Drive My Way: March 2015

Kerala Trip By Road

Purpose : Purpose of this document is to share my experience of the Road Trip to Kerala and help enthusiasts who want to take a Road Trip to Kerala and enjoy the God's Own Country in personal car.
I am listing the places I visited on this trip . The entire trip was Children Friendly and activities related to them . Children satisfaction was the priority .

When : I did in December 2013

Our vehicles : 1 Maruti Ertiga and 1 Chevrolet Cruze

Travellers : 4 Adults and 3 Children (7 yr, 5 yr 3 yr)

Itinerary : Pune - Bangalore - Kanyakumari - Trivendrum - Kollam - Alleppey - Kumarakom - Thekkedy - Munnar - Kozhikode - Wayand - Bangalore - Pune

Total Days : 15

Date : 21st Dec 2013
Started from Pune from 21st December at around 5:00 AM In Morning . First Halt was at Kolhapur Mc Donalds http://goo.gl/ocDeC4 at around 8:30 AM . (MCD is on the other side of the Road when going towards Bangalore so you need to take the service road and take U turn under the bridge)
Washrooms are very clean . Packed up some stuff from there for the onward journey .
From there we started at 9:15 and kept on driving till Hubli where we reached at around 12:40 PM at the MRPL Petrol Pump ( http://goo.gl/Hd0hFS ). Pump is located after the Hubli Dharwad bypass road was over . This petrol pump was having clean wash rooms but the fuel was costlier compared to the other petrol pumps in the vicinity . My car needed the juice to continue onwards and since they offered very clean wash rooms , it was my duty to fill some from this pump. We also ate the muffins and salsa we packed from MCD here and gave the car a break of about 40 min.
At around 1:30 we started from here. Without any break I drove till Bangalore and reached Harlur Main Road by 6:30 PM.

NH4 till Kolhapur is not very good . There are some diversions and heavily charged tolls. The quality of road is also fair and surface is uneven at many places. Once you cross the Karnataka Border near Nipanni, the Quality of Road is excellent . There is a 30 Km stretch for Hubali Bypass which is 2 lane.

Date : 22nd Dec 2013
Started from Bangalore at around 8:30 AM . Packed up some Idli and Chutney from home and touched the Hosur Road. This Road is under construction and till Salem we were struggling with the traffic and constructions. We reached Salem by 12:00 . It was a break time and we found from some local people about a good restaurant.Had a very nice Salem Thali
At around 1:30 we started from Salem.
From here till KanyaKumari we took just 1 break at a coffee house on the road side after Madurai and reached by 7:30 PM . On the way we ate the packed Idli so we were good.
We already had a booking at Hotel Gopi Niwas Grand (http://goo.gl/YPUj8m) . The stay was comfortable, rooms are small but clean. There are restaurants around the hotel which are pretty good . Breakfast was also nice .
Attraction here was sun rise point in the morning. Sun rise from behind the Thiravellur Statue is a must watch here. We woke up at 5:30 in the morning and reached the Sunrise point . It seem entire Kanyakumari was there.

There were people in 10s of thousands to watch the sunrise. Other activity was exploring the Vivekanand Rock but the boating was open as the sea was rough that day .

Date : 23rd Dec 2013
At 12:30 we started from KanyaKumari and the target was Neyyar Dam (http://goo.gl/Op2Ad1) . After driving for more than 1500 KM on 4 and 6 lane highways it was the first journey on the 2 lane small roads. It took us 3 hours to reach Neyyar Dam that was about 84 km from KanyaKumari.
Attraction here is Lion Safari, Crocodile Park, Deer Park .

Children's enjoyed like anything here. The 3 hours that children enjoyed took away all the tiredness.

From there we started to move towards Trivandrum city, we saw the kids garden and the Dam . We took a small break here at the garden too and then finally exited at around 7:00 PM .
From here till Ginger (http://goo.gl/jdXkqD) it was a tiring 3 hour drive as the traffic was at the worst in the city.
We had dinner at Ginger itself which was very nice. Also the Breakfast next day was very good.

Roads from Kanyakumari to Neyyar are narrow, people drive responsibly on these roads except few taxi drivers. From Neyyar to Tirvendrum its again narrow and traffic is slow .

Date : 24th Dec 2013
After the breakfast at Ginger we started towards Poovar Beach ( http://goo.gl/9o1DJp ). This is one of the lonely and beautiful beachs and a must see location in Trivandrum.

There is a backwater next to beach which is the best place for the kids to enjoy. The beach is clean , the sand is golden and the water is blue . A very beautiful beach I have seen in India. But the sea is harsh and the waves are pulling . We tried to go play on the shore but the waves were very risky. So we opted to play in the backwater .

After the kids enjoyed the backwaters, we hired the boat. It took us to a boat restaurant in the lake and then a ride through the back water.

Food on the boat restaurant was very costly and taste was ok.Washrooms were ok on the restaurant . The ride through the streams of backwater was breathtaking. A must do activity.
We moved from Poovar beach to Kovalam Beach . This beach was busy . We saw people around . The sea here was rough too but the sand was golden and water was blue. Kids played in the sand till sunset.

We than moved back to Ginger hotel , had the dinner at the hotel .
Roads inside Trivendrum are good, Google Maps is fully in sync with the place and we did not find any issues in finding anything. Initially we got confused with the Poovar beach and reached North . The actual backwaters and the lonely beach was at South Poovar Beach. It was a wonderful day for the kids.

Date : 25th Dec 2013
After having a good breakfast at Ginger, we moved to Kollam .
We reached Aquascrene Backwater Resort at Kollam ( http://goo.gl/vSDW3Y ). Resort is well placed on the google maps. The last 10 Kilometers were having some rough patches. Otherwise the road was very nice.
At the first sight of the Resort we got a wow feeling. We got the lake view cottages . Staff here is very co-operative. Our package included a country boat ride that we took the ride before lunch.

FYI , country boats are the manual wooden boats . The lunch buffet at the resort was great .
Our cottages were very nice. Post lunch we went to the Elephant camp that the hotel staff told us was nearby . Kids had an elephant ride and we clicked some photos with the elephants as well.
Once we came back from the elephant camp, it was time for the swimming pool . We did not come out of the pool till it was dark .
At night we made the kids watch the TV and we opened up the vodkas here . We ordered king prawns, fish wrapped in banana leaf , some veg starters and it was served at the cottage. Everything that we ordered tasted great. Next day morning the kids again jumped in the pool while the ladies went for Kerala Massages .
This resort is a great place to stay and relax and its very kids friendly.

Date : 26th Dec 2013
Started at 12:30 from Kollam and the destination today was Aleppey beach.
One the way we had our lunch at a local mess at the outskirts of Kollam . I was surprised with the local food at the mess on way. Food was very very nice and the washrooms at the mess are surprisingly very clean . The cost too was very low. The local veg kerala food with red rice was light on stomach and heart. Everyone enjoyed the meal . By 4:30 PM we reached Alleppey beach road and our booking was with Gokulam Home Stay(http://goo.gl/rOO5B8) . This home stay was not the one I expected. The AC was tripping , there was no gas stove or kitchen , no breakfast facility and no hot water for bath. The reason for choosing a home stay was that next day we had to checkin our house boat and we just wanted to stay for the night before it. In the evening we took our kids to the Alleppey beach . This beach was crowded . There is a children park on the beach which has lots of rides . since it was crowded, I kept the kids busy with the sand on the beach. Sea was calm here and venturing in was easy here than the Trivendrum beaches .

At the beach side we had dinner at Dreams Cafe and Restaurant . We ordered sea food here (Tiger Prawns).

The food was very very very nice . We all enjoyed the food and the atmosphere at the restaurant .
Road from Kollam to Alleppey is good . Last 10 KM were full of traffic and jams.

Date : 27th Dec 2013
The travelling kettle that I keep while going out on vacations helped us to cook Maggie for our breakfast. We could arrange Maggie, butter and bread from a nearby store .At around 10:30 we checked out from the home stay.
It was the most exciting part of our Kerala Trip. We checked in our houseboat by 12:30 . Booked with NAS House Boats . Parking was available
Near Pallathuruthy Bridge , which was our boarding point (http://goo.gl/OBaP4S Do not take the bridge you have to take slight left when you approach the bridge on a kuchha road) .

The boat started at around 12:30 and put the halt at 1:00 . This halt was for Lunch . He served some fried baby pomfrets and some veg food which was very nice . After lunch we again started at around 2:00 and the boat sailed through the water ways . We saw some duck farms on the way .

People using boat as their commodity vehicle was another exciting thing to watch. We bought some expensive tiger prawns and had some coconut water at a lake side market .One tip to save some cost is to buy some Fish and Prawns from the road side before you checkin the boat . On the way we all took the steering of the boat to get clicked .The boat came back and parked near to the Pallathuruthy Bridge in the evening and we saw a nice sunset. I involved the kids in fishing activity . We could not catch any fish .
We then started playing with the kids and watch the TV. We came prepared with a USB drive with movies in it. The evening at the standing boat was welcomed by mosquitoes and night insects. From my perspective if we have to enjoy nature, we should accept it that these insects are part of nature too. The cook prepared the Prawns that we bought and they were awesome. They started AC at 9:00 PM which was already communicated to us in the beginning but we did not hit the rooms till 11:30 PM . Rooms on this house boats were clean , very well made and wash rooms were clean and elegant as well.

Next morning we were served with breakfast of Idli chutney and sambhar and after a very heavy meals on previous day this was a perfect light way to start the the day. The boat started while we were having our breakfast.

One thing I want to update is that there is no Hot Water Facility in the house boat showers or taps . I am not sure if this is a feature or a bug but we some how did adjustment. This was my first houseboat experience in life and the best one indeed.

Date : 28th Dec 2013
From the boat we checked out and took our cars . We started driving towards Kumarakom where we booked Leisure Vacations resort (http://goo.gl/HWjN3I) . Reached in just 2 hours from Alleppey. The roads are very smooth but 2 lanes . This is a small and cute resort . Ensures your privacy and stay is comfortable. Its bang on the Vembanadu Lake . We brought our hammocks and we tied them to the trees inside the resort. Kids enjoyed the swings in hammocks .

Later in the evening we all hit the swimming pool . This pool is a kids friendly pool and scenic , as the lake is visible from here. We played in the pool till the sunset. After sunset , the resort management organized some very interested fun games which I never expected .

We all adults and kids enjoyed those games . Morning we woke up early to see the beauty of still lake.

You cannot imagine how beautiful the lake was in the early morning , it was standing still. Food was good at this restaurant , service was bit slow in the afternoon but the taste and the menu compensated for it.

Date : 29th Dec 2013
Racing day for us as we had to go to Thekkady . All I could imagine is Periyar wild life century. Started from Kumarakom at 9:30 after having a quick breakfast . This road is not straight , curves and hills all the way till Thekkedy. We reached by 1:00 . The initial 8 days of our trip made us so excited we have now started to believe that we are in heaven . Thekkady was the first BAD experience for us . Periyar refused to give us entry . They said we have to book the government resort inside Periyar to enjoy it. First shock of our trip planning . We rushed to take the boat ride. There was a queue of cars, vans and buses at the entrance and we passed through it. It was a tough day for us and we could not get the ticket for the boat ride. They said come next day early morning. We went to the resort that we booked which was outside the Periyar and settled down. We booked our cottages at green garden cottages. This place was good, staff was very helping , the rooms were small and pretty but reaching this place was very difficult. Its not placed on the google maps and approach road is very small and One Lane.

Next morning I woke up at 4 AM and rushed to get the boat tickets. I was in the queue till 11:30 AM and ended up with no tickets and a frustrated day . Meantime the kids were enjoying in a garden next to the ticket counter. To save others from this mess let me update you that there are 2 different tourism companies who operate the boats . And you will see 2 queues at the end just before the ticket counter.
When yo go there to get a boat ticket , please go in a group of 2 . enter the different lines at the end and try your luck. Thekkady wasted my day and ruined my mood . Periyar lost its image for me . So please who ever is looking to go to Thekkady and want to wander in Periyar, Please book a resort which is inside the century not outside.

Date : 30th Dec 2013
After a bad experience at Thekady at around 12:00 we started for Munnar . This road is again snake shaped and last 40 Km is very very small road. Road is smooth but very small. It was passing through the breath taking views of tea gardens . Just before 20 km from our resort , we took a lunch break at a road side tapari .

He cooked maggi for us and what ever he had on his small tapri we ate to fill our bellies. Great Escapes Resorts (Location is not correct on Google Map http://www.germunnar.com/location.html ) was our next destination which I have chosen due to its location inside the Jungle . I wanted to stay in a Jungle resort and this was looking good to me when I was making reservations. The resort was big , jungle views are amazing but its not maintained at all
The next worst thing was the dinner he served. Prawns were uncooked , fish was tasteless and other veg food was tasteless too. We were tired after the Thekadi stunt and this bad experience.
Breakfast was above average but was served bit late.

Date : 31th Dec 2013
We started after early breakfast from the Munnar and wandered in the beautiful tea gardens. Clicked some great pictures in the tea valley and appreciated its beauty.

Then we went to Munnar town where the ladies made me search for an ATM and mean time they made sure what ever I withdraw from the ATM should be vanished . They found a very nice shop which was charging very nominal price for what ever they purchased.
I bought some banana chips too from here as they were looking fresh .
Out target was to reach Khozikode today by evening. The first bad experience with the roads was waiting for us .Till Thalakode this road was mess . By 5:00 in the evening we could reach Thrissur. Went to Vadakkumnathan Shiva Temple , which is a must watch. We still had to drive further to reach Khozikode. We were trying to find a quick eating joint that can set us free in minutes and we ended up at a (Local) Europian Fried Chicken corner . By 8:30 PM we were deciding if we should go to Khozikode or not. People suggested us that the road to khozikode is good and doable at night. This was our first venture in Kerala for a night drive. We were so optimistic that we will reach Khozikode before New Year Eve and started driving. We made it .Reached "Hotel Kings Fort" (http://goo.gl/xbJ0A8) by 11:00 PM . We were so glad to reach there before the new year eve.
This hotel was chosen by me for its Live Sea Food counter . The quality of catch and the cook at the live counter are fantastic. Though we had our dinner in Thrisur but the mouth watering Sea Food made us over eat. We selected some pomfret and tiger prawns and the cook prepared them for us and served us at the room .
We all cheered the new year in our rooms and enjoyed the great food.
This was a very long and tiring day . We had 3 bad experiences by now (Periyar, Great Escapes Resort Food , and initial 90 KM road from Munnar) . But this food took away all the pains and brought back the life into us.

Date : 1st Jan 2014
Woke up early to search for the Dolphin Point. We hit the Kozhikode Beach in search for that. After an unsuccessful attempt and asking so many people around we came to know that we are on the wrong beach . We had to go to Beypore Beach for the Dolphin point (http://goo.gl/ure8cs) . This is a wonder . A 2 Km long walk way on the sea . By the time we reached there, it was too late and sun was out . After waiting patiently we spotted something and another and another and the Dolphins appeared.

The kids were so excited to see . Our mission was successful . Than we came back to our hotel had breakfast and started for the next destination which is famous Khozikode Bird Centruy . It seems this Bird century is famous only in books and not with the Localities. Google maps was pointing this in the middle of the river . Some how we reached there after taking help from locals. There are no information centres and no directions for this . At the end we found the place from where few birds were visible and they said we should have come in early morning. Its too late now. The streets will take you to a railway crossing and the birds are visible from that railway bridge. You should take your binoculars with you . Standing on the bridge with kids was risky so we came down . Watched some from the ground and then reverted back to Khozikode city to hit the Science Museum which is again a great place for kids to have fun. We have to literally convince them to go back . They are not willing to come back from there .

Evening again we thought of watching the Dolphins and drove back to Beypore Beach. We got stuck in the traffic and reached bit late . It was dark by now. But the kids and ladies utilized this opportunity to do some shopping at the shops nearby beach.
Came back to our King Fort and it was time to hit the Sea Food Live counter. We ordered the Tiger Prawns again and a good sized Red Snapper. This cook should be appraised for his sense and art of cooking. The vegetarians in our families liked the veg food they ordered too.

Date : 2nd Jan 2014
Shopping day for the Ladies. The hotel is next to one of the biggest Saree house in Kerala , JayaLakashmi . Our ladies made their day . The staff got the sense that these are non Mallu customers and they immediately called one lady from sales who could talk English and Hindi . Well once we did the shopping from there , we were all set to hit the road again . He had to reach Vayanad . This was the last destination of our Kerala Trip. Roads are very good , the ghat section is designed very nicely took very less time for us to reach the top. We had our booking at Vythari Resorts(http://goo.gl/tXlZGt) and the management gave us the Best view cottages.

Actually while making the booking I blocked the Stream View Cottages. This was a rest day for us at this resort . No outings, no pool , just enjoying nature , clicked some pictures around the stream in the resort.

Food served here was very nice . This was an all meal plan so everything was included. The kids were busy in watching the fish in the pond, monkeys around the resort, playing with the basketballs etc.

Date : 3rd Jan 2014
Time to say bye to Kerala today and go back to Bangalore. We started at around 11:00 AM from Vythari and reached Mysore Zoo by around 2:00 PM .
On the way we crossed Bandipur century .
One of the best forest drive I did in my entire lifetime. I was stunned . Roads were amazing, there were lots of humps to stop people from over-speeding and harm animals . We could see the traces of elephant menace on the road side bamboo trees. Took a break at Mall of Mysore for Lunch and refreshments. At 3 we were inside the Mysore Zoo.

This Zoo is a must watch . There are so many different types of birds, animals , reptiles that the kids will keep on counting . They enjoyed so much here. The Giraffe here are tall and healthy .

This is a very nice zoo.We started from Mysore and reached Bangalore by night 9:30 PM .

Date : 4th Jan 2014
Woke up early in the morning and started for Pune at 8:30 AM . Saw a Caffe Coffee day near Tumkur and packed up the stuff for the further journey . Next we saw a Cafe Coffee Cay after chitrdurga, stopped here , washrooms were good, packed up some more stuff and stuffed the cold coffee to sip while I am driving further. Next stop was MRPL Pump at Hubali for freshing up .
Next we took a big step and stopped straight at Kolhapur Mc Donalds . Stopped here for an hour this time so that we can flex a little bit and give some rest to the Car. By 9:00 PM we reached home . Our trip ended here and the memories are with us for this wonderful vacations .

Drive My Way

Monday, 30 March 2015

Pune to Goa - Which Road I Should Take ?

Kerala Trip By Road

Riding to Leh

Ride To Leh and Laddakh - June 2013

Read Next

Blog Archive