pallakkad and other hidden places

thank you all.. this site has helped me on my trips to india..
now embarking on my third!

i've done the backpacker rounds of kerala..varkala, cochin, allepy, triv..

now looking into PALLAKKAD as it's only 3 hours from cochin..

anyone been?

also.. i have gobs of time and land in cochin... any other off the path suggestions are welcome.

I was toying with a visit to OTTAPALAM but wow it's kinda hard to get to..

many thanks!

hello drewsky,
for how many days are u willing to stay? Palakkad is indeed a very interesting place and quite off the beaten track, so u'll have plenty of things to see and do there! It isnt't 3 hours from Kochi but rather 5, so be careful with the distances...To start with, you have the beautiful tea and coffee plantations of Nellyampathy, a jewel of a hill station only 1 hour away from Palakkad. You won't find any tourists there, a part from few Indians who go there during holidays, and only few guest houses and tea bungalows, basically the contrary of Munnar, which is unfortunately pretty spoiled by mass tourism. Then you have Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, on the border with Tamil Nadu, one of the few places left in Kerala where you can still see many wild elephants and other wildlife. Adivasi tribes still live there. Beautiful.
If you like the traditional keralese architecture you will be spoiled in Palakkad. You will find few ancient 'Manas' (the ancestral houses of the Namboodiri families) transformed in heritage homestays. Unique experience, if you are willing to loosen a little your budget.
Around Kochi, plenty to see also, off the paths. Mararikulam is a small fishermen village just 1 hour south from Kochi, where you will find a long unspoiled beach (nothing to do with Varkala or Kovallam), with only a couple of resorts, you will be basically alone on the beach a part from the fishermen. The village is nestled between the sea and the backwaters, you can hire a bicycle and explore local life. Peaceful and pristine. Another pristine beach lies 2 hours north of Kochi, near Kodungallur, again only fishermen villages and 2 or 3 hotels. Always near Kodungallur (the old Muziris, once a very active port famous for its spice trade), there is one of the oldest spice markets of India (open on Mondays and Thursdays), along with the ruins of a portuguese fort overlooking the Periyar and the first mosque built in India.
If you are a bird lover, then you can make a day trip to Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary (check first if it is open), 2 hours away from Kochi, there is even a tented camp nearby where you can spend the night and do some rafting in the Periyar River...
And the list would go on and on...:-) Hope I have helped in giving you some ideas!

thank you madhubala... so nice that you took the time out to write... will take up your suggestions !
a.