Off the beaten track in Kerala

DDee

The beautiful Neyyar Dam ashram is worth a mention too. It's about 30km outside Trivandrum, in stunning surrounds. The Steve Irwin crocodile sanctuary nearby is less impressive...

I agree with some of the previous posters: getting on a bike and traipsing around was some of the most fun I had in Kerala (e.g. a day trip to Kollam from Varkala). A great way to get into the flow of things...

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kalbarri

d dee, thanks for the info about the neyyar dam ashram. i did a bus trip up that way and i loved the area. would like to check it out to do some yoga there. really need to get back into it.

sreejithp

hi...

am new to the forum, and am a trivandrumite, even though rt now am at delhi. these locations can basically be hangout places for trivandrumites. not much of tourist promotions have been done here, but then it's worth visiting if someone's planning on a prolonged stay at trivandrum.

1. Perumathura- a few kilometers north of the city, on the beach. it is the place where a backwater (named kadhinamkulam) joins the sea. it is actually a sand bar that opens in monsoon time. the beach there is not good for swimming, but you get a lot of place to be alone and lost. there are local buses to perumathura from the bus stand opposite the railway station.

2. Madavoor Para: it is a huge rock in the midst of rubber plantations. there is a temple on the top of the rock, and it provides excellent view of the surrounding countryside. it is supposed to be a place where Sri Narayana Guru, a much venerated social reformer and saint meditated. it is a good place for the adventurous to try rock climbing. The approach that i know is on Sreekaryam- Chempazhanthy- Pothenkode road, sometime after SN Central school. There could be other approaches also.

I am sure there could be many other locations in and around the city, and hope more forumers from trivandrum may come forward with them. I'm sorry to say i'm no longer at trivandrum...

kalbarri

ain,t it just something...what a beautiful state. i am there right now and just did a 200k trip that took about 7 hours but the scenery was so good, i didn't mind. that trip down, from marayoor, 40ks north of munnar, in the fog and rain and snakey turns of the skinny road...bit of a let down arriving at erenakulum

greenfish

spice garden retreat is a must when in kerala. also the ernavikulum sanctuary and the mattupety dams are not to be missed.

theres a lot more to kerala than just natural beauty. i would like to know how it became the 1st state to have 100 percent literacy. whats so great about keralites that they were able to reach this spectacular goal when the rest of india hasnt?

this requires a Ph.D, as well.....

palerider

I think the cause of so much wanton learning is the socialist government, isn't it?

Kerala is truly beautiful, even the tourist areas are amazing.
Even the backwater tour down to Elleppey is great.

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etin

many have researched this subject. please check these links for more clues..
http://www.chitram.org/mallu/keralamodel.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_model

kalbarri

good info, etin, thanks!
that is definitely true about the kids in kerala asking for pens instead of money.
i only saw about 4 beggars there in 2006 and was amused to see an article in a trivandrum paper about getting all the beggars off the streets. one beggar, with crippled legs, even offered me change when i told him that i had no small change and laughed as he pulled a wad of cash from his top pocket. i said, "i think you already have enough" and he smiled.
i was lucky this trip, to see some of the local deer, just outside of marayoor, as i was leaving on the bus.

Brisso

yes, the only state where I did not see beggars ...

federica

Oh, there are beggars, but not many. Not more than in an average town in Europe...

boatmasterlondon

exelent guide there.

i have printed it of to read again later. cheers.

magpie

Your posts are all inspiring, and are making me very excited about my first trip to India.

I am heading to Kochi mid-March, spend about four days there (a wedding) and then take six days to travel from there to Trivandrum, where I catch a plane from there back to Mumbai for a couple of days.

I am just starting to research my the options. I fear I won't have booked/organised everything - other than hotel in Kochi - before I arrive.

Will I have trouble finding accommodation, booking transport etc. ? (I am not a backpacker, rather, I'm a bit of a softie - this is my first holiday in a few years and I want a bit of 'luxury')! - plus I don't know how to drive so will rely on a driver, or buses or trains, I don't have a sense of distances yet...

I love the idea of the government guest house mentioned above - would very much appreciate more info on this and/or any others.

I am particularly interested in food and markets (food and other kinds of markets) and would love to take a cooking class or two, perhaps in someone's house rather than in a hotel kitchen...Any/all advice would be most welcome.

Finally, any recs for a good guidebook in addition to Lonely Planet or Rough Guide?

snonymous

any recs for a good guidebook in addition to Lonely Planet or Rough Guide?

Try Outlook Travellers Guide: Kerala & Lakshadweep, it has a lot of useful information about places, accommodation etc. You will get it at any Kerala airport book store, or at most large book stores in India.

For the rest of your queries, take a look through the Kerala forum, there is so much information out there.

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junglejux

I stayed in Kottakkal a few years ago. The town was really enchanting, unfortunatly the pics are on my laptop in the states but the few I have are these. I feel its a great place to make a quick one day stop over in. If you happen to come by this little town, theres a temple thats supposed to be like 200 years old, its beautiful, they dont let men in wearing shirt, you have to pretty much rock a lungi and what not. I'll post more pics when I get them.

I took these pics from my room.

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feldmanr

Hey Forrest!

Mesmerizing account- objective and astute, the eyes of a scientist and poet- & certainly more...

Been to Kerala twice and fanaticize "retiring" thereabouts.

These days I play tabla, edit my poetry, and am a fulltime hs English teacher here in sFL part time at a local cc.

Anyway, I was wondering, since I feel some kindred spirit thing here, whether you were aware of x-patriot housing situations, renting a place maybe w/ some land ( a few modest acres)?

Cost of living?

How to start, besides another obvious trip say next year to check things out???

By the way, my x-wife, son's Mom, is an American citizen but bron in Pakistan- wonder whether this might complicate matters....?

Anyway, if you feel like, I'd appreciate connecting....

Thanks, and stay well and vibrant!

Robert Feldman