After three years, I finally made my way back to India for a super short 2.5 week trip.
Determined to see the country in ways have I haven't experienced before, I initiated plans for a family tour of Kerala. It was a wonderful time with the rents and we got to truly see the beauty of the state. We had an entertaining driver who knew all the small pitstops and made sure to make the trip even more memorable. A detailed breakdown of the highlights: Kochi - Landed in Kochi in the morning and got to spend the day with Manoj chitan. - Bought a lot of jewelry from Goodwill - if only I had more occasions to wear them - Bought some sari gifts from Seemati, a big sari store in the city. Learned how to correctly pronounce banarasi - Explored Jew Town and the Synagogue - Ate a really, really good samosa (but everyone else said it was okay and I was just hungry. I don't agree.) - Toured Fort Kochi at sunset - Saw the Chinese fishing nets - Ate at the aesthetic Old Harbor Restaurant Munnar - Had great parambori and chai en route to Munnar - Went through a truly unique experience getting an ayurvedic massage - Saw the breathtaking view from Ragamaya at sunset - Pool + table tennis - mom is now a master pool player - Toured to the tea estates and had wonderful chai from the mountains - Saw a rock Katakali performance. Not what we were expecting but still entertaining Backwaters/Kumarakom - Explored the beautiful Coconut Lagoon resort - Had chai and snacks at from a local who was giving food from her small boat that she brought in through one of the channels of water - Sunset cruise with a live tabala player - Traditional Kuchipudi outdoor dance at the resort. Truly graceful dancer and a wonderful performance. Dancing to Bo Shambo was an added bonus. - Morning yoga - Experienced an open air bathroom at the resort - FantasTIC plantain coconut side for breakfast. I ate three bowls - Went on a subpar houseboat lunch tour where I had to work overtime to entertain the kids (aka parents). Had to eat sad sambaar while they ate fried fish. Wouldn't recommend for vegis. Trivandrum - Went to Kanyakumari Kanyakumari - Padmadamapura palace tour. Largest wooden palace in all of Asia, dating to almost 400 years ago and occupied by some of the first royal families of south India. Got an unexpected and very detailed tour from one of the security guards - Very scary and bumpy boat ride to the Vivekanandan rock memorial - Vivekanandan rock memorial - Saw Trivenisangam (only place in the world where three bodys of water meet - Indian Ocean, Arbian Sea, Bay of Bengal) at the southernmost part of the country - Had authentic filter coffee - Visited a very old temple on the way back to Triv, it had many detailed single stone carvings and hollowed stone musical pillars - En route back to the hotel, saw a parade of men hanging by hooks (religious reasons??) - Woke up early to get ready to go to the Padmanabhaswamy temple, known to be the Golden Temple due to having hidden vaults of gold totaling over $1 trillion. - I was told to cover up at said temple (for wearing a sleeveless sari blouse..) :( Bangalore - Surprise visit to Manoj Chitans place - Pet some cats Back to Bombay :) Here are my favorite pictures from the trip. There are a lot. Here are more: Mallu magal - Kerala 2023 - Google Photos
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