, we decided not to think beyond.
We reached the airport and waited for our flight..
A few hours later, we were in Goa!!! The next blog will be on our time there.
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Great Travel Diaries with the Family
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