The South-side story

Being obsessive travellers, my husband Sandeep and I always strive to unearth places off the beaten track and not primarily listed as ‘must-see’ locations.

This gives me the gratifying job of scanning the internet for information available on various places. Along with the internet, travel magazines, newspapers and friends are some sources we depend on to gather information.

Tourism is one of the sectors where Kerala has clear competitive advantages given its diverse geography in a short space. Kumily, part of the Idukki district, was our entry point from where we reached Trivandrum and traversed through the coast till we reached the northern most district of Kasargod.

The calm Periyar river bank, soaked in mist during the early hours of the day, with the splendid forest backdrop at the Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, an exhilarating live ‘Kalaripayattu’ performance at the Mudra Center in Kumily, jaw dropping panoramic view of the Idukki Reservoir where the valley harmoniously sways with the wind at Kalvari Mount, the colossal arch dam (the biggest in Asia), soothing hill stations of Vagamon, hundreds of varieties of chips at Maha Chips in Trivandrum, the virgin
Kappil Beach with the road bifurcating the backwaters from the sea at Varkala, birds eye view of the Kollam port from the 112-year-old lighthouse at Thangasseri, secluded and private canoe tours over the Kallada River/Ashtamudi backwaters and the vast picturesque paddy fields of Kuttanad were some of the beautiful sights we got to gorge on.

Further north, we visited the Kappad beach where Vasco Da Gama first set foot on the Indian sub-continent in the year 1498. A ride on our bike on the only drive-in beach in India at Muzhappilangad was an out-of-the-world experience. Walking barefoot on the virgin white sand beach at Thaikadapuram, Nileshwaram where the only sound heard are of the migratory birds and the waves.

Kasargod, the upcoming tourist hotspot of Kerala, held a surprise for us as we got to spend the night at a friend’s home. The biggest fort of Kerala — Bekal — stands here as witness to the incoming waves and is truly vast with an observatory tower providing a panoramic view of the surrounding areas. Although we missed the sunset, the sudden downpour was refreshing and it created the perfect setting for some stunning pictures.

A visit to the Ananthapura Lake Temple was the most sensational incident due to the godly crocodile ‘Babiya’. We hear stories about the power of the deity in a temple but it was the crocodile which made the story even more engaging. We were told that it is over 150 years old and only eats the ‘prasadam’ served on a little rock next to the temple. No casualties or attacks are recorded till date and we were awe-struck.

After traversing a total distance of about 2,400 kms across Kerala, we can say that it is one of the most diverse yet united state’s we have visited so far. We met a Malayalam-speaking server from Nagaland at a restaurant in Kumily — Malayalam is spoken by most people irrespective of their religion!

Despite the humid coastal climate, overcrowded locations and an incom­prehen­sible language, you only get to discover this beautiful state only when travelling through it. As a popular saying goes, ‘To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries’.

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