French in kerala

ishvara

Hello,
I go to kerala in April and I do a map of everything that we wanted to see can you tell me how long it can be done, how much we couterai a little pressure, and if this journey there Other thing to a must-see?
Here is the link to the map:
Http://maps.google.fr/maps?hl=fr&tab=wl

Otherwise if you have any advice to give us a taker us
Our cities will see: cochin, ernakulam, kaladi, kodungallur, alleppey, aranmula, chengannur, chenganacherry, kottayam, quillon, varkala, trichur, trivandrum, guruvayur and punnathur Kotta.
Day 1 and 2: cochin visit and ernakulam and their surroundings - hebergement high cochin
Day 3 and 4: depart for perumpavur then Kodungallur, Punnathur Kotta and Thrissur - accommodation at thrissur
Day 5 and 6: Departure for Ettumanur, then Kottayam, changanacherrri, aranmula, chengannur and alleppey. Take the backwaters for 24 hours or less - a allepey accommodation on the backwaters or in the city
Day 7 and 8 and then depart for varkkallai Trivandrum - hosting a trivandrum
9 days to 13: Departure for the ashram of amma
14 days: a return cochin
According to how you will return a trip like that?
Of course it's a trip adventure that comfort ... It still has benefited our age
We fesons a trip backpack comfort us therefore not matter.
What do you think?
Thanks in advance
Om,
Laetitia

dhans

Bienvenue Laetitia,

The link to the map shows France......

Butr I think your schedule is perfectly doable. How much you spend is more a case of how much you are willing to spent. You'll get by confortably on 60 / 70 euros a day. If you rent a car for the whole periode make that 100 / 110.

Hans

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ishvara

Thanks for your answer it is very nice!
And although we do not have a big budget because we are young, and we start over on an adventure. We do not want to be in luxury hotels, but instead of simple or sleep. It is not possible to spend less than € 60 per day for 2 people?

Thanks in advance

Om,

Laetitia

ishvara

A yes here is the link to the map:

Http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=1084242923280282 28374.0004438e84ea063cf5de9&hl =fr&ie=UTF8&z=8&om=1

Om,

Laetitia

Nick-H

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ishvara

Sorry but I did not know: $


I promised to remain black!

Nick-H

No problem

We tend to use colour for public announcements and stuff --- but there are threads, like the Birthday thread, that are completely free of restraint.

ishvara

You know which country otherwise?

machadinha

My feeling is you should still be able to get by OK as a budget traveler on less than 20 Euros (a little over 1,000 Rs.) a day per person (cheap hotels, simple eateries, 2nd-class land travel)... But that's arguably just my feeling and it's been a while, and next time it may well turn out to be that good old telephone call home -- er, can you...?

Checking around some just now, this doesn't seem too unrealistic though. See for instance How to get the most out of the Itinerary section. ; http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldgui...oney-and-costs . Which can only serve as general guidelines, of course. It's better to be too pessimistic about your expenses than too optimistic.

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2cents

The predominant points of interest/visit on your map are temples. I hope you know that in Kerala non-hindus are not permitted inside Temples. There are only a few temples, Sabarimala being the most famous among them, that allows people of all faith.

dhans

Sorry Laetitia, I thought you were older. 60 Euro is perfectly doable for two young people. You will then not even eb in the lwoest budget category.

Hans

ishvara

Yes please I know that the non-Hindu sometimes can not return to the temples (but can be if we melts into the crowd with a bit of luck: D

If not for the transport fare? You know the price? Bus? Ricksaw? Train?

machadinha

If 2Cents who lives there tells you Hindu temples there are off-limits, my guess is you have a fair chance that they are.

Your question on transport is far too vague. I gave a link above to a thread on "How to plan your itinerary," which offers some indications of how to estimate your costs. That member's thread Train information also gives a lot of links that will give you some idea of (train) travel costs. A decent guidebook should also be helpful in this. You'll also find a lot of sites to help you in your travel planning in the "links" link in my signature, which you can find back in my post #9 above.

I don't know what you mean by rickshaws, but they're not normally used for inter-city travel. Other than that and like anywhere in the world, costs will obviously depend on type and class of transport & distances involved. All that can be said about it is it'll be cheaper than where you live, but how much cheaper is hard to say just like that. The budget indications already given above should include all spendings, if you manage to budget it that way. If you want more luxury, you'll obviously pay more. Costs wil also vary per area or even per town, again, just like anywhere else.

pundabee

You definitely cannot melt into the crowd to enter a temple.

Machadinha's advice on daily budgets etc. is accurate.

The locations you are going will have reasonable accommodation for around Rs. 500 for a double room.

You can eat good quality South Indian food for Rs. 50 per person per meal.

Travelling by bus and train is straight forward: you don't need to reserve tickets for train/bus travel inside Kerala. The price for a bus ticket is around Paisa 50 per kilometre and slightly higher for trains. Additionally, all cities and towns in Kerala are well connected by either bus or train, and distances are relatively short making travelling using public transport very easy.

Rickshaws charge Rs. 10 per kilometre (Rs. 5 to the destination and Rs. 5 back). Rickshaw drivers generally don't use their meter, but in some places, especially north of Kochi, they will. Charges by meter are generally significantly lower than non-meter charging.

I recommend getting Rough Guide to Kerala. No travel book for Kerala comes close in terms of quality.

2cents

I have no idea how you look, but in all probability you wouldn't pass for an Indian.Its not just a question of having the 'right' colour or shade of hair and skin. Its also to do with how you carry off a traditional India attire, the familiarity with which you move around once inside the temple etc.
Maybe you have visited Hindu temples in France or other countries and believe you can do the same here without sticking out from the regular throng of devotees.
However in Kerala,according to most temple authorities, a non-hindu entering a temple is supposed to defile it and they have to carry out 'purification' rites immediately afterwards before they can go with the daily rituals; and thus this restriction is taken quite seriously.

Obtaining a 'conversion certificate' to the effect that you have converted to Hinduism from Arya Samaj Mandir located at Puthiyara P.O. Calicut(Kozhikode)-673 004 or one of the following institutions listed below recognized by the Kerala Government, is a loophole many foreign tourists make use of to gain entry to temples in Kerala.

1. Kerala Hindu Mission, Thiruvananthapuram.
2. All India Dayananda Salvation Mission (Arya Samaja) Kerala Branch, Thiruvananthapuram.
3. Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (Registered as No. 22 of 1964 under the
Charitable Societies Act, 12 of 1965).
4. Shri Ramadasa Mission Universal Society, Sree Neelakantapuram,
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 581.

Quoting from a recent news article "The conversion ceremony, he says, is not a time consuming affair."It's a sudhi karma (purifying ceremony) which may take one to one-and-a-half hour for completion. The applicant will have to render hymns from the four Vedas during the homam.......The most attractive feature of certificate issued by Arya Samaj: It will provide an entry into Hindu temples anywhere in the country."