Guruvayoor, Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram

The next leg of the journey was to Guruvayoor for Samyu's Choorunu (Annaprasam). It is a ceremony where the baby is given rice for the first time. In Kerala, it is normally given it at a temple. So Guruvayoor it was for Samyuktha.

The drive to Guruvayoor was through Aluva, Thiruvairanikulam, Angamaly, and Thrissur. We had to attend a wedding at the famous Thiruvairanikulam Sree Mahadeva Temple and so we decided to proceed from there to Guruvayoor. From Thiruvairanikulam I used the Garmin to guide me to the main road and it did the job pretty well guiding me to the Kalady-Angamaly road. From there on it was known to me and reached Guruvayoor by 4.15pm. Enquired about the function after checking in at the hotel. It was planned to be done next day morning. Rest of the day was at leisure, roaming around the temple and having the darshan at night. Samyuktha was all excited to be at a new place with both sides grandparents around.

Next day, had the function, did Tulabharam (an offering where a substance like banana, butter or anything is offered to the diety which wieghs as much as the devotee, Samyu in this case) and had darshan.

 We left Guruvayoor by around 2pm and took the Thriprayar, Kodungalloor route and reached home by around 5 pm. This route took longer time though distance was short.

Next day, the plan was to start around 10am and to reach Kollam. I had planned it this was as the drive to Kanyakumari from Kochi would be too long as the roads are 2-way with lots of traffic. Hence the plan to break the journey at Kollam. Started as per the plan, and had lunch at the KTDC hotel at Alapuzha. It was a good meal. We reached Kollam around 4pm. All through this journey I had booked the rooms in Govt owned properties to check out how it will be. The property in Kollam was by KTDC and was okay. The location was very good, as it was next to the lake and all rooms were overlooking the lake. We had plans to go for a boat ride in house boat, but since no boat was available, dropped the plan.

Went to the beach in the evening, and it was a good beach. Had dinner from a good, small hotel and returned to the hotel.

Here is my review of KTDC Tamarind Kollam which is published in Tripadvisor:
"I stopped over in Kollam for one night on the way to Kanyakumari from Kochi. Booking was done through KTDC website and I got 15% discount since I did it online. Check-in process was simple, staff were courteous and overall the place was clean and neat. The location of this property was very good - overlooking the lake. We did not order food from their restaurant since I knew that it will take time and there won't be much choices. Hence I had no disappointments on food front. Overall, a good value for money option for a budget traveler. Frankly, I do not expect great service from KTDC hotels, but one thing I know is that KTDC has awesome properties in great locations which are not maintained to the same degree but has basic hygiene and cleanliness. Hence I choose them purposely on my trips. This too, was good as it met my expectations."

Next day morning we left by around 7 am with plans to have dinner from Tvm. The roads were less crowded but then too there were too many vehicles for this time of the day. Kerala is really crowded. Dropped in at Ginger in Tvm for breakfast. This was on the Tvm by-pass and was convenient for us since we had to bye-pass the city. Here again, I used the Garmin to guide me and it did it's job perfectly. In 1 hours time I was driving past Tvm to Kanyakumari. Never I had to stop, or ask anyone or got confused. The road from Tvm to Kanyakumari is a real nightmare. Very narrow roads, too much traffic and indiscipline. The distance from Tvm to Kk is about 100 kms but took a well 3 hours. And I am given to understand that it was like this ever since.

Reached Kk by around 1.30 pm and checked into Hotel Tamil Nadu which is a superb property by Tamil Nadu Government. Had lunch at their restaurant where the food was simple and good. In the afternoon we planned to visit the Vivekanada rock memorial. It was a nice experience - the boat ride, the cave, and the island. In the evening we stepped out towards the watch tower but it began to rain. So we had to rush back to the room. The day ended like that.

Next day morning we had the darshan, visited Gandhi mantap, had breakfast and started back to Tvm. Here is my review of Hotel Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari which is published in Tripadvisor:
"Location, Location, Location. This is the best thing about this hotel. I read reviews on this hotel online and had booked twin cottages online for one night. Booking process was simple and straight. Check-in process was smooth and the service of the staff was also good. The rooms were very spacious and is great value for money. I do not think any other hotel would provide such great rooms are this price. I think almost all rooms are sea facing, and only very few could be non sea-facing - not sure about this though. The property was clean and neat throughout, and it spreads over lot of land, and hence does not feel like a hotel. All attractions are nearby and walk-able distance from this place. The restaurant served good food. (We only had lunch at the restaurant.) Overall, the place is awesome to stay in Kanyakumari."

Southern Sojourn - continued

So it was Coimbatore for the next day.

We visited Isha Yoga campus the next day. I tried to figure out the location and route through Garmin and Google, but it was not mapped in Google maps then. (Now when I search the location shows up correctly, or may be I did not look up properly then.). Hence, with an approximation I started out. We did get on the right track but lost our way once we were nearing the place. It is completely in a village tucked away in the foothills of Velliangiri.

The road is pretty bad when you near the campus. The campus is nice and a lot of construction work was going on - a big hall and pond etc. We spent around 3-4 hours there visiting the enclosure that houses Dhyana Lingam, temple, visited the shop there and Janaki bought some powders made by some wing of Isha foundation. (Ada powder, Chola dosa powder, Sambar powder etc). We fed Samyu also sitting in their canteen and then we decided to leave. This time I did not lose the route and could reach Vadavalli without any miss. The rest of the day was at leisure. Next day morning we were supposed to leave to Thrissur.

We got up early and left by 5 am to Thrissur. Garmin baby led us correctly out of Kovai town to reach the highway. The road till Palakkad was bumpy and I decided to take the route via Shoranur as the direct stretch from Palakkad to Thrissur was not in god shape. Palakkad-Ottappalam route is too good, well laid out and with enough width.

We stopped over at Uthralikkavu for a quick darshan and the temple was so peaceful and that too in the morning without much rush. Loved it. Even Samyu seemed to enjoy it.

Reached Thrissur by around 8.30 am, had breakfast at Bharath and went to meet Chechi (she owns the PG where I stayed during my engg times.).

Left Thrissur by around 11 am and reached Ernakulam by 1.30 pm.

Thus finishes the first leg of the Southern Sojourn.

Now what follows is the Guruvayoor trip, Kanyakumari trip, Kannur trip and the trip back to Bangalore from Kannur.

Southern Sojourn

Feb was a month of travel for me. And I did plan it. It was quite some time since we traveled after Samyuktha was born. So this was it. Her 'Choorunu' (Annaprasam) was planned in Guruvayoor temple on 11th of Feb, on the day of 6th wedding anniversary of Janaki and me :)


Bangalore to Coimbatore

4th February it was, at around 5.45 am we started off from our house in Jayanagar towards Coimbatore. The plan was to reach Coimbatore, and stay there overnight at a relatives place. Next day we had plans to visit the Isha Yoga center in Kovai (that was Janaki's plan) and also a rest day. We did not want to take chances with Samyuktha as I did not know how she will respond to the first long distance travel.

So off we went, this time taking a different route from normal. Usually we take Bangalore - Hosur - Salem - Coimbatore route which is almost a 4-lane highway. But this time, I wanted to take a different route and that was Bangalore - Kanakaura - Kollegal - Chamrajpet - Satyamangalam - Coimbatore. This route was not very famous till recently as it was not in a good shape and long time back it was infamous for the forest hero Veerappan who used the forests on the way as hideouts.

The drive was good and the first stop was a bio-break shortly after Kollegal. I had expected few
speed-breakers on the way but surprisingly there were none. The whether was so cool and fresh. There were no vehicles on road and we were the only one for sometime. Samyuktha didn't quite like her seat in the car but did not make much noise.

Clicked few pictures of the surroundings and headed towards Chamrajanagar where we planned to have breakfast.

We stopped at Nijaguna residency at Chamrajanagar by around 9.30 am. I had read reviews of this place and was supposed to be the only decent place to eat on this route. Eateries are the only concern in this route to Coimbatore. Well, we learnt that this place was expensive while paying the bill. A coffee cost us Rs. 35, a simple coffee - nothing great in terms of taste or quantity. Well, we used few of their resources to feed Samyuktha and get her freshened. So we thought it is okay.

We left the place around 10.15 am or so and headed towards Satyamangalam. The road was nice, and the drive was good. The scenes around the road was good - not much of human in-habitation and lot of trees. Well, most parts were part of reserved forest I believe. We crossed the Dhimbam ghats with its 27 hairpin curves in around 30 minutes and landed in Bannary. Satyamangalam was covered in another 30 minutes and it was a pretty big town. Not like what we have heard about the dreaded Veerappan sir. Even I found one Muthoot Gold Loan branch there. Well, Mallus are everywhere!!

Before entering Kovai town I took the deviation towards the relatives place which is in Vadavalli. Thanks to my Garmin and Google maps, I had mapped out the route in Garmin. But the roads were not that good but still okay. One thing I should tell, if you map your routes well, you don't have to stop anywhere to ask for directions and get lost. My Garmin clearly led me to the house without any confusion. I just had to follow her instructions (no...not Janaki's, my Garmin lady's).

Finally, we landed up in Vadavally at around 1 pm after having lunch at a hotel on the way. Samyuktha was okay, bit tired. That's all. Otherwise she was fine with her first long journey in car.

Well, here I would like to mention one thing. This route to Coimbatore from Bangalore is around 60 kms lesser and also will save you around Rs. 400 as toll fee. It might take 30 min extra, but here you are driving in pristine natural conditions, not the uneventful 4-lane highway. Try it next time. (The only problem is - if you have to cross Coimbatore and go, like for e.g., Palakkad or Kochi, you will have to cut across Coimbatore town which will take time.)

Sojourn is not over yet. It was just the beginning of the 2700 odd kilometers and 1 month from Bangalore to Guruvayoor to Kanyakumari to Kannur and then to Bangalore back.