My First Houseboat stay in Kerala - a trip from Alleppey to Kanyakumari

When in doubt…go south !!! Thats my mantra to follow when you need to destress (from your boss & work & blah blah) & are looking for complete relaxation. South India will never fail to disappoint you, and every time will feel like a first.

Having decided on Kerala for my next holiday destination, the tiniest doubt I had was the weather in March…hot or not?…very hot?…bearable?…after checking with a few friends and reading up on our dear own google, I decided to go for it. Beginning of March is hot, but then so is Mumbai guys !! It was pretty much the same weather and nothing to worry about at all. 

Since I have visited Kerala before (lucky me ;) and I have been to Munnar, Thekkady & Kumarakom…this time i wanted to explore the backwaters in depth and experience living on a houseboat. The main aim of this holiday was complete relaxation and to do nothing at all!. After a bit of research and chit chat with my best friend (and travel buddy), I decided to visit Alleppey - Kovalam - Poovar -  Kanyakumari. Being able to visit the tip of India or THE END of India was again a highlight of this itinerary.

We began our journey from Mumbai to Cochin. A 3 hrs drive from the airport took us directly to the houseboat in the late afternoon / evening. We planned to stay 2 nights at the houseboat i.e 1 1/2 day technically. I am still a bit surprised as most people (including my travel agent) kept telling me that 1 night stay is more than enough in the houseboat and that we would get bored etc. But I was adamant and still went ahead and booked it for 2 nights anyways (I holiday "my way or the highway" at times :). Staying in a houseboat in Kerala is a MUST experience for each and every tourist, and is the most relaxing way to begin your holiday. The houseboats all come in different sizes and shapes (depending on your budget I mean) and are very cozy and comfortable, complete with a bedroom and attached bathroom, living room, dining table, AC, TV etc. Just like a moving 1BHK or 2 or 3 BHK , some even with duplex rooms or an upper deck !. 

The best part of this experience is that the houseboat is moving all day long (unlike the Kashmir ones which are more House and less Boat), gently cruising along in the vast backwaters of Alleppey, from the time you wake up till sunset literally !. No chance of getting bored here I say :) The food and hospitality is excellent and there's plenty of stops one can make even while your cruising. 

We stopped occasionally for buying coconut water, fresh seafood shopping from the local shops on the banks of the river, (which the houseboat guy will cook for you), a quick stop for Ice cream (yeah). There are plenty of small Ayurvedic local spas as well for those wanting the famous Ayurvedic massage. We were even lucky to get drizzling rains in the evenings and that cooled down the temperature a lot. The 2 night stay passed in a jiffy!

We checked out of our houseboat on day 3 morning and began a 4-5 hours drive towards Kovalam. The next part of our trip took us to a small village called Poovar, which is about 20kms from Kovalam. Since I was looking only for relaxation in this trip, I didn’t mind the isolation. Before reaching Poovar, we visited Kovalam beach and spend some time there soaking up the sun and surf. Kovalam reminded me of mini Goa, with many seafood restaurants lined up on the beach and lovely blue clear waters. 2 lovely lighthouses are situated on each end of the beach. 

From Kovalam our resort was about a half hour drive. The resort i had selected - Isola Di Cocco - is located in Poovar, on the banks of the Neyyar River. The best part of this location is the meeting of the backwaters and the Arabian Sea, separated only by a small strip of beach island. Its pure paradise, a piece of heaven right before my eyes. 

One can visit the beach via boat and spend time there, thou its not a safe beach for swimming. One can enjoy the boat rides in the nearby backwaters or just enjoy at the resort and do nothing at all. 

We planned to spend 3 nights here and I wished we could stay here forever !

The last highlight and the most exciting part of this journey was the day trip to Kanyakumari. We were now leaving Kerala state and entering Tamil Nadu state. Though most people recommend a sunrise or sunset trip to Kanyakumari (which means you need to stay there at least 1 night) - I decided to just do a day trip and back by evening. Kanyakumari was a 2 hours drive from Poovar and we reached there by 11am. The sight of the blue green turquoise waters that greet you is just amazing. The heat felt a bit more here, but then the lovely sea breeze kept things comfortable. 

The Vivekananda rock memorial is a must visit in Kanyakumari. This is the southernmost tip of India. From here once can view the famous Triveni sangam - meeting of the 3 oceans - Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal & Arabian Sea. The laccadive sea and the lovely colours and shades of the ocean will mesmerise you, There are ferry boats that take you to and fro from this place and though it was extremely crowded due to plenty of tourists, it was well managed. Take a quick walk nearby to capture the many sights of this beautiful location. 

We ended our trip by flying out from Trivendrum airport. So Cochin to Trivendram (Thiruvananthapuram) or Alleppey to Kanyakumari was our short but amazing holiday. Hope you guys enjoyed reading the blog. Stay tuned for many more adventures. Signing out now…Bye !

My First Hot Air Balloon Adventure – Turkish Delights!!

A visit to Turkey had been on my mind since long, especially every time I used to see a Bollywood movie song or scene being shot there (Yes I know that sounds totally filmy!!) So my excitement knew no bounds when finally the trip was planned and the journey began.

Our first destination was Cappadocia, which is known as a cave city or underground city of Turkey. Pronounced as “Kapadokya”, the sights and the landscape of this city will awe you and make you stare with marvel. The entire city has been formed out of numerous volcanic eruptions over millions of years ago, which results in an artist like painted landscape. The resorts too are mostly built from the cave inspired structures and reflect a very raw aura. After 2 days of sightseeing and exploring underground caves, ancient cave mosque & cave churches and mushroom shaped hills, the day arrived for our hot air balloon ride.

Waking up and being ready at 4.20AM for the pickup was the most difficult part I guess! Still sleepy eyed, we began our super early morning ride of about 45 mins to the departure site. “Maccan Balloons” was the company that we were booked in for the ride. I was all bundled up from head to toe as I anticipated it to be very windy and chilly in the open air balloon. Turkish breakfast was served once we reached the site. Tons of cheese & cream & breads & jams & dry fruits called out to us.

We then had to get into a mini bus that took us another 10 mins away to the actual departure area. By now I was getting restless and my eyes were searching for the first sighting of the balloon. There it was, flat on the ground, being filled with air (gas) and ropes being checked for safety. The basket was a huge one with 4 partitions, which could hold 16 people and the pilot in the centre. The only way to get into the basket was to climb and jump into it, which we all did enthusiastically.

The take off was so smooth that we didn’t even realise when we left the ground. Slowly and steadily the balloon started its climb up. The pilot gave us few safety instructions in case of a crash landing (which definitely scared a few people!) The first rays of the sun had just started peeping from behind the clouds, and the balloon had now climbed up quite an altitude. All of a sudden the sky was filled with more than a hundred balloons!! No Kidding!! This is what they call “sky traffic” in morning. The sight was just magical, as thou we were part of some fairy tale in a magical land. For some strange reason my mind kept thinking of Aladdin & the flying carpet. There were balloons on the left and on the right, some below us and some above us! We then learnt that a hot air balloon has no control on direction, it just flies with the wind. The pilot can only control the altitude that’s it!

The selfie pics started with people trying to capture the maximum balloons flying over the beautiful Cappadocia cave landscape. Even thou the balloon is open, there is no breeze that you can feel. Its speed is so gentle that it feels like you’re almost at a standstill thousands of feet above the ground. The 1 hour journey passed so quickly that it felt like 10 mins. It was now time to land, which was quite an interesting experience in itself.

A vehicle on ground with about 5 men kept following our balloon, as they had to judge where exactly our balloon would land. Remember since there is no steering wheel, it’s all dependant on the wind direction. It was like a cat & mouse chase with the balloon gliding lower and lower and the car trying to keep up with us on the mountainous terrain. Finally we were only a few feet above the ground and the ropes were thrown down. The 5 men had to use all their might to try and control the movement of the basket, so that it landed exactly behind the trailer attached to the car. It was really a strenuous effort, which they went about smilingly coz it’s a daily morning routine for them. Finally after a few twists and tugs, the balloon landed perfectly where they wanted it to. Applause!!!

I would say that watching the sunrise from a hot air balloon was definitely one of the most amazing experiences. Seeing hundreds of colourful balloons in the sky all at once was just so beautiful that you can’t take your eyes off the sight.

Our Turkish holiday continued to Istanbul, which has to be one of the most vibrant & lively cities ever. It has an energy which is constant be it morning, noon or midnight. The Turkish food is a visual delight as much as a burst of flavours. Ohh and the Turkish sweets, Baklava & Turkish Delights.....I think deserves another blog!! Till then.....signing off. 

My First Tryst with the Tiger!!! Adventures at Corbett

Corbett has always been on my bucket list since a long, long time. So finally when the trip was planned, I couldn’t contain my excitement. A fun road trip up north, with my 2 best pals, clubbed with the beautiful hill stations Nainital & Kausani, what better way to spend a quick summer holiday!!

Our journey began from Delhi airport, an 8 hrs road trip to Nainital. Not much to see as most part is a straight highway. Towards the end of the trip, once you start ascending the Ghats, it starts getting cooler and greener and fresher. The twisting and turning ghats are long and seem never ending, so beware if you are not comfortable in your road travelling.

Nainital is a beautiful hill station in the state of Uttarakhand, where the main attraction is the lake. A cable car ride to the top, a boating trip, and a visit to the local shops is the best way to spend the day. We discovered a quaint little cafe overlooking the lake, called Sakley’s...which is a British origin cafe and serves some of the best pizzas and pastries..Yummy!! And of course, no visit to the north can ever be complete without tasting some local roadside prepared maggi noodles..the flavours, spices and variations that they offer in our plain old maggi noodles is fascinating

After a 2 night stay at Nainital, we began our day 3 journey to Kausani. Didn’t know what to expect from this lesser known hill station, however had read up on Wikipedia as it being referred to "Switzerland of India". The journey again was a long twisty one on the steep ghats with a beautiful long (but dried up) river bed continuously accompanying us on one side, and lush green valleys on the other. And once we reached, there it was!! A beautiful glimpse of the Himalayan snow mountains bang opp our Hotel. The landscape of Kausani resembles Switzerland, green fields at the bottom, the valleys surrounding it, and snow mountains peeking at a distance! This was even better than Nainital, which is now become much commercialised due to its popularity and the numerous film shootings. At Kausani, a visit to the tea gardens and shawl factory is interesting, apart from this it is just a very peaceful place to relax and unwind at the hotel. We also got to witness a forest fire in the distance, which is very common during the dry summer months

With just a 1 night halt at Kausani, we left with a heavy heart and a promise to return back to explore more someday soon. Finally, corbett, here we come!!  Images of Ferocious man eating tigers and brave tales of Jim Corbett kept going on in my mind. Would we spot a tiger or not?? This was the question in everyone's mind. Our stay at Corbett was at Corbett Jungle Club Resort, right into the wilderness. From valleys and snow mountains to bang into the heart of the dense forest was quite a contrast. Things to see in Corbett are Corbett waterfalls and Jim Corbett Museum, apart from the jeep and elephant safari which is a must do activity

Our Jeep safari began the next day at 5.30am. With a lot of anticipation and our cameras ready to capture the jungle, we began our open jeep ride through the dense forest. Easy to spot were lots of monkeys and deers (spotted deers, barking deers and one more species whose name i have forgotten!!). However my eyes were peeled wide open for any glimpse of the TIGER! Our driver said that monkeys and deers are best friends in the jungle. If the tiger is spotted, the monkeys will start making a sound to alert the deers. If there is no sound then there is no hope of spotting a tiger. Great! Now my eyes and EARS were on high alert as well. A little ahead we spotted a wild elephant, a peacock and even wild hens!! No Tiger yet. 

Halfway down the jungle we crossed an open river bed and spotted some tiger pug marks!! Finally I thought something to talk about!! A jeep crossing us said a tiger had been spotted on top of a hill, so we raced towards that spot, only to find 20 more jeeps already parked at the bottom of the hill. On top of the hill, at a very far distance, could make out an animal lying down. Come on, get up, do something, i kept praying silently but to no avail. Thanks to the crowd and all the people making a big noise and racket and talking and laughing and creating a circus, whatever that animal was had no intention of showing itself!! Why can’t people just be quite and shut up, this is a jungle safari not a circus!! At last a few jeeps went away as they got bored. We decided to wait patiently for a few more mins. And at last, Mr Tiger wagged his tail, got up for a few seconds to change sides and then went back to lying down!! It was a very far glimpse and could not get a clear picture, but yes yes yes we did see a TIGER!! Yippee my excitement was sky high. Finally I have something to boast about back home, i said :)

My First Scuba Dive - exploring a new world under water!!!

My First Scuba Dive - exploring a new world under water!!!

Zindagi na milegi dobara - the famous Hrithik Roshan scuba diving scene kept playing in my mind as i stood in front of Dive Club Andamans, wondering what the hell am i doing here, Oh God i dont even know how to swim!!!

Taking a deep breath, i enter the place and absorb my surroundings. Loads of underwater pics of successful dives, plenty of rubber suits and oxygen cylinders lying around. As i sit and wait for my instructor, i am given a 2 page form to fill. A long questionnaire inquiring about various types of health problems and risk factors and finally a disclaimer at the end saying that i am totally responsible if anything happens blah blah. Oops, i thought to myself, should i really be doing this? I cant SWIM!! I sign up for the beginner course DSD (Discover Scuba Diving) which would take me max 35-39 feet under.

I now enter a room next door for a basic 10min theory session. Basically to learn a few signs to communicate underwater. OK, Not ok, go up, stop etc. The scuba gear demo is shown and how to use the mouth regulator, eye mask and how to breathe underwater through the oxygen cylinder. So far so good :)

Now comes the rude shock for me, i CANT WEAR GLASSES UNDERWATER. OhO i cant see without my spectacles how the hell am i supposed to see underwater without them. They are my lifeline. But the instructor assures me that underwater its very clear, water magnifies your vision by 30% so no spectacles are needed at all. Ok, i guess i have no option but to trust him.

I now gear up in the scuba suit and (sob sob) leave my glasses in the locker and start walking towards the beach. Ohh the water looks heavenly green blue and crystal clear and warm, with the sun shining brightly. A perfect scenic view helps relieve my nervousness. I can see a few people training in the shallow water. I need to wait for sometime for my turn. A lady comes out walking towards me. I ask her how was her experience and she says she couldn't do it coz its very difficult to breathe and she got a headache. Great i thought, just what i didn't need to hear right now. Its all in the mind, i kept telling myself. I can do it. Afterall i did snorkeling and underseawalk the previous day and it was fun and easy. Hrithik could do it and even he couldnt swim.

Just as i was prepping myself up, my instructor came out to call me. It was my turn now for the training. I wade upto waist high water and then wear the belt and oxygen cylinder. Some last min instructions are given to me about how to relieve ear pressure as we descent otherwise i might experience ear pain. Breathe in through your mouth, pinch your nose and blow air out from your ears!!! How the hell are you supposed to do that underwater? Anyways there was no backing out now and all i could do was say my prayers and put my head underwater.

The training session lasted about 15mins and it was easy. I could see clearly and i could breathe properly through my mouth. No water leaked in through my eye mask or mouthpiece. My instructor was very pleased and said i have got the hang of it so we should start with our dive. I said ok and he slowly started swimming with his hand firmly locked in mine. We slowly started going deeper and deeper and he would stop every 30secs to ask if i am OK.

All my fears just vanished when i saw the beautiful things underwater. There were huge mountains of corals and beautiful colourful fishes all around. I actually felt like one of them!! There was no effort that i had to put in, my instructor was swimming and i was just floating next to him and looking left and right at the marvels around me. As we proceeded deeper to about 20 feet, i felt a slight ear pressure so i did what i was taught in training. Dunno if i did it correctly but i felt the ear pop open and no pain at all. We continued to explore the sea bed, the instructor made me touch a few live corals and kept pointing out to various breeds of fishes. It was just amazing. Never thought there would be so many different things underwater!!!

We then reached a huge big rock filled with corals and he told me to hold it and grip tight. He then left my hand and took out the camera. Yippeeeeee i get a photoshoot underwater i was totally excited. Gave him a few good poses with my right hand and waved and showed a victory sign with my fingers. I had to remember not to smile coz i had the oxygen pipe firmly held in my mouth lol. He then shot a 2 min video of me with tiny fishes swimming all around me and over my head.

Breathing through the mouth now felt totally normal and in rhythm. Apart from a bit of dryness in the throat there was no discomfort at all. Once the photoshoot was done, we started swimming upwards again. He kept pointing out to various types of corals, rocks, fishes and shells. Before i knew it, my 30mins of scuba were over and i was back on the water surface again. I removed my mask and pipe and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Yippeeeee i was super happy that i conquered my fear of going underwater. Sea life is truly amazing to observe and its a whole new world to discover. Its so peaceful and such pin drop silence underwater that you can actually hear your lungs taking in every breath. So guys and gals, even if you cant swim, even if you wear glasses, even if your afraid of going underwater, pls take the plunge if you get the chance. Bcoz Zindagi na milegi dobara!!!

My First Flight in d sky - attempt at paragliding

My First Flight in d sky

Saturday, July 9, 2011

My Dream is to fly, over the rainbow, so high!!!!....that's d song that kept going on and on in my head from the minute i got up early morning all set to take off for a new adventure - paragliding

Since i had done para sailing before, i thought to myself - dis will be a similar experience, no need to get scared. But in reality i was really nervous...come on guys...1000ft above sea level having to jump off a cliff, who wouldn't be a bit nervous. So i decided to go ahead, experience it, close my eyes and take d plunge.

I set off early morning with my dad for Kamshet, near Lonavla. Nirvana adventures in Kamshet offer tandem joyrides to beginners as well as advanced courses in paragliding. We had decided since its our first time ever, we would take a tandem joyride for 15mins. I thought to myself - it cant be that difficult - after all its just like taking a piggy back ride with someone. Only its gonna be 1000ft high in the sky. We got into a jeep that took us halfway up the hill. Another 15mins of a slow trek in the scorching sun finally brought us to the takeoff site. A lot of riders were all set with their parachutes, ready to take off and fly. My excitement overcame my nervousness as i anxiously awaited my turn. We had to wait a good 1 hour to make sure the wind conditions were just right for a take off. The wait seemed endless.

Finally, my turn arrived. My instructor turned out to be a tall, fair & handsome french pilot - yoohooo. As i was being strapped up in the safety gear, i suddenly became nervous again. My life was secured to just 2 pieces of rope - geeez. A million thoughts were swirling in my mind, but it was too late to back out now. I was given a few basic safety instructions on what to do if we crash land. Oh God that's the last thing i needed to know!!! We walked to the edge of the cliff with my eyes closed and saying a silent prayer. To the count of 3 and we ran a few steps and there i was - high in the sky!!!

As soon as we took off all my fears just vanished. I felt like i was sitting in a chair, legs dangling freely, right in the middle of nowhere!!! The rush of adrenaline felt just great. I started talking to the (cute) instructor to understand the basics of operating the parachute. He even gave me a rope which i tugged to take a left turn. Flying so carefree in the clear blue sky was an out of the world experience. For those 15mins i forgot everything. All that mattered was the wind blowing in my face, the clear blue sky & the shining sun.

The landing back was as quick and easy as the take off. In a few mins we were back to the same cliff. It sure felt great to feel the ground beneath my feet. Paragliding was an amazing experience - a must try. Definitely not for the weak hearted and definitely not if your scared of heights. But for once if you just wanna fly over the rainbow, so high, then just go for it.

My First Blog - Why i go on such LONG holidays!!!

My First Blog - Why i go on such LONG holidays!!!

Hey friends, this is d first time m trying my hand at something new - writing. Dunno how interesting it will be for some, but since i have promised my friend Saumya m gonna do this, theres no looking back. N i thgt wat can be more interesting a topic than my holidays abroad!!! For those who dont kno me very well, i am a crazy traveller, i jus love travelling. Why crazy?? u may ask. Well thats coz for the sake of travelling i can give up anything...n i mean ANYTHING...i have quit my last 2 jobs impulsively the minute i got my visa confirmations. didnt think twice abt recession, career, how it wil affect my next pay scale, how it will look on my resume, what will i do next......nothing at all can deter me once my mind is made up, no one can convince me to think otherwise....(now u kno why i call myself so CRAZY!!!)

Coming back to the topic - Why i go on such LONG holidays!!!. Well my holiday last year to Canada was for 3 months and dis summer i visited Europe & UK, again a 2 months long holiday. 3 months!!!! - u must be thinking that m loaded with money. Well let me clarify that all these holidays were regular budget holiday with no extravagant expenses. I kno of people who have gone for 15 days only but hv ended up spending more than what i would in a month. Really guys
m not kidding on this one. My best buddy Abhay always argues with me - says why cant u go for
15 days and come back. Surely u can cover all ur sightseeing in 2 weeks time, all normal people go for that duration, WAT THE HELL DO U DO FOR 3 MONTHS, DONT U GET BORED???

Well, to answer his Question, its NO. i dont look at holidays abroad as holidays. (Am i making any sense to you guys). I dont go abroad jus to visit famous landmarks, do sightseeing, click my pictures in front of each and every building, do shopping, and come back. U must be thinking, this girl is really crazy, isnt that why most people go on holidays abroad - to do sightseeing!!!. Well i go to experience the lifestyle, the culture, the local flavour, the people, the way of living there....as they say "when in rome, do as the romans do".(Another important reason is that i have close relatives in both these countries who happily tolerate me as a guest for a few months, guess they really love me a lot!!!)

When u go abroad the first time, u really feel as if ur an alien who has landed in paradise. everything seems so new, ur in awe of everything and everyone around you. So unless ur gonna spend lots of time there, ur not gonna feel like one of them. When i travel, i want to live the lifestyle that the local people live, i wanna eat the same food that they do, i wanna do the daily household chores that we never get to do in India, like moving the lawn, washing ur car, shoveling the snow, plucking your own fruits and veggies from ur backyard before cooking, washing ur own plates after all meals (trust me its reallly hard work!!!), washing and cleaning ur house, ur bathrooms, painting ur own room, having a garage sale, getting down at petrol pump to fuel ur car....the list is endless. There are so many new experiences, new things to do, new slang lingo to learn, trying to figure out the map and travelling on ur own by tube(dats train), bus or jus cycling ard downtown. Just visiting the local library can be an enriching experience.

Life is not as easy and rosy as we are used to seeing in movies. When ur sick no doctor will come home, u hv to drive urself to the nearest local hospital and get urself checked. No servants to do any work, no convinient rickshaws to hop into - u gotta kno how to drive else ull be stranded. No home delivery of anything except pizzas, and that too its not free. But when u realise that u can breathe fresh zero pollution air, so much greenery and open parks, so many facilities for common man, equal rights for all...u wil not regret the things u miss in India. A carpentor will be able to walk into a 7star hotel like ritz and will be treated with the same dignity as that of a CEO of any organisation.

Hope that i hv answered and justified my own Question, hope this blog was interesting for u guys to read and u made it till the end!!!. So firends, next time any of u get a chance to go abroad, please dont waste money on shopping, jus buy souviniers from each city. And try and experience the lifestyle rather that the sightseeing. It will b the most memorable holiday ull ever experience - trust me on dat

Coming soon - my next blog - My adventures in Canada

Munira