Miles to go before I Sleep...: July 2007

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.

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