Kochi and Kumily - India

KOCHI

After a full days travelling beginning with a 6.00 am train to New Delhi and then a four hour flight to Kochi via Mumbai we were thoroughly exhausted so it was a welcome treat when our driver which was arranged by our hotel picked us up and whisked us off to our hotel, no haggling, no hassle! Kochi is a small city situated in the southern province of Kerala. It is one of the main seaports of India, and was the centre of the Indian spice trade for centuries.

After a hectic 1 hour driver we arrived at Green Woods Bethlehem which was to be our hotel for the next two nights and were greeted by the owners Sheeba and Ashley with great big smiles and copious amounts of the traditional head wobble. After a quick cup of tea, we dropped our bags and went to dinner at Dal Roti just down the road – the food was amazing! Already we were beginning to feel like the North and South of India are two completely different places. The streets in Kochi are clean, quiet and there is no overcrowding.

After our lovely meal at a Dal Roti which was packed with travellers and locals alike (always a good sign) we headed back to the hotel to bed. We had to be separated due to the popularity of the hotel, but Lara, Leise, Al and I were whisked off to a nearby neighbour who would host us for the next 2 nights in his beautiful house. He was so delighted to welcome us he dragged Al up to the roof terrace straight away to share the view.

We woke up on Monday 1st February and headed back to the main hostel for breakfast. The owners of our homestay put on a lovely spread in a pretty little rooftop terrace. Once Ashley had given us the full run down of what was to see in the town and a lengthy catch up with Sheeba (this wonderful lady LOVES to chat) we headed out. We walked as far as the first corner where we could see the sea and two auto rickshaw drivers convinced us doing the sights by motor was a much better idea. So from there we went to the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church and Mattancherry Palace. Then we were taken to the lovely spice markets, the colours and smells were to die for. We finished off our tour with lunch at Solar Cafe.

After lunch we made our way back to our homestay to chill for a little bit before it was time to head out for dinner. That evening we took a walk into town and had dinner at Oy’s restaurant which was great. After a few rounds of cards we then headed off to do some flight and train bookings before home to bed ahead of our long drive to Kumily.

Kochi is a lovely little sleepy town and our hosts Sheeba and Ashlee were possibly the loveliest locals we have met on this trip. Here are our highlights and lowlights:
- Beautiful quiet town
- People are lovely, and Sheeba and Ashley are the most caring hosts you could possibly meet

KUMILY

After breakfast and another lengthy catch up with Sheeba (including some cooking tips for me) we said our sad goodbyes (we’d found a truly beautiful friend in Sheeba) and set off for our five hour journey to Kumily. It was an incredibly hairy ride! We thought we had taken the safer option by booking a private driver but it seems all drivers in India are nothing short of crazy. They drive at a ridiculous speed and over take on blind corners with nothing more than a toot toot on the hooter as warning for oncoming traffic. As we saw the sign for our homestay up ahead we all breathed a sigh of relief to have made it in one piece.

Once we had all checked in and dropped our bags we took a leisurely stroll through the town which is rather tiny. It’s incredibly peaceful though so we loved the place straight away. We then found a little spot called The Jungle Cafe for a late afternoon lunch and were offered Kingfisher beers served in tea pots and mugs as a disguise as the restaurant apparently didn’t have a license to sell the stuff.

After a lovely lunch for some (Greg and Leise made the mistake of ordering non local and were horribly disappointed) we made our way to the internet cafe to make a few onward bookings and enquiries. Once we had finished with the admin the others headed back to the hotel while Lara and I found a little spot for a traditional Ayurvedic massage.....hmmmm! This massage is not for the faint hearted or for anyone that’s a little shy of their nakedness! I was told to strip down to my birthday suit without even a hand towel for cover.

Once we had had a good shower to rid ourselves of the litres of oil still sticking to our skin we all headed off for dinner. We were so excited as the spot we had chosen was listed in the Lonely Planet as a great place for pizzas and pastas, something we hadn’t had in some time. But to the boys dismay they opened the menu and it was all vegetarian....AGAIN! Luckily we all found something we thought we would enjoy and the food and drinks did turn out to be fabulous! Then after a few rounds of cards it was off to bed to prepare for our early morning start the next day.

We were rudely awoken by our alarms at 5.00 am as we had to be ready for our driver at 5.30 am and as we stepped out the door it was cold and dark. We took a lengthy drive in our jeep to the gate and beyond at the Piriyara Tiger Reserve where we were convinced this was the day to spot a Tiger and Elephant. We were then dropped at the starting point for our trek just as the sun was beginning to warm up. After a simple breakfast and a quick cup of tea we were greeted by our guide, and with snacks and water stocks packed we were ready to go. It was a reasonably disappointing walk of about three hours as we spotted nothing more than a few birds and some squirrels but the jungle itself is very pretty. Once we reached the end of the trek we were popped into little rowing boats and taken to the other side of the dam for lunch. After lunch it was back in the rowing boats for a trip to a little waterfall before we made our way back to dry land for the drive back to our hotel.

That evening before heading out to dinner we got to witness a sky full of bats silently swarming from one end to the other, it was really amazing to see. After enjoying that sight wwe made our way out for dinner and found a great restaurant which was packed with people (always a good sign) and tucked into some fabulous curries and cards. After a few beers it was time to head home so that we could pack our bags for the next Indian adventure.

Kumily was lovely and the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary was like being back in the South African countryside. Here are some highlights and lowlights:
- We realised how lucky we are to come from Africa, when the guide at Piriyara got all excited over squirrels and a few deer in the distance
- The massages are a little scary and not for the feint hearted
- The people, and especially the kids are super friendly, such nice people!