Kerala & Tamil Nadu, 2 weeks, November..

ashish2010

A long break, some changes, and a slightly different itinerary. The office people decided that they would give us a break only in December, so December its going to be. Have booked the air tickets, so thankfully no more date changes. Sadly, the Periyar tragedy also happenned in this time, so its off our plans now. Here is the revised itinerary.

Day 1 - Reach Kochi airport at approx 5 pm. Indigo flight, approx 4,000/pp. Have booked an A/c cab for the Kerala part @ 1500/day (for 100 kms) in Delhi. Depart for Kumarakom homestay Kodianthara. Booked thru Mahindra Homestays. Excellent website, gives a list of activities to do, and has a pleasing interface. Later found that Kerala tourism site also has a list of Homestays with gradings. This feature alone makes the Kerala site superior to TN one, which has more information, but doesn't help the tourist much in the way of planning (except offering 'tours'). As per me, the focus of tourism organisations in India focus on selling tours & services, and doesn't give too much info to help the self-planning tourist. Anyway, wrong place to rant..

Day 2 - Plan to visit the Bird sanctuary with the help of homestay owner, early in the morning. Have booked the houseboat in Delhi with same company as the cab one. The owner, Mr Paul (of Rover holidays) is a knowledgable & pleasant person to deal with. Overnight in houseboat.

Day 3 - Alight from the boat at 10:00 AM. Get driven to Munnar. Stay at Ranger Woods homestay. Some kms out of the town. Again Mahindra homestays. Price 3500/room. Currently have a 25% off on rack price.

Day 4 - Local sightseeing (Madupetty lake, Top station etc). Definitely tea & other spice plantation tours with the help of the homestay owner.

Day 5 - Drive to Maraiyur/Chinnar. As its a long drive, will consult with the owner to check if another shorter route will be worthwhile.

Day 6 - Depart for Fort Kochi. Booked a stay at Heavenly homestay, price 1000/room. Very close to beach. Good reviews at Tripadvisor.com. Will visit either Cherrai or the local beach in the evening.

Day 7 - Local sightseeing in Fort Kochi. Keep cab till the 10:00 PM departure for Trichy from Ernakulam Jn.

Day 8 - Arrive in Trichy @ 8:00 AM. Our ticket says that the train timings will change from November 1st. Hope the timings doesn't change by too much, as these are essential for us to make the morning visit to Srirangam temple. Btw, I checked Srirangam temple's website, and it didnt show that the temple will be closed between 12-4 pm. Anyway, sticking to the original itinerary, after taking the cab (yet to book) from railway station, we will book a day lodge at Srirangam (one IM member recommended Sri Renga) to freshen up & breakfast. Thereafter visit the temple at around 11:00 AM, and engage a guide for the tour of the temple. As our focus is more towards checking out the architecture of the temple, we want to know whether the temple premises are also inaccessible during the 12-4 slot, or we can take the tour by the guide comfortably. In any case, we wont be spending more than 2 hrs touring the temple. Unless we find some cool corner to rest inside. If we have the inclination, then we may visit the Jambukeswar temple (quickly) before proceeding to lunch in the town. If we're too tired, then we will rest in the lodge, otherwise proceed towards the Anaicut dam and spend an hour or so at the place (source is the same IM travelogue), before halting at Hotel Gnanam at Thanjavur (booked, 1700/room). Will try to visit the local Bazaar, or catch any event/Puja recommended by the cabbie/hotel people. Will try to save Brihadeeswara for the next morning.

Day 9 - Early morning visit to the Brihadeeswara, or by 10:00 AM after breakfast. At around 11:00, checkout from hotel, and visit the Palace / any other local sight in city (Pls suggest your recommendations). Perhaps try to get a Tanjore doll souvenir :-). After lunch in the city, proceed to Darasuram for Airavateeswara. It will be closed, but as its a UNESCO site, am hoping the temple premises will be open for a guide tour. An option is to spend some time in the local bazaar, or to proceed directly towards Tranquebar. Have booked the budget Hotel Tamil Nadu (600 for AC room) from Neemranahotels.com. Their 5-star property doesn't get good reviews on Tripadvisor. Hoping to catch the sunset at the uncrowded, romantic beachfront.

Day 10 - After some morning action (only walks :-) at the beach, get a tour of the fort, and the accompanying museum. I am hoping Jorge Reverter is reading this post, and drop some advice on anything :-) And yes, Snonymous too, for anything on Tanjore/Darasuram/Trichy. And the icing on the cake will be a reply from PMV. Absolutely love his posts. (I have a list of my fav IM authors; have been reading so much these days; but they will take another post..)

Anyway, proceed towards Vaitheeswaran Koil. Target is not the temple, but a meeting with the Nadi astrologers. Request anyone who has a personal experience to let me know their recommended contacts/prices to get a meeting. Not looking for an accuracy in predictions, but it looks hugely interesting to me that my future is indeed written down here in an obscure palm leaf. Anyone sharing his/her experiences will be helpful. Proceed towards Chidambaram. If time permits, visit the Nataraja temple. Atleast catch the fire Puja at 7 pm (or is it at 5 pm) there. short visit to the city bazaar, and retire for the day at Hotel Saradhanam (yet to be booked/email enquiry sent).

Day 11, 12 - Early visit to temple. Reach Pondicherry. Booked two days stay at the Richmond (near to beach, 3750/room incl Breakfast & Dinner, great reviews in Tripadvisor). Havent decided yet what to do in Pondicherry. But it wont be anything strenuous. Just walks in the local markets, and enjoying the beach.

Day 13 - Get an early morning start on the East Coast Road. Visit Mahabalipuram. About 2 hrs and lunch there. Next in line is Croc bank & Snake Park. If time is there, visit Dakshina Charitra, or if someone recommends anyplace good for a short visit in Chennai before reporting at the airport @ 6 pm. Indigo again, cost around 3000/pp.

Thanks for reading, and looking forward to your comments.