This time we were planning a family trip with our parents and were thinking of some good options in India. We finally narrowed it down to Kerela as it was new for us and we were pretty sure that our parents will also love it. We decided to go there in October while the rains were still there. To make the journey comfortable we had booked one car which picked us from the airport and was with us through out the trip. The drive in heavy rain and occasional stop to have hot tea are some very fond memories that we shared together. It was one week trip. The path that we took was Kochi -> Periyar -> Munnar -> Alleppey -> Houseboat -> Kumarakom -> Kochi .

Here are few things to do while you are there.

–Kochi Airport. Not many people are aware of it but Kochi airport is the first airport in India which runs on 100% renewable energy. There is a huge area with solar panel installation close to the airport which powers the entire airport and all its operations. We had already spoken to someone in the airport authority who agreed to show us around. Given that we are interested in this field we found it to be very fascinating how all the panels are monitored and maintained in real time to power a very busy international airport.

–Lake Periyar: There is a boat ride in the lake Periyar which takes you through the national park. The chances of you seeing any exotic animal is pretty low but still its worth a trip. The best way is to book it online before you reach there in the morning. We did not do that and patiently requested the ticket guy for hours before he arranged for a separate boat to accommodate for on the spot bookings. The weather was very pleasant and the few hours journey was a very serene and peaceful one.

–Ayurvedic Massage: We also went for the traditional massage in one of the numerous therapy centres available in Thekkedy. You can also purchase good herbal oils from there. I found it to be just all right but others really enjoyed it.

–Spice garden tour. Even though it is a very touristy thing, still we enjoyed it. They showed the vanilla plants and how complicated the process is it to get the essence out of it. Apparently a part of the process happens in distilleries outside of India and we have to go through an import export process to get it back to India. There are shops here to purchase spices if you want to carry them home with you.

–Tea plantation tour. One the way to Munnar you will cross dozens of them. These are the typical photos of Kerela that we see all over internet and do get down here to take some classic photographs in the tea plantations. If you have time then going through the entire process of tea production is not a bad idea.

–Stay in a Kerela house. We decided not to stay in the hotels in Munnar but go one hour further and had booked an entire Kerela house which was available on Airbnb (here) . It was on a hilly area so with a short walk we were able to have a very good view of the surrounding area. There were a lot of agriculture lands close by and walking along them every morning was a very good experience for us.

Pic courtesy Airbnb listing as we forgot to take a pic of it.

–Sandalwood forests. Each tree in these forests was worth more than a 3BHK apartment in posh New Delhi localities. We visited the Marayoor sandalwood forest. There is a very tight scrutiny of the vehicles going out of this area to protect smuggling of the trees. The forests also harbour a species of flying red squirrels and if you are lucky then you can take a peak at them.

–Chinnar wildlife sanctuary and waterfall. There is a short and comparatively easy trek here. It goes through dense forest and streams. We were chased by a few wild elephants here but thanks to to the right directions by our rangers we were able to escape pretty quickly. The waterfall at the end is pretty amazing.

–Food. Kerala is famous for its non-veg options and sea food in particular. We had country chicken , prawns and dozens of varieties of fish during the trip. Most of the restaurants which we randomly tried out were serving pretty decent food.

–Staying at houseboats. I saved the best one for the end. We had booked a good boat house and had all of it to ourselves. We booked through Lakes and Lagoons (here) which is one of the top boathouse operators in Kerela. We had full glass windows in our rooms and watching the rain drizzling on it while we are slowly gliding over the waves of the backwater was a heavenly experience for us. The food was freshly cooked and the kitchen staff was very active. We only stayed on the boat for 24 hours but if there is time then spending 3-4 days on it while reading a novel at the deck will be a great way for a relaxing vacation.

We also did an elephant ride but it was not that great. The poor beast is often beaten up by the owner to stay on track and you feel really sorry for them. So miss it by all means.

Overall a fun-filled and very relaxing trip for us. So if you want a short getaway from work and not in a mood for adventure then just go to Kerela and splurge yourself in the beauty of god’s own country.