Kerala Day 2 – No one is mightier than the sea

The second day morning washed away all my complaints against Kovalam. I have never seen such waves anywhere else. Dad kept calling to remind me not to get into the sea. Now, I seldom lie as I hate lying. But at times, it’s not a bad thing to be economical with the truth. Now don’t get all judgemental. Mom knew J

After a really refreshing bath, I walked back to take care of the lappie and the cams while Sri, Kushal and Hemant played around in the water without a care in the world. Interestingly, only Kushal knew how to swim. Now, while I waited I figured that in the off season only the really vetti people like us come down to these beaches. Even the international tourists were well past their prime and looked run down and tired. To tell the truth as I sat under the shades of the coconut trees, I did expect a Bo Derek or a Hale Berry or at least a Amrita Arora to come up from the waves but then one should not expect only good things to happen in life.

In most movies I have seen, every fisherman sings the quintessential sad song which the protagonist will listen to and shed a few tears. Rajesh Khanna used to excel in such settings. However, in real life too they sing when they bring in the catch from the sea. In the early morning breeze, it was an amazing experience to sit back and watch them at their work.

In the afternoon we left for Alleppy, rather Alapuzha. Again it was a travel back to Trivandrum and we decided to take the bus. For some reason, from my Pilani days I have always loved travelling in a bus and this was one ride that went beyond our expectations. It was a journey of many realizations. First I shall never again wonder at the Mallu half dhotis. In the heat of Kerala I myself was planning to let go of all worldly clothing. They at least have their Dhotis with free air-flow technology. The other was that all Mallu babes travel with their moms. Empirical evidence. Don’t take me up to the docks. On the way, I also realized the importance of Wall Paintings. In the highways of Haryana, the wall paintings were local in nature. However, here the large MNCs were present in full force shouting out from the walls with their bright colours.

South of India is also a land of billboards. They stare at you from everywhere. It’s surprising that there are so few accidents on these roads due to the billboard girls giving you their enchanting smiles. Anyway, we reached Allepuzah and got into a really nice secluded guest house. And then I found my 3rd favourite spot I want to bring my dream-girl to. The beach at Allepuzah is stunning. And And And.. It has an India Coffee House nearby. (You have to be a bong to understand the importance of Coffee House). Perhaps I’m one of the few people who love the beaches in Kerala more than the backwaters. We just slept on the beach (yes it too had a lighthouse) and then with our daily dose of Mazza started walking back to our rooms as late as 10:30. The world around us was asleep by then.

Kerala Day 1 – Cheap Nirvana

The trip just after our final placements. Amit backed out but luckily Hemant could make it. This post is mainly for him as he was more enthued than me for a written account of our travels. As I said I'm bad at travelogues, but this at least tries to chronicle some of our brilliant times spent together in God's Own Country.

There are many interesting aspects to this trip. During the last few weeks of stay at IIMB I realized that I was getting too attached to this place and it’s always difficult for me to let go of things. This trip was a sort of a string severing exercise. And I realized even before the flight took off that it’s sort of impossible. I’m too attached to my marketing studies and the work we do at school, too attached to Media Cell and of course to Acad. Anyway, the trip soon became keeping touch with the base while exploring one’s inner self. It’s not gonna be like this very often from now. Four guys, without a care in the world, travelling without a mental baggage, ready to face what lies at the southernmost parts of the country; that’s something movies are often made of.

We flew to Cochin, took a train to Kottayam, another train to Trivandrum and finally a car to Kovalam. At Kottayam, the great TKGR calls me for some Acad work. At that point of time, Hemant has taken out his camera already and has been recording whatever was transpiring between us. Luckily, I could catch hold of Uma. Things get done whether we are there or not. Anyway, at Kovalam the place we wanted to stay was awesome but beyond our budget. It is however highly recommended if any of you visit Kovalam in the future. There is a balcony that just drops down into the sea. Some day I shall be back there. We finally got a decent but shady looking place near the Lighthouse beach. The evening we went all around Kovalam. It’s highly overrated according to me. But if you are the types who like to see places beyond tourist maps, Kovalam will not disappoint. All places were full of foreign tourists coming to India for a cheap dose of Indian spiritualism and probably even the commoner’s Nirvana. Every second house in Kovalam seemed to cater to their needs. There was an Ayurvedic massage parlour everywhere you cared to look. Thank God for Punjabi Dhabas. In a place where everyone offers you beer and tiger prawn at least a Maharashtrian was sent by providence to provide for us Aloo Parathas and amazing Malai Kofta.

Thanks to Ray, we all have seen what the by-lanes of Kashi look like. Our travels took us deep inside the heart of Kovalam. We based out of the Lighthouse beach and the Hawah Beach. It’s an amazing feeling to sit on an empty dark beach and watch the Lighthouse send its signal into the vast ocean. One thing became clear as we sat hearing the rumblings of the sea. The magic of travel has just begun.