Kerala Part 2: Days 2 and 3
Day 2: 23rd Jan 2012
Allepye
The next day, Rasheed comes to the Bungalow as planned at 10am, but we are just about getting ready. So after packing, getting ready, we finally move out at 11am. We travel out of Fort Cochin, on the way having some real good meat pattice from a local bakery, and hit the main highway that takes us to Allepye (Allepuzza). The road is nice and smooth, four lane and not too busy. The journey is pleasant and we reach Allepye by 1pm.
We are a rare species of travellers. Usually no one comes this far without any prior booking, or a plan. But we have neither. So Rasheed takes us to a couple of places - one is a small house called Gowri - quite nice, but full. Then to a tour operator. The lady at the tour operator shop tries to get us a lake facing property - 2,000/- a night. It is called Manchester - but it is really three-four small huts facing the lake. Nice place, but rooms are very small and I find it claustrophobic. So we ask what other options we have. We are told that there is a beach on the other side of the town and there are a couple of hotels there. So we decide to check this part out.
There is a nice bungalow called Raheem's Residency, but it is full and the guy - very helpful - tries to get us one. But he can offer a small room for 2 nights for 4,000/- per night. So we move ahead. There is a resort - I think it is called Panorama - it is so lemony in color that we find it repulsive. Plus it is also 4,000/-. Might as well stay at Raheem's. For both, you have to cross the road to go to the beach.
Finally just further ahead of the beach we find a place called Casa maria. Small place, but has a back-door access to the beach. Good service, 2,750/- a night. So we plan to stay here for 2 nights. We go back towards the main beach, find a shack called Dreamers for lunch. Awesome mint lemon juice - it is actually a juice of mint leaves with a squeeze of lemon! Great thirst quencher. Coupled with mussels roasted and fish masala with rice. Damn good - esp mussels.
Then late in the evening we venture out in the town. Buy some dry fruit nuts and raisins (30/- for 100gm) and then have our dinner at a muslim joint called Mushroom - great place for food. Grilled fish in butter garlic, with rice and fries, beef fry, appam, and prawn masala - this is the best. Big prawns - almost 8-10 of them - all costing under 500/-. This place is quite a walking distance - about 2 km. Autorickshaw would have taken about 30/-.
Day 3: 24th Jan 2012
Allepye
Main day in Allepye. I wake up early in the morning at 6:45mam. Go to the beach. Breakfast at 8:30am. Traditional South Indian fare - Dosai and Idly. We proceed to the beach. We have already spoken to a fellow at the shack to arrange a day trip for us in the backwaters in a shikara. So we take an auto and go to the main town (40/-) by 10:30am. The guy introduces us to a man with a shikara and we decide on a 5-hour trip - with 350/- per hour.
We sit in the shikara, and it moves out of the canal towards the lake. The Vemanad lake is huge - one side Kumarakom, one side Kottayam, one goes to Kollam, and one towards Kochi. These are only the names I could get from the guy - I could not even get his own name. Malayalam only. For conveniece we will call him Anna henceforth.
By 11:30 he wants us to have lunch. We tell him that it is too early. So he says okay. We continue with the cruize. Keep seeing different types of house boats - big and small, with decks, with different facilities. Other types of boats too - like kayaks, small round fishing boats, big government-run ferries.
We stop at one place, Anna makes me pluck a lotus from the lake. We also have coconut water - 20/- per. By 12:30 we reach some villages. Lunch at a village. Kerala style, on banana leaf. Rice, sambar, rasam, pickle, duck curry, karimeen fry. Thali is only 50/- each. But duck curry and fish are expensive. Total lunch costs about 500/- again.
Another 2 hours roaming in the backwaters. Different parts of the lake. Villages, schools, shops on the banks. While returning Anna shows us Lake resort. Apparently this is a site for shooting feature films. Can't see why.
As planned we are docked back at the ferry junction in the middle of the town by 3:30pm. I give an extra 50/- to Anna. He seems pleased.
We take an auto back to the beach (30/-) and hit Dreamers once again for the mint lemon juice. We also try out the seafood pizza and some calamarie. Pizza is not that great. Calamarie is nice, but the portions are less.
I want a cup of coffee, so we head to India Coffee House. Do not go there. Sad excuse of a coffee for 8/-. While returning we go to the beach. Hit the waves with a vengeance. Great relief.
Beach is generally clean, but you have to find a good spot away from the public beach.
Casa maria is good in that way since it is farther away.
Day 4 to follow ...
Best
Shreekant
Allepye
The next day, Rasheed comes to the Bungalow as planned at 10am, but we are just about getting ready. So after packing, getting ready, we finally move out at 11am. We travel out of Fort Cochin, on the way having some real good meat pattice from a local bakery, and hit the main highway that takes us to Allepye (Allepuzza). The road is nice and smooth, four lane and not too busy. The journey is pleasant and we reach Allepye by 1pm.
We are a rare species of travellers. Usually no one comes this far without any prior booking, or a plan. But we have neither. So Rasheed takes us to a couple of places - one is a small house called Gowri - quite nice, but full. Then to a tour operator. The lady at the tour operator shop tries to get us a lake facing property - 2,000/- a night. It is called Manchester - but it is really three-four small huts facing the lake. Nice place, but rooms are very small and I find it claustrophobic. So we ask what other options we have. We are told that there is a beach on the other side of the town and there are a couple of hotels there. So we decide to check this part out.
There is a nice bungalow called Raheem's Residency, but it is full and the guy - very helpful - tries to get us one. But he can offer a small room for 2 nights for 4,000/- per night. So we move ahead. There is a resort - I think it is called Panorama - it is so lemony in color that we find it repulsive. Plus it is also 4,000/-. Might as well stay at Raheem's. For both, you have to cross the road to go to the beach.
Finally just further ahead of the beach we find a place called Casa maria. Small place, but has a back-door access to the beach. Good service, 2,750/- a night. So we plan to stay here for 2 nights. We go back towards the main beach, find a shack called Dreamers for lunch. Awesome mint lemon juice - it is actually a juice of mint leaves with a squeeze of lemon! Great thirst quencher. Coupled with mussels roasted and fish masala with rice. Damn good - esp mussels.
Then late in the evening we venture out in the town. Buy some dry fruit nuts and raisins (30/- for 100gm) and then have our dinner at a muslim joint called Mushroom - great place for food. Grilled fish in butter garlic, with rice and fries, beef fry, appam, and prawn masala - this is the best. Big prawns - almost 8-10 of them - all costing under 500/-. This place is quite a walking distance - about 2 km. Autorickshaw would have taken about 30/-.
Day 3: 24th Jan 2012
Allepye
Main day in Allepye. I wake up early in the morning at 6:45mam. Go to the beach. Breakfast at 8:30am. Traditional South Indian fare - Dosai and Idly. We proceed to the beach. We have already spoken to a fellow at the shack to arrange a day trip for us in the backwaters in a shikara. So we take an auto and go to the main town (40/-) by 10:30am. The guy introduces us to a man with a shikara and we decide on a 5-hour trip - with 350/- per hour.
We sit in the shikara, and it moves out of the canal towards the lake. The Vemanad lake is huge - one side Kumarakom, one side Kottayam, one goes to Kollam, and one towards Kochi. These are only the names I could get from the guy - I could not even get his own name. Malayalam only. For conveniece we will call him Anna henceforth.
By 11:30 he wants us to have lunch. We tell him that it is too early. So he says okay. We continue with the cruize. Keep seeing different types of house boats - big and small, with decks, with different facilities. Other types of boats too - like kayaks, small round fishing boats, big government-run ferries.
We stop at one place, Anna makes me pluck a lotus from the lake. We also have coconut water - 20/- per. By 12:30 we reach some villages. Lunch at a village. Kerala style, on banana leaf. Rice, sambar, rasam, pickle, duck curry, karimeen fry. Thali is only 50/- each. But duck curry and fish are expensive. Total lunch costs about 500/- again.
Another 2 hours roaming in the backwaters. Different parts of the lake. Villages, schools, shops on the banks. While returning Anna shows us Lake resort. Apparently this is a site for shooting feature films. Can't see why.
As planned we are docked back at the ferry junction in the middle of the town by 3:30pm. I give an extra 50/- to Anna. He seems pleased.
We take an auto back to the beach (30/-) and hit Dreamers once again for the mint lemon juice. We also try out the seafood pizza and some calamarie. Pizza is not that great. Calamarie is nice, but the portions are less.
I want a cup of coffee, so we head to India Coffee House. Do not go there. Sad excuse of a coffee for 8/-. While returning we go to the beach. Hit the waves with a vengeance. Great relief.
Beach is generally clean, but you have to find a good spot away from the public beach.
Casa maria is good in that way since it is farther away.
Day 4 to follow ...
Best
Shreekant
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