Author: Prabhith Prabhakaran

We visited Kochi in April 2018.

Kochi (also known as Cochin / Fort Kochi) is a city in south India’s coastal state ‘Kerala’. It has been a port since 1341, when a flood carved out its harbour and opened it to Arab, Chinese and European merchants. Sites reflecting those influences include Fort Kochi, a settlement with tiled colonial bungalows and diverse houses of worship. Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, typical of Kochi, have been in use for centuries.

Kochi can easily fit in as a 2 Day Itinerary in your travel plan. Kochi is widely used as an entry point by all tourists because of the connectivity of flights from ‘Cochin International Airport.’ Also I have seen many tourists using this as a transit place for travelling to other regions like Munnar. If you have more days in your trip I would suggest spending 2 days here in Kochi and travel to Munnar or Alappuzha based on your choice.

Jew Street/Jew Town

This is the oldest settlement of Jews in India. It is a narrow street between Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue. On both sides of the road, you will find shops that are selling spices, antiques, colourful shawls and handicrafts. It’s a very nice place to wander and a great place to shop for souvenirs.

Fort Kochi/Chinese Fishing Nets

The parking options are slightly less compared to the number of people who visit this place. The boats between Kochi-Vypeen starts and ends here. It’s a Government run boat and the ticket price is less than 5 rupees. We were lucky enough to see the new boat (Jangaar) in service between Fort Kochi and Vypeen, that was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala the same day.

There is a path way available in FortKochi. You can also enjoy the Sunset view from here.

The Chinese Fishing Nets are the most famous sight here. Chinese nets (Cheenavala) is an interesting way to catch fish from the shore, it takes about 3-5 men to pull in the net using a pulley system made of rope, rocks, teak, and bamboo. This is slowly missing its popularity as people started using boats for catching fish. After a few years, I am sure people won’t even remember / know that such a technique did exist.

The main thing that needs improvement is cleanliness. Government has to take some steps here regarding cleanliness. It is very important for any place, to attract the tourists.

Lulu Mall

LuLu International Shopping Mall is a shopping mall located in Kochi, Kerala. It is the largest shopping mall in India in terms of total area. With an average daily footfall of more than 80,000, it is one of the most visited places in Kerala.

Kochi Metro

Kochi Metro is the first metro in the state of Kerala. It was opened to the public within four years of starting the construction, making it the fastest completed metro project in India until the Lucknow Metro overtook it. Kochi Metro was lauded for its decision to employ Kudumbashree workers and also members of the transgender community.

Sunset Cruise from Marine drive

Sunset cruise is another interesting thing to do in Kochi. It’s a great way to see the Chinese Fishing Nets from the water and to enjoy the Cochin backwaters at a leisurely pace. It is also the perfect opportunity to spot dolphins! It lasts for around 1.5 – 2 Hours. Sorry to say that you cannot enjoy this ride fully, because of the mosquitos.

Bolgatty Islands

Bolgatty Palace is located on an island of the same name, Bolgatty Island. It is one of the oldest Dutch palaces outside of Holland built by the Dutch. It was the residence of a number of British governors, but after independence the state turned it into a heritage resort. It’s another great place to wander around and to enjoy a cup of tea!

We again witnessed another inauguration here.

Lulu Bolgatty International Convention centre and Grand Hyatt Hotel was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala the same day, a few hours back. The view of the convention centre from the cruise boat was amazing.

Other Places nearby

Dutch Cemetery and St. Francis Church: At this church, explorer Vasco da Gama was buried for 14 years before being dug up and taken back to Lisbon. It’s also the oldest European church in India.

Vasco Da Gama Tomb
MattancherryPalace (Dutch Palace)
Fort Emmanuel
Sant Cruz Basilica
Cherai Beach

You can also watch a Kathakali Performance or go for an Ayurveda Massage.

Accommodation

There are accommodations that suit all budgets, available in Kochi.

We stayed in Ramada Resort Kochi.

If you’d like to stay away from the hustle and bustle, then consider staying at Ramada Kochi Resort. A littleaway from Fort Kochi, it’s a place of peace and it has everything you need to relax after a well explored day. It has Kerala’s Biggest pool, multiple restaurant choices. All this right by the edge of the Kochi Backwaters. I would recommend staying in one of the Cottage Rooms, with a balcony overlooking the longest pool you have ever seen. Please note that there are many rooms that doesn’t have any views. Such rooms won’t be worth your money.

Sea Food

Don’t forget to have some sea food before you travel back from Kochi.

How to Reach

Cochin International Airport is an hour by taxi from Fort Kochi, and traffic jams are a regular occurrence, so try and get an air-conditioned car and make yourself comfortable.

Kochi is connected to all other regions across Kerala by Bus. The KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus stand is also within the city limits.

Kochi also have 2 railway stations – North Railway station and the South Railway station.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.”– Martin Buber

Happened to Visit Kuttiady Dam in October 2018.

My Route : Kuttiady private Bus Stand –> Kadiyangad Bus Stop –> Kuttiady Dam

Kuttiady to Kadiyangad will be around a 10 Rupees ticket in a private bus.

From Kadiyangad, its around 7 KMS to the Dam.

If you are a Budget Traveler, you can get into a private bus from Kadiyangad Bus stop to reach the dam.

Because of some time constraints, I went in an Auto by paying around 150 Rupees (To and Fro Charges + 15 Minutes Waiting Charges)

Ticket Charges:

Ticket Charge is around 5 rupees per person. They had also taken 5 Rupees for the Auto Parking.

History:

Ideally, it’s an Irrigation Dam project. But now a days a huge drinking water project under the financial aid from Japan (locally known as Japan Kuddivella Padhathi) is implemented for distributing drinking water to Kozhikode city and other nearby panchayaths.

As a part of this drinking water project, a WELL – measuring 3.5 m in height and 18 m in diameter was constructed on the bank and then floated in the reservoir and fixed at the location. It is intended to store water for supply to 13 lakh consumers. There are six gates through which water from the reservoir will enter the well, which will have the capacity of storing 174 million litre per day (mld). The project has been envisaged to meet the requirements of the targeted consumers for 30 years.

(Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Japan-drinking-water-project-sees-new-construction-method/articleshow/18141378.cms)

Overview:

Was very much disappointed with this destination. They have almost closed all the gates because of which we can’t see the real beauty of the reservoir or the dam. The entry into the Dam Pathway is also blocked. Anyway, the dam is also very small.

The Garden is also not maintained properly nowadays.

If you are a nearby traveler, it’s OK to visit this place. But if you are coming from a Faraway place just to see this destination, please think twice before proceeding.

Other Points of Interest (Personally, I did not get enough time to visit the below places)

1) Crocodile/Snake Park

2) Heard that there is a Kayaking place near by

I visited Parasinikadavu and Kottiyoor temples in October 2018.

Kottiyoor Temple

Kottiyoor temple is situated in the Kottiyoor village, East Kannur almost 65 Kilometers from Kannur Town. Since it is on the eastern side of Kannur, it falls under the Western Ghats region of Kannur. The huge hills ,valleys and dense forests – iconic landmarks of the Western Ghats can be experienced here.

This is a prominent Shiva temple in the state of Kerala and also known as ‘Varanasi of the South’ (Dakshinakashi)

There are two temples in Kottiyoor – one on the western bank of the Bavali river- and the other being on the eastern bank.

Also known as Ikkare and Akkare Kottiyoor.

The Vaisakha Maholsavam festival is held every year during the months of May – June. The twenty-seven-day festival commences with the Neyyattam ritual on the Swati Day in Edavam and concludes with the Thrikkalashaattu.

The temple on the east bank (Akkare Kottiyoor) is a temporary place of worship (its located in dense forest). It is open only during the Vysakha festival. The temple on the west bank Ikkare Kottiyoor is a permanent one like other Hindu temples and you can visit this temple any time of the year (except on some special occasions).

There is a lot of history behind these 2 temples. As per the legends, Kottiyoor is the place where the ancient king Daksha performed Daksha Yaga.

I travelled to Kottiyoor temple from Kannur. The last private bus that starts from Kannur Bus stand to Kottiyoor is between 3- 3:30 PM (don’t recollect the exact timing now) and it takes around 2.5 hrs to reach the destination. Also please keep in mind the last private bus from Kottiyoor is at 7 PM and its to Thalassery. Also there are 1-2 long route KSRTC buses that go through this route to Thalassery and other places. Keep these timings in mind, so that you can plan your journey accordingly.

I was surprised to see that there was no rush at the temple . To be frank, at 6:30 PM, I was the only person in the temple. What I understood from the local shop vendors was the temple receives the highest number of pilgrimage in the festival season after Sabarimala and there is no rush at all during the remaining days,

Websites:

http://kottiyoordevaswom.com/

http://www.kottiyoortemple.com/

Address:

Sree Thricherumanna Alias Kottiyoor Devaswom

P.O. Kottiyoor, Kannur Dist, Pin-670 651
Tel : +91 490 2430234 , 2430434
Fax: 0480 2430234
e-Mail: info@kottiyoordevaswom.com,
kottiyoordevaswom@yahoo.com

Parassinikkadavu Temple

Sri Muthappan Temple is located at Parassinikadavu 20 kms from Kannur Town, on the banks of Valapatnam River.

The first bus that starts from Kannur bus stand is a KSRTC bus (6 AM- 6:30 AM, I don’t recollect the exact timing now). The bus picks passengers from both private and KSRTC bus stations.

This temple is unique for its worship styles and rituals. Unlike other temples here the offerings to the deity include toddy [an extract from coconut trees], fish and meat. Also, people from any religion can enter this temple. Happened to see a lot of foreigners visiting this temple.

There is a lot of history behind this temple. Unlike other temples, the devotees can ‘interact’ with the God as they pour out their grievances in a free-wheeling ‘chat’ with the tastefully decorated “Muthappan Theyyam,” an artist who assumes ‘divinity’ by representing the God.

Sree Muthappan is always accompanied by a dog. Dogs are considered sacred here and one can see dogs in large numbers in and around the temple.

You can see two carved bronze dogs at the entrance of the temple that are believed to symbolize the bodyguards of the God. When the Prasad is ready, it is first served to a dog that is always ready inside the temple complex.

From the Bus stand to the temple, you will have to cover a lot of steps. So be prepared for this.

Parassinikadavu Sri Muthappan Temple generally remains open in all seasons of the year.

Timing:

Vellattam and Thiruvappana are performed everyday morning from 5:45 and 8 AM.

Vellattam is also performed in the evening around 6:30 PM.

Thiruvappana is not performed on the following days:

1) Thulam 1^st to Vrishchikam 15^th, every year
2) Amaavasi (new moon) day of Karkkitakam and Thulam
3) ‘Nira’ day of the temple
4) When there is a death in the Madappura family.

The temple provides free meals and free accommodation to everyone who comes there.

There is also a supply of tea and boiled ‘Red cow beans (Vanpayar)’ along with coconut pieces, as prasadam.

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Andre Gide.

As a part of a Business trip, I was in Johannesburg (also known as Jo’burg and Jozi) for a couple of days in October 2019 and hence got a chance to see some parts of this city.

The main attraction that I covered was the Gauteng Lion and Safari Park.

More details in their website –>  http://www.lionandsáfáripárk.com

I booked my ticket for a 3 Hour Safari tour, prior to the travel date.

The ticket price was around 595 SAR. Took Cub Interaction tickets for 75 SAR. You can buy Cub interaction tickets, only if you buy the Safari tickets. Did not find any special discounted rates in online booking.

You will have to book the trip well in advance, as the tickets/seats get filled up fast.

The public transport in Joburg is very bad. You will hardly see any Government Public bus on the streets.

The main option for transportation is Mini Van taxis. Not sure if they are safe for Overseas Tourists. But I believe it’s a great relief for the normal citizens as they can reach all parts of the main city with a cheaper ticket.

Obviously, the sheer number of taxis on the road is a major cause for the traffic/pollution in the Joburg roads.

Some Other Places that I managed to visit were:

Tallest Building in South Africa – Carlton Tower:

From here, you gets a bird’s-eye view of the city which is really satisfying.

Carlton Tower is the tallest building in South Africa with around 50 floors. The top floor looked like it hadn’t been renovated since many years. There was graffiti and trash everywhere. No body cares to clean this place. There were very limited tourists here in this place. The ticket price was around 30 SAR (Only cash and no cards).

You can get a spectacular view of the city from the 50th floor of the Carlton Tower.

It also happens to be the tallest building in Africa, hence the nickname, the top of Africa. At 223 metres high, it doesn’t quite make it onto the list of the top 100 tallest skyscrapers but it’s the tallest structure you’re going to see in South Africa.

There is another building named ‘The Leonardo’ which is getting ready in Sandton and it will have 55 floors upon completion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leonardo_(Sandton)

The main city center is slightly scary but the Government is trying to make better townships in areas like Rosebank, Sandton, Melrose and so on.

Another important point to note is that ENGLISH is the widely spoken language in Joburg. Most of the shops close between 6-7PM.

Johannesburg doesn’t have a tourist checklist of “must-see” sights like most other cities, but there are certain things to do that are worth checking out during your visit.

If you have enough days here in Joburg, try to cover some of the below places:

• Apartheid Museum
• Vilakazi Street
• Constitution Hill
• Johannesburg zoo
• Sterkfontein Caves/Cradle of Humankind
• Mall of Africa
• Sandton City Mall
• Soweto Township (Day Trip)
• Gold reef city (Theme park)
• Hop on Hop off (For City tour)
• Crocodile city / Croc city
• Standard Bank Art Gallery

• Johannesburg planetarium
• Montecasino Bird garden
• Walter Sisulu Botanical gardens
• SAB World of beer
• James Hall Museum of Transport
• The National Museum of Military History
• Zoo Lake
• Sci bono discovery centre
• Ponte City
• Hector Pieterson Memorial
• Market on Main (For some unique finds)
• Collector’s Treasury (Africa’s largest book store)

STAY:

Is this place safe to travel?

I can only speak about my experience visiting Joburg. There wasn’t any point where I felt unsafe or saw something dangerous happening. My experience was nothing but positive.

Nonetheless, the city is still dangerous. Do take the usual precautions, be mindful of where to go, especially at night and avoid showcasing wealth like walking with your camera around the neck. Also take care of your laptop bags and so on while walking around. However, crime should not be a factor to make a decision of not visiting this amazing city!

If you are travelling alone, you might have to use Taxi and knowing a known taxi company is very important. I had used Steven’s ‘KYM Tours and Transfers’ Taxi company on all the days that I was here in Joburg. You can completely rely on his company for your travel needs. They have been in this industry for more than 15 years and will arrange you a car (mostly premium cars like Merc C class, SUV and so on). Definitely recommendable.

UBER also have a good network here.

Darjeeling is a busy little hillside town in northeastern West Bengal

The main idea behind this trip was to take a ride in the Toy train.
Its really an amazing journey. It’s good to pre-book the tickets, to avoid any last minute rush.
Tickets can be pre-booked in the website www.irctc.co.in
You can give the source destination and target destination as below:

I have seen many of the co-passengers getting down at the Ghum station. This can save your time, if you have a tight packed journey plan. The train stops in between for water refilling.

Couple of other places that we visited were:

1.Rangeet Valley Ropeway

If you want a panoramic photograph of tea plantations, Rangeet Valley Ropeway is a must. This was built in 1968 and is the first cable car in India. It’s a 15 minute ride over the sprawling field and an epic view. The ropeway stops at a small village of Tuvkar, where you can keep walking to its tea estate and visit its factory. The ropeway met with an accident in 2003, a cable car fell off killing four people. However, it reopened in 2012.

2. Japanese temple and Peace Pagoda

The Japanese Temple is the symbol of peace. It is located in the Jalapahar Hills and is built in the traditional Japanese style. The view from here is simply wonderful.

3. Chunnu Summer falls (Rock Garden)

The Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park are two beautiful parks located close to each other. Rock garden is a terraced garden that has been cut through the rock and seating arrangements are made in between. The major attraction here is the cascading waterfall.

4. Batasia Loop and War Memorial

Batasia Loop is a garden and one of the scenic routes of the Toy Train . The valley view from this park is stunning. In this park there is a war memorial dedicated to Gurkha soldiers.

5. We also visited a couple of Monasteries and temples.

“A ship in a harbor is safe, but it not what ships are built for.”

John A.

We visited Gangtok in January 2018. A family friend and his family accompanied us in the entire trip.

We visited the following places:

1. Nathula Pass till Tsomgo Lake: An important pass on the crossroads of the Indo-China border, Nathula Pass forms a part of an offshoot of the Old Silk Road. We couldn’t reach till the Chinese border in Nathula Pass due to bad weather conditions. This was my first experience with Snow Fall, within India.. Quite a memorable one…Really enjoyed each and every moment of that day.

Temperatures at Nathula can be dramatically different from Gangtok. So it is good to plan accordingly, wear inner thermals and carry additional warm clothes (jackets) which you can use later. Carry woollen gloves and caps. Buying these items at the Nathula pass might be costly. There are options to take these items (heavy jackets and shoes) for rent from the shops available en route (like the the ones below)

How to reach Nathula Pass from Gangtok: Nathula Pass is located 54 km east of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The only way to reach the pass is through road from Gangtok. Sturdy vehicles such as Innova, Bolero, and Scorpio are available for rent from Gangtok. You can also share a cab till Nathula Pass with other tourists. The road from Gangtok to Nathula Pass is steep and slippery. It is decently maintained, except in a few places.

How to get Nathula Pass permit: A permit can be obtained by applying to the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department. You can apply through a registered travel agency. I had booked ‘Dokham Tours’ (service and dealings were good and impressive). The agency will take care of your permits. A photo ID proof and two passport size photographs are required for the same. Seems only specific number of vehicles are given permission every day. Dont forget to take your ID card along with you on the travel date.

Tsomgo River, enroute Nathula Pass : Also known as the Changu Lake, this place offers an idyllic scenery and is a travellers’ delight. The lake reflects different colours with different seasons and get frozen during the winter months. And dont miss the Tsomgo Rope way, its worth the money. It gives a wonderful panoramic view of the lake and the mountains all around.

2. Gangtok Ropeway: We boarded the Ropeway at Deorali just to see a panoramic view of Gangtok. Two kms ride (to and fro) passes through the main area of Gangtok and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Those interested in photography may find it interesting and exciting to shoot the view from the height and from various angles. The front and back ends of the cable car has one sliding glass window to take pictures without any hindrances.

3. Rumtek Monastery: It is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Gangtok, at an altitude of about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).

4. M G Road: MG Road has to be the most happening place in Gangtok. The place has everything a tourist requires – hotels, good restaurants catering to all tastes, shopping’s, ATMs, Tourist Office.

5. Banjhakri Water Falls: It is a natural water fall sourced from springs at higher elevation. There is also a park nearby where you will find lot of man made monuments.There are restaurants available in this region.

We would suggest reaching the place by around 10 AM, so that there won’t be much crowd.

If possible, avoid holidays and weekends.

While entering the gate, left side will be safari journey and right side will lead you to the zoo. First complete the safari as the wait time for safari will increase during the course of the day.

The most important part of the whole trip is the safari.

Safari is well organised. You will be asked to wait for your turn in various waiting sheds. You will be asked to get into a bus accordingly.

To prevent the animal attack, Safari is normally done using fully covered mini bus (operated by the Forest department).

The safari bus will start once the seating capacity is full. The side windows have grills but there are openings to put a camera and/or binocular. The front of the bus has wider grill-less windows, but that front right side seat is usually blocked by the bus staff (helper). Sometimes the helper in the bus will offer someone a seat and the expectation is that they will be given a good tip at the end of this trip. My relative was also trapped in this and he had to pay around 100 rupees. The large area that the safari takes you through is fenced and there are entry/exits to different portions of the safari (lion safari, tiger safari, bear safari etc). It takes about an hour as they stop whenever they see animals.

The ride was about an hour. We got a chance to see deer, rein deer, bears, elephants, lions, tigers, white tigers, very closely. People of all age group would certainly love this safari.

Once the safari is completed, they will drop you at the Butterfly park and then you can visit the zoo later on. There is nothing special about the zoo but the butterfly park is amazing.

The butterfly park was conceptualized as one integrated center that would support education, conservation and research activities.

I have heard that there are boat rides available within the park, but I haven’t gone gone for it.

The detailed tariff can be found below. I would suggest booking the ticket online, so that you can avoid the rush.

There is a lot of parking space available near the main gate. Off course there is a small parking fees aswell.

There is a public bus stand just at the entrance of the Park. There are lot of bus service (like 365, 366, 368) from various parts of the city to this place, which make it easy for people to visit the park, even if they don’t have their own vehicle.

The following needs some improvement:

Properly organise the parking area.

Properly organise the ticketing areas. There are lot of confusions.

Toilets needs more maintenance.

Goa is one of the smallest and one of the most preferred tourist location in India. Most tourists come here during their winter to enjoy sunny days, blissful beaches, fresh seafood, spicy curries, vibrant markets and so on. Tourists typically know Goa as North and South Goa, the former being the place to be if you’re looking forward to a “happening” holiday, and the latter, if you need a more relaxing respite from your hectic lifestyle. Goa is a perfect gateway for all, no matter it’s a Family holiday, a quick weekend gateway or a honeymoon trip…

Some places/activities that we tried:

1.Aguada Fortress:

Fort Aguada is a medium size fortress with a light house on the top of the rocks in Aguada district made by Portuguese in Goa.We get an excellent sea view from this Fortress.

2. Basilica of Bom Jesus

This church is often called as Basilica of Good Jesus and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The structure has stood the test of time and has been preserved quite well. The church holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.

3. We also managed to do a small Cruise journey with lots of music and dance. It was exciting.

4.Tried some water sports . It was a nice experience.

If interested, you can also try your luck in some Casinos here.

There are so many nice beaches in Goa like below (read somewhere that there are more than 25 beaches)

1. Calangute
2. Palolem
3. Baga
4. Vegator
5. Ozram
6. Anjuna
7. Keri
8. Mandrem
9. Arambol
10. Colva
11. Galgibaga

We had stayed in Sterling Resorts ‘Goa Villagio’. It was a decent resort but slightly far from the happeneing places.

We had taken a car for rent and tried to explore some interior villages in Goa. That was fun and exciting. Goa’s interiors are rich in biodiversity and wildlife.

The Goan’s are renowned for their fine multi-cultural cuisine.

Two hotels that I would recommend based on my experience are (though slightly expensive):

1. Zeebop Sea food Restaurant:

We were told it is one of the best places to go to in South Goa. If you are staying in Dabolim this is a convenient place to get to with a scenic drive through the Goa countryside with its churches and Portuguese era country mansions ending on the quiet beach where this restaurant is located.

We really enjoyed the Fish menu in this hotel. Ambiance was also nice, quite near to the sea.

2. Martin’s Corner:

Another highly recommended hotel as per Trip Advisor reviews.

This is indeed a bigger restaurant with a wide spread of Sea food menu.

Not too many options for vegetarians.

The seafood served here is simply awesome.

How to reach:

By Air: Dabolim Airport is 29 kilometres away from the state’s capital, Panjim. It is well connected by daily flights from Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Cochin and Bangalore.

Mopa Airport is an under-construction greenfield airport being built at Mopa in North Goa (as of dec 2018)

By Train: The two major railheads in Goa are Madgaon and Thivim, which are well connected by trains from all over the country.

By Bus: There are a number of public as well as private bus operators in Goa, which offer options for intra-city and inter-city conveyance.