Travel> Cherai Beach, Kerala

Image1: Footloose

Image2: Sunset at Cherai Beach

Image3: Gold rush
Images by: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi
A cosy 15km long beach spot, Cherai Beach is around 26 to 36kms from Ernakulam. This beach is one of my favourite spots, for the homely Cherai Beach Resorts. A drive up to Cherai Beach is incomplete without chicken pakodas and tea at this beach resort. You can park your car inside the resort premises, grab a bite and as you go outside the main gate and walk right into the beach. Don’t miss the new 400m walkway and High Mask Lamps at Cherai Beach.

From Fort Kochi, my husband and I would take our car in the barge/ ferry and cross the channel to Vypeen Island. From there the beach is hardly half an hour.

How to get there:

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Best time to visit: All year round

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Distance: 26 to 36kms from Ernakulam and 20-30kms from Cochin Airport.

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By road: From Irinjalakkuda, Cherai Beach is about an hour’s drive. The road becomes narrow as you reach Cherai. From Cochin international airport, take a pre-paid taxi.

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By ferry: You can opt for a ferry from Fort Kochi, just next to the Chinese fishing nets and cross the channel to go to Vypeen Island.

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By bus: You can also hop on to a bus from Ernakulam to Paravur and then another bus or auto rickshaw from Paravur to Cherai Beach.

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Personally, I recommend, hiring a private taxi or driving down is the best way to enjoy your break.

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Hotels:
Cherai Beach Resorts
Cherai, Vypin Island,
Kochi - 683514.
Ph : +91 - 484 - 2416949, 2481818, 3297651, 3253101
Fax : +91 - 484 - 2417333
Mobile : 98472 31400
Email: enquiry@cheraibeachresorts.com and reservation@cheraibeachresorts.com

Travel> Soaking up the Beach at Varkala

Image1: Sidewalk on the cliff, overlooking the sea

Image2: View of the beach from the cliff

Image3: At the restaurant

Image4: View

Image5: Large tiger prawns
Image Copyright: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Where can you bask under the golden rays of the sun on an empty beach?
Welcome to Varkala in Kerala. A four hour drive from Fort Kochi, Varkala is a quiet seaside destination on the shores of the Arabian Sea, about 50 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. The high cliffs offer a spectacular view of the sea below.

I must admit, this is one of the cleanest beaches I have been to. Lifeguards and cops patrol the entire stretch of the beach, to ensure your safety. You can relax and enjoy yourselves bouncing in the waves.

Where to stay
We stayed at the Keral Heerum Hotel at North Cliff. Most of these homestays are small houses/cottages on the cliff, where you can just walk in and ask for rooms.

Sea-facing rooms cost about Rs 350 per night during off-season. Peak season (October to February) rates would be about Rs 500 per night. Non-sea facing rooms are Rs 200 to Rs 250 per night. Summer is a good time to go for a peaceful holiday. It is warm during the day, but you can laze with a book and a drink on a hammock in your hotel or at a beachside restaurant.
As the hot sun begins to recede, head out to the beach for some fun and frolic. The best time to visit the sea, I would say, is in the morning, before 10 am.

Hot holiday spot!
Varkala is quite a favourite with foreign tourists, who come here to tan themselves.
We, by contrast, of course, stay away from the sun and ventured out to the beach only after 5 pm.

Around 6.30 pm we were asked to leave the beach by the lifeguards and the police.
You can, of course, go to the beach unattended by the lifeguards. But that is best avoided because the sea becomes choppy. During high tide the waves reach as high as the foot of the cliffs. There are red flags to notify the danger zones in the sea. If the currents are too strong, no one is allowed to enter the sea.

What to eat
We started our day lazing on the beach. When the sun climbed up into the sky we left the beach and ascended the stairs back to the cliff. We loved breakfast at the Cafe Del Mar, one of the first restaurants you bump into on the North Cliff. Here you can get an English or American breakfast for Rs 90 and Rs 80, respectively.

Don't miss the seafood around here. It is fresh, delicious and simply exotic. And you can have it grilled, steaks, fried or curried. Your restaurant will oblige.
Many folks may find Varkala not too different from Goa. But I think this place is in a class of its own. We tried prawn curry with rice or Naan (complimentary with the main dish) for lunch which was again delicious.

Just chill
After sunset, as the restaurant and shop lights are turned on, we took a leisurely walk around.
Restaurant owners will call out to you showing the fresh catch of the day. Red and white snapper, tiger prawns, barracuda, squids and tuna -- name it -- it's all there.
Look around for a good deal. Normally, a portion of four to six tiger prawns will set you back anywhere between Rs 400 and Rs 500. It is worth it.
We tried steak barracuda in lemon garlic sauce, grilled tiger prawns, prawn pakoras and cold drinks at the Dolphin Bay restaurant.
As we walked back along the narrow path the only sound was of the sea waves crashing against the rocks. Varkala is simple awesome. You can go in a group. Or as a couple. You will love the place.

Travel tips
~ There are cyber cafes, government tourist booths and money exchange facilities.
~ There is only one ATM, the Centurion Bank. It is better to carry cash, as not all places accept credit/debit cards.
~ Don't forget to carry a sun block, an umbrella and sun glasses.
~ Avoid taking valuables like jewellery, cameras etc to the beach.
~ Most people leave their change of clothing in a bag on the beach and go for a swim. ~ Make sure children are not left unattended on the beach.

How to get there
By road: Varkala is 180 km from Fort Kochi and 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram.
From Fort Kochi, take the NH 47 to reach Varkala. You can stop at Huts, a highway restaurant for a meal. Huts Restaurant NH BypassCherthalaPhones: (00478) 2817277, 3956683

By air: The closest airport is Thiruvananthapuram

Rail: The nearest railway station is Varkala

For details, visit: http://www.southernrailway.org/

Peak season: October to February Off-season: March to November. This is the best time to visit. It is less crowded and less expensive.

Places to see in and around Varkala:
~ The Janardhana Swamy temple and Sivagiri Mutt. The Janardhana Swamy temple is on the way to the Papanasam beach.
~ Anjengoan (five coconut trees) old English Fort about 20 km from Varkala.

Restaurants
Cafe Del Mar
Hill View
Varkala

Dolphin Bay Restaurant
North Cliff,
Varkala Phone: 0984646940
e-mail: sulfikaif@yahoo.com

Homestays
~ Most of the homestays and hotels are on the cliff. It is not very difficult to find rooms at Varkala Beach.

Keral Heerum Hotel
North Cliff
Next to Amma Dental Spa
Varkala

Hindustan Beach Resort
Papanasam Beach
Janardhanapuram
PO Varkala -- 685 141
Phones: (0474) 2604254, 2604255 e-mail: hindretreat@vsnl.net Web site: http://www.hindustanbeachretreat.com/

Lanzy Plaza Beach Resort
Beach Road Papanasam,
Varkala -- 695 141
Phones: (0474) 2609764, 09846331355
e-mail: info@lanzyplaza.com
lanzyplaza@yahoo.com
Web site: http://www.lanzyplaza.com/

For more hotels at Varkala, please visit http://www.hotelskerala.com/varkala.htm

Published in Rediff.com, on April 24, 2007
Link: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2007/apr/24slide1.htm

Travel> Kumarakom: The Houseboat Haven

Image1: Boatman

Image2: Perched Cormorant

Image3: Fellow tourists

Image4: Kerala Houseboat

Image5: Toddy, Karimeen Curry & Tapioca
Image copyright: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi
On a trip to Kerala, it doesn't take too much planning to visit Kumarakom. A few hours' drive from Kochi, Kumarakom is a fun place to visit. Famous for its enviable location on Vembanad Lake at the mouth of the backwaters and its beautiful houseboats, Kumarakom is a place like you have never been to before.

En route to Kumarakom, a stopover at the Indian Coffee House at Vaikom is a must to enjoy dosas, bread omelette and traditional South Indian coffee. We started our journey from Kochi at around nine in the morning and reached Kumarakom by 11 am.

We stopped over at the Kerala Tourism Department Corporation owned Motel Aram, which has clean toilets, ample parking space, decent rooms and clean restaurants. From there, we hired a private six-seater motorboat for Rs 600 for a two-hour backwater tour, which we considered a steal, especially for a group like ours. In fact, the KTDC also rents out boats for Rs 550 per hour.
It's better to stop over at this KTDC motel to rent boats as it is more organised and less expensive compared to other places, where you may have to bargain and the reliability may be in question.

Floating hotels
A day or two on a houseboat is an experience of a lifetime and is perfect for a break or an anniversary surprise. The room charge per night for an air-conditioned and a non-air-conditioned houseboat is Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively, during peak season, which runs from mid-October till March.

This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, while sailing down the peaceful backwaters. Meals include the fresh catch of the day fetched by the boat's cook. Each boat has a bedroom, living room and a dining area. The check-out time is usually 12 noon. For bookings, one can get in touch with KTDC or private tour operators to get the best deal. The off-season rates are a steal. Just Rs 5,000.

Tuck into this spread
One of us expressed the desire to taste the authentic toddy, tapioca and karimeen curry. So, Sukumaran took us to a restaurant on the shore. We ordered toddy, a popular local drink in Kerala that is fermented coconut wine, extracted from the coconut palm.

I guess one has to develop a taste for toddy, as the sour flavour and aroma kind of masked the coconut wine. My husband relished the toddy, as it blended perfectly with the tapioca and karimeen curry, My favourite dish though was the karimeen curry -- a red tangy spicy curry, prepared with the pearl spotted fish, or the karimeen.

The curry is prepared using a small dried up fruit known as cocumstar, which offers a unique tangy flavour to the curry. The cocumstar is removed after cooking and is not a part of the main dish. The tapioca or kappa, a light snack, which tasted somewhat like yam. Our total bill came to Rs 170.

Attend a 'boat warming' party
On our way back, we chanced upon a 'boat warming party'; the locals were innaugurating a new house boat. We finished our backwater trip in about four hours and we paid Sukumaran for the extended hours, which he took quite reluctantly. We picked up souvenirs -- miniature versions of beautiful houseboats -- that ranged from Rs 200 to Rs 750 from the KTDC souvenir store.
On the way back, we had lunch at the famous K R Bakes, which serves a wide range of small eats. It is especially famous for its chicken and fish dishes.

How to get there
By road
Kumarakom is 60 km from Kochi and 16 km from Kottayam.

By air
There are daily flights from Mumbai and Chennai and connecting flights from New Delhi and other places in India to Kochi, Kozhikode and Trivandrum.

Kumarakom is 175 km from Trivandrum International Airport and 85 km from Cochin International Airport.

By rail
Kochi is well-connected by rail with Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and with other smaller metros.

Web sites: www.ktdc.com/WaterScapes.htm
www.kumarakom.com/howto.htm

Published in Rediff.com, on November 15, 2006
Link: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/nov/15slide.htm