Hattihole

The Experience -

We had a long weekend coming up and guys at the office started discussing plans to head to anyplace out of Bangalore. The number of enthusiasts being large, the number of choices that came up also was too many. Finally, after discussing various options, Coorg was finally zeroed upon. Now we all knew that traveling to Coorg in early December was bound to be a seriously ‘Chilling’ experience, but we decided to brave the cold nevertheless and so Coorg it was.

With the place decided, the search for the exact location began. I had previously traveled to the home-stay at Hattihole with an earlier team of mine. But that was a good 5 years earlier and neither did I remember the details of the place nor the people to contact. In fact, I had well forgotten the very name ‘Hattihole’ itself. So we decided to start searching for good home-stays at other places in Coorg. However, after a few tens of calls, we were still not completely bought-in on any of the options available on the net. Some didn’t fit the budget, while some just didn’t sound convincing enough. Moreover, somewhere in the back of my head, I still wanted to go back to Hattihole – only I didn’t remember anything about the place or how to get there. Finally Malhar used ‘God knows what contacts’ of his and finally found the contact person there. So after another series of calls, fixing up the cab and buying the booze, we were ready to start our travel late on a Friday night (or very early on Saturday – depending on how you see it).

The trip did not begin as auspiciously as we would have wanted to. Prajeet, who had planned the whole thing and was the most enthusiastic of us all, could not make it due to a family emergency. I too had a fever running and didn’t know for sure, if I wanted to do this trip. Finally the salaries had not yet come :-) (it was the salary day) and all of us were dependent on the salary hitting the account before we actually began the trip.

But things did begin and we headed off at about 3:00 AM that Friday night, reaching Hattihole about 8 hrs later. The journey was of course not short of action – Beer gulping contest among a few, repeated stops to release the bladder (the beer effect of course), a couple of movies running on the DVD player and dancing as wild as it can get… just to name a few.

The place is of course mesmerizing. It wasn't a surprise to me as i had been there before, but the team did like it no-ends. A winding road to get to the home-stay, a couple of rope-suspension bridges on the way, hills on all sides, a perennial steam running nearby, coffee plantations all around, the amazing Abbi falls (not to mistake with the Abbey falls at Madikeri – look at the picture below) – just amazing.

And then the trek... It is definitely one of the biggest highlight. There are two possible treks that can be done – one up Kottibetta (which is what we did) and the one up a hill (don't know the name) that is right opposite the home-stay. The trek up Kottibetta too has various routes – some tedious, some not so, some through dense vegetation, some up barren rocks, some going up vertical, some following the more horizontal paths… it all depends on the guide who is accompanying you and of course your fitness levels. The trek was painful to a lot of the guys, as the effect of a sleepless, beer-filled and non-stop dancing night showed on many – and they just struggled to reach the point at about 75% of the hill. Though a few of us were eager to reach the top, the majority decided on otherwise and we headed back.

The other highlight ofcourse is the waterfall and that is where we headed the next day. Just at about a kilometer away (perfectly walkable distance) Abbi falls is beyond description in words – but to give it a try – There is ice cold water running at perfectly bath-able levels (I say so, cause am scared of water :-) ) – There are natural rock bath tub formations, where you can just lie down, as the water flows in and out - There are loads of shedded snake skins all around (for those that derive pleasure in such things :-) ) - and there’s an amazing waterfall that lets you take some truly amazing picture…

The home-stay in Hattihole is the perfect place to spend an activity filled weekend with a large team...


How to get there -

Hattihole is about 25 kms from Madikeri town.

Madikeri is 260 kms from Bangalore and 120 kms from Mysore. You cannot reach Madikeri directly by flight or train. The nearest railhead is Mysore and Bangalore has the nearest airport. From Madikeri, you need to take the Madapur road (the road that goes to Somwarpet) and at about 25 kms, you reach Hattihole.

To reach the homestay, you need to take a diversion off the main road (through a very narrow road) and travel another 3 - 4 kms. It is best to have the Homestay guys pick and guide you from Hattihole onwards.


When to Visit -

Never go to Coorg during the monsoons. The mountains of Coorg is the birthplace of Cauvery and hoards of other small but perennial streams and rivers, and during most monsoons the place is flooded.

February to May would be the ideal time to visit. Summers in Coorg is never hot; just pleasant enough to keep you outdoors throughout the time. The post monsoon period (September to January) also is good, but it could get very chilly. The months December and early January is extremely cold.


Stay & Food -

To stay at the place we stayed in, would involve committing to a lot of sacrifices. There is no electricity at the place (though this homestay had a couple of lights running on Solar Power). Mobile network too is not available anywhere except on top of the hill, to reach which you need to trek a good 5 kms :) The rooms though are neat and comfortable. When in a large group, you have to make-do sharing your cot (large enough and hence comfortable) and the blanket (small and hence definitely not comfortable, especially if you have gone there during winter). The toilets are clean and there is continuous supply of mountain water, diverted directly from a nearby spring into the bathroom. The absence of hot water would be seriously felt during winter.

Food is not fancy; just regular home cooked stuff. 3 meals and coffee twice a day is part of the package. Non-Veg food can be ordered at extra cost. They also prepare additional snacks if required (at extra cost ofcourse)


Things to Do -

- The Trek - you can choose the level of difficulty and inform the guide accordingly and he will take you through the routes that is best possible for you. To do the complete trek you need a good full day though - but hard core trekkers do it in just about 4-5 hrs.

- Take your lunch up on the trek. The people at home-stay can pack your lunch and you can carry it along when you leave on your trek. You can have your food at any of the places in the way.

- There is an amazing place on the way up where you would find natural spring water trickling down the rock (see picture below). The water is amazingly ice-cold and works as a great refreshment to all the tired trekkers. The place is also a great point to take rest or have the meal that you are carrying. Reaching here depends on the route chosen by the guide, but do ask him to take to this place and he can take a diversion.

- If you have no aversion to eating pork, ask the hosts for some 'pandhi curry' (hot pork curry). It is not part of the menu, but pork is prepared almost everyday at Coorg, so the hosts would definitely have it.

- Get the hosts to arrange for a camp fire at night. It is definitely needed after a long hard day's trek.

- Spend atleast half a day at Abbi falls. You will definitely cherish the experience.


Duration and Budget -

It is an ideal 'weekend break' kind of place and 24 hours is more than enough. But for those who want to do multiple treks or just layback and relax, a two day stay would be good.

In terms of Budget, the biggest cost is in reaching the place. On reaching there, there is absolutely nothing to spend on. You pay a fixed charge per person for a day's stay (it was 750/- when i went) and that takes care of everything - stay, trek, food... If you are carrying a camera, take loads of spare batteries as there is no provision to charge your batteries or your phone for that matter (no electricity).


Photo Gallery -

A Suspension Bridge nearby...

We trekked up the hill...

... and through the woods.

Pit-Stop for some fresh & natural refreshment

Taking a breather during the trek.

See the road down there... That's where we started from.

A Relaxing Campfire at Night.

Abbi Falls. At its Picturesque Best.

Spot the Rainbow in the Pic???

No Comments Really :)

Not 5 Star Stuff... Satisfying Nevertheless...

No. That's not one of the locals.

Our Hosts and the Homestay in the background.

Cherai

The Experience -

On our way to Kottayam from Bangalore, we were scheduled to reach Kochi very late in the evening. Though this was the result of poor and hasty planning, we wanted to make the best use of that night and possibly the next day, as we needed to reach Kottayam only a full day later. So we started looking at options. Malhar, who incidentally was responsible for the badly planned schedule, came up with a never before heard name - Cherai. Few quick google searches later we knew that Cherai was a beach at about 35 kms from Kochi and was indeed a great option to spend the night at.

We were extremely wary of going to a beach in Kerala during mid-monsoons, but since there was not much else to choose from, we started looking at accommodation options on the net. There were all types of resorts - 'Cherai Beach Resort' looked great (atleast on the internet) with it's beach facing and back water facing rooms, opportunities of water sports and rooms on tiny islands. So we decided this would be the place. But thankfully, due to a combination of bad customer service by the resort staff and hesitation on our part to spend the kind of money required at the resort, we searched for more options.

Finally we spoke to one Mr. Ajay, who was part of a Cherai Tourism Promotion outfit. He, much to our surprise took a lot of initiative and came back to us with multiple options suiting our budget (all this for no fees). He suggested that we try a home-stay, which was infact the house of a German national and was rented out to tourists. We discussed the price, he agreed to arrange for our pick-up from the airport and all looked well. But then there were still lingering doubts, if we should opt for the resort, even at a lot more cost. After all who knew what kind of house was this and how far away from the beach was this...

So we called back Ajay and asked him two questions -
1. How far is the house from the beach
2. Is the beach near this house sandy or is it filled with rocks and boulders (most beaches are filled with boulders during monsoons)

His reply only made us a lot more anxious -
1. The beach is at walking distance from the house
2. Yes there are a few boulders and rocks

Now walking distance and few boulders are very subjective - even a kilometer could be walking distance for a few and a few boulders could be enough to fill the beach... Though anxious and worried about choosing something on the advice of an unknown, we went ahead and made the booking. We reached Nedumbassery airport at half past nine, the cab was waiting, bought booze on the way (and were shocked to realize that booze had 90% tax in Kerala - hence a huge blow to the budget), bought packed food at a fast food and reached Cherai at close to about eleven.

And what a shock we had... The house was nothing like we could have ever imagined or expected. It was right on the beach - you get out of the house and it is the beach - and that too the best part of the beach - clean, away from the public beach, unoccupied... just perfect. We had dinner on the beach and stayed there late into the night watching fishermen collect crabs and molluscs in the dead of the night - Scroll down and you will find the house in the background of the photos where we are sitting on the beach eating/drinking. As for Mr. Ajay's statements - I guess when he said few steps, he meant one or two steps and for boulders, yes there were boulders on the beach, but about a kilometer away :-) God bless him for leading us to this amazing place...

The next morning, after a few photo sessions, watching fisher-women collect shells, having a not-so-great lunch, locating the 'Cherai Beach Resort' to realize what a great mistake choosing that would have been, and another drinking session on the beach, we headed on to our next part of the journey.

The bad planning indeed proved amazingly fortuitious and gave us a most amazing experience. I'm sure no resort or hotel stay could have given us our own private beach to spend the night and this great an experience... And the best part - the monsoons stayed out of Cherai throughout the night (which could have spoiled all our night time beach adventures) and most part of the next day...


How to get there -

Cherai is at about 35 kms from Kochi and 20 kms from Kochi International airport.

By Road - Kochi (or Ernakulam) is connected to all towns of Kerala and most major cities of the neighbouring states. From Kochi, a cab can be booked, but it might be a little expensive. If you don't mind traveling by local buses, take a bus to either Paravur (frequency of buses higher) or Cherai Junction (frequency, very low). From Pravur, to reach Cherai Beach, you will need to take an auto ride costing Rupees 50/- and from Cherai junction, the auto ride would cost 20/-

By Rail - Ernakulam is the nearest rail head and is connected to many Indian cities by rail. From Ernakulam, the rest of the journey is same as by road.

By Air - Kochi international airport is at a distance of about 20 kms. Getting to Cherai from there is possible only by a cab. An Indica should cost no more than 400/- while a Qualis cost us 700/-


When to Visit -

Like the rest of Kerala, the high season at Cherai is between October and February, with the monsoon being completely wet and the summer unbearably hot. Traveling in the peak season does not necessarily mean unaffordable prices and swarms of travelers. Cherai is not yet marketed hard and hence there is only a marginal rise in price during the season. We went during mid-monsoons and though we were lucky on the rain front, we had problems getting decent food. The place was virtually deserted.


Where to Stay & Eat -

The Cherai beach area is just one long stretch of road with the beach on one side and the back-waters on the other. All the hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops and homes are either between the road and the beach or between the road and the back-water. There are quite a few resorts, most of which have been put up on the internet too. So finding and reserving a room, fitting your budget is never a problem. However you should always be wary of the description put up on the websites. A resort saying that they have both beach facing and back water facing rooms are not necessarily right in front of both. The beach or the back water could be a good few meters away from the resort.

The home-stay we stayed in cannot be matched by any resort - five star or better. Situated right next to the beach (it is as good as being on the beach itself) and that too on the most secluded part of the long beach - you have the whole beach at your disposal. It is a few meters away from the backwaters and the public beach (where the shops and restaurants are) - but those are just minor discomforts that you will ignore very easily.

The home-stay we stayed in doesn't offer any food. Infact we observed that most of the bigger resorts too had closed restaurants (mainly due to the lack of serious tourist presence when we had gone). There was one restaurant right opposite the public beach which is where we had our lunch. The biggest surprise was that we were eating in Kerala, right on the beach front and the menu did not have fish. Food was definitely something we had to compromise on. If you are planning to reach Cherai late at night, make sure you carry food from someplace on the way.


Duration and Budget -

It's an ideal one night stay kind of place - more than a day and you might get bored due to sheer lack of activity here. Cherai is a good place to use as a break during transit. If you are traveling through Kochi and want to halt for a night; or you are landing at Kochi for an onward journey (like how we did), then Cherai is the kind of place to spend the night over. I'm sure there could be people who would enjoy an extended holiday here - but i guess more than a day would just be too much.

There are all kinds of resorts and beach homes. The lowest priced resort charges about 1200/- per night for twin accommodation, with prices going up to almost 4 - 5k. During the off-season it is lower. We found a resort that charged 600/- per night for two (though they warned us that the room was extremely small). But nothing beats the home-stay that we stayed in - you get the entire house with three bedrooms and a hall (apart from 3 bathrooms and a kitchen) for about 2500 - 3000/- Since we had gone during the off-season, we were charged 1800/- and we fit in 7 of us at the place. Prices of food is just okay, with the resorts certainly bound to charge a premium (we did not try any of them, so not sure). Price of booze ofcourse is prohibitory :-)


Photo Gallery -

First Stop - Nedumbassery International Airport

After a long flight, a Private Bar on the Beach is just what the Doctor ordered :-)

Fun on the Sand...

... and then Fun with the Surf.

The only bit of rain that we had for two days...

Looks like a lot of Hard Work... ;-)

...Followed by Relaxing Times - or is it the Good Times? :-)

This is how the Monsoon Clouds move inland...

Another View of the Monsoons moving inland...

Kumarakom

The Experience -

We were off to Thiruvalla (near Kottayam) for Markos' (a colleague) wedding and thanks to his very generous hospitality, we ended up having a most amazing holiday at the beautiful lake resort, Kumarakoam.

If Kerala is God's own country, the group of islands on the Vembanad Lake, that forms the tourist town of Kumarakom, would undoubtedly be the heart of this country. Sprawling excesses of water on all sides, lush greenery on every bit of visible land, boats of all shapes and makes cruising down the backwaters, houses perched on either sides of the canals (creating a Venice look alike of the place) and the never ending expanses of the Vembanad Lake... Just some sights that greet you during your stay at Kumarakom.

We stayed for 2 nights at the beautiful 'Kottayam Sailing Club', a place exclusively reserved for members alone, but thanks again to Markos and his connections, we managed to get rooms and spend the most amazing 2 nights there. Our stay was however not devoid of adventures, surprises and shocks...

- The first surprise was the price of booze. Some very intelligent friends advised "why would you want to carry booze to Kerala. You will never get it cheaper anywhere else..." and what do we see on reaching there? 90% tax on liquor, resulting in an almost 50% cut on the booze budget :(

- The next surprise, albeit a very pleasant one, was the weather. Monsoons in Kerala can cause havoc... Only a few weeks earlier, the places we were to visit were almost flooded. So it requried a lot of courage to head to the same place. But we did show courage and guess what awaited us - neither rain nor sun, just the perfect of all weathers possible.

- With a good 5 - 6 hours between the wedding and the reception, guess what we did? Watched Sivaji! Yes, the same movie running in packed houses back in Bangalore with tickets priced in excess of a few hundred. But at Kottayam, it only cost us about 25 bucks each and we watched it in an almost empty theatre.

- One of our not so drunk companion gave us some memorable moments... He was talking on the phone sitting on a swing (oh! yes they have a swing at the Kottayam Sailing Club) and after a few moments we look back to see that he has fallen off, body on the ground, a leg still dangling on the swing, but ears still fixed to the phone, probably oblivious of what happened (though he now claims otherwise)...

- Again the same guy, in his not so drunk state, walks to the edge of the lake and in all our presence, just jumps into the slushy vegetation that was floating on top of the lake. He later claimed that he thought what he was jumping into was solid land, but for all the others watching a shocked man sunk chest deep in slush, no amount of explanation could reduce the laughter-induced-pain in the stomach. Pity we didn't have a camera handy...

- The taxi driver assigned to take us back to Kochi airport claimed that an hour and a half was all he needed to reach the airport. So we left the resort at 5:15 pm to catch an 8:15 pm flight. And then at 7:30 pm, we were still sitting in the cab, watching the driver negotiate the Kochi traffic, while we were wondering if there was enough money left in the credit cards to enable us to catch a ride back home in whatever flights were available later in the night. Finally we did manage to reach the airport 20 mins before the scheduled departure, but not before the driver broke a thousand traffic rules driving like a man possessed and pocketed the generous tip handed out by a relieved bunch of guys...


How to get there -

Kumarakom is about 15 kms from Kottayam.

By Road - Kottayam is connected to all towns of Kerala and most major cities of the neighbouring states. From Kottayam, either a cab can be booked or a local bus can be taken to Kumrakom Junction. An Auto ride from here (not costing more than 25 rupees) will take you to your resort.

By Rail - Kottayam is the nearest rail head and is connected to many Indian cities by rail. From Kottayam railway station, the rest of the journey is same as by road.

By Air - Kochi at a distance of about 110 kms has the nearest airport. Getting to Kumarkom from the airport by bus is a tedious process. So book a cab and head to your resort from there . It would cost about 1500 rupees, but then if you have come by air, i guess the money shouldnt be a problem :-)


When to Visit -

Like the rest of Kerala, the high season at Kumarakom is between October and February, with the monsoon being completely wet and the summer unbearably hot. But being a highly marketed and sought after tourist destination, the high season also brings with it unaffordable prices and hoardes of tourists. So if you intend to have a relatively quiet holiday on a more affordable budget, brave the rains and head to Kumarkom during the monsoons (June to August). It could be real messy, but if you are lucky (like how we were) the rains could just stay out until you finish your vacation. But then even if it does rain, a vacation in Kerala during the monsoons is without doubt an unforgettable experience...


Where to Stay & Eat -

There are numerous accomodation options at Kumarakom, catering to all classes of tourists. From the 5 star resorts to the private clubs, from the budget hotels to comfortable home stays, it's all available. So do your research before heading off. It is advisable to book your accomodation in advance as most of the hotels and resorts are at a distance from the main roads and hopping between hotels in search of a good deal ends up becoming a near impossible task. Also make sure you book into a resort close to the lake; though almost all resorts are situated next to water fronts, it makes better sense to choose one next to the lake as the view is undoubtedly a lot better from here than from one that is next to a narrow canal.

Interms of places to eat, there are very few restaruants and eateries around, so the best option would be to eat at wherever you are staying (atleast thats how it was when I went and the lack of options could have been due to the fact that it was off-season). But food, including the much available sea-food is definitely costly in all seasons (the after effect of high influx of foreign tourists)


Things to Do -

- If you have come during Monsoon, just sit in the rain (under a very large umbrella ofcourse) and look at the rains splattering on the lake. The experience is a lot better than it sounds...

- Take a boat ride across the Vembanad lake. It costs about 500 per hour (during off season) - but it can seat atleast 15, so more the merrier. A minimum of 3 to 4 hour ride is essential to enjoy the beauty of the ride. Take the boat ride even if it is raining. The boats anyway have a roof, but rain or no rain, you would end up sitting on the roof of the boat.

- If you have time and money, take a house boat on hire for a day. They charge you about 4k - 5k (off-season rates) and take you on a cruise to Alleppy and back.

- Speed boats are available for a little more than 1000 rupees per hour (seats 3). But it's not as fun as enjoying a more peaceful larger boat ride.

- Get the boat to stop at one of the toddy shops in the little islands on the lake. If you are the kind that savour their spirits, go for the toddy, else the food on offer is mouth-wateringly delicious (and quite pricey too). Get the food parceled and have it on the boat as it cruises across the lake - the experience is not only amazing, but you also don't lose precious time on the boat for which you have already paid hire charges :-)


Duration and Budget -

Ideally a two day stay is needed to experience Kumarakom completely. But if you are on a tight schedule or budget, a day is good enough. On the other hand, to experience a lazy, activity- free and relaxing vacation (including a day on the house boat), a 3-4 day holiday would be necessary.

In terms of Budget, Kumarakom is definitely not a place for a backpacker on shoe string budget. It would be difficult to find accomodation for less than 1000 rupees a night (in all seasons) and a 2 hour boat ride itself could cost the same. It would be ideal to travel in a group of atleast 5 - 8, as there could be a lot of savings on things like boat rides, cab rides and so on... The average budget for a person traveling in a group of 5 and staying for 2 nights should be 3000 rupees.

Photo Gallery -

A houseboat on the Vambanad Lake




Tranquility amidst never-ending waters


The few moments spent inside the boat


Yours Truely


The sight itself is mouth-watering


Fresh catch of the day

Venice of the East?