Kerala and Tamil Adu

[armybloke]

We had a family holiday in Tamil Adu and Kerala (India) over Christmas and New Year. I have posted a few pictures for you to enjoy of the flora and fauna we encountered.

 

Some interesting features included within the tea plantations the fact that Silver Oak is grown as shade trees and lapped - an Indian term (pollarded) to maintain the right amount of shade.

 

The Bhodi or people tree and Neem Tree are always grown together as they represent fertility and good fortune. So within the boundaries of the Hindu temples they can be seen. Traversed an odd number of times is alleged to provide the good fortune. If you consider your right foot as a positive and left as a negative you only find steps in off numbers and always lead with your right. The theory was tested in many places and confirmed as always an odd number. So you enter someone's house in a positive mood and leave feeling the same!

 

Trees were never an issue and needed for shade. They grew next to and often through peoples homes with the construction favouring the trees health (Oh I wish we took the same stance!). Despite the population and growth of the cities and towns we travelled through it was immensely green.

 

We managed to visit Monty Dons favourite spice garden near Periyer and the owners even made us dinner! A lovely family and a guided tour enlightened us on the use of the spices in India through medicine and cooking.

 

Curry was on the menu three times a day so they needed to be able to vary the flavours regularly! Breakfast was always a challenge in consumption terms as they like 'hot' food!

 

The Kerala Backwaters (spent on a houseboat) was chocking with water hyacinths, but smelled lovely. Birds were in abundance with Black Kite and Brahminy Kite in their hundreds! Birds of paradise and other such beautifully adorned birds flew around us daily.

 

The elephant experience was for the children. I spoke to the owner and despite having a good english upbringing and education the treatment of the wild animals sickened me. Controversial it may seem but if you starve the industry of money the elephants are starved of food, feed the industry with money and more people take up the trade. Single-handed I could do nothing but admire these magnificent animals for what they are and not what they have been enslaved to do. Enough said.

 

We made rope from Coconut husk (coir), I sat in a barbers chair in a back street and experienced a cut-throat shave (Quite an experience I can tell you - I was shaking to be honest!). We ate a massive variety of foods and enjoyed meeting the locals and spending time learning about their plights and experiences.

 

We saw how tea was grown, the history and what goes in a tea-bag (my opinion is stop drinking the tea in tea-bags as they are full of the poor tea dust swept up off the shop floor - really they are. Green or white tea and loose not bagged)

 

A jungle walk to find a tiger or leopard was unsuccessful but we were taken to see a very rare bird - the Ceylon Frogmouth Owl (false owl) see if you can see the pair of them in a photo?

 

Tree species varied across the country with acacias, mango (tallest fruit tree in world), rubber plantations and coconut (Kearal means land of coconut). I did get to learn most of them so ask if you need help with ID.

 

We started the journey in Kochi and completed in Kovalam on the coast of the Arabian Sea. A truly awesome experience and adventure I can recommend to you all. I hope you enjoy flicking through the pictures.

 

If you have any questions please post them and I will get back to you.

[breffni]

Was in India a few years ago only got to Kerala for a couple of weeks lovely places there

[welwell]

I've always wanted to visit India, looks amazing and beautiful, would you go again?

[armybloke]

Definitely go again but to see the north next time Bihar region is meant to be pretty spectacular - Himalayas are on my list of places to visit too. Our guide put me off going to Goa. Too commercialised, crime is growing and the tourists are tending to not treat the locals with the respect they deserve - shame.

[treecreeper arb]

:thumbup:Lovely picture Army bloke.I have great memories of a trip the year before last, when I cycled from Cochi in Kerala round the coast to Chennai and after a squizzy in the Andaman islands,back across the middle to Goa and then back to Kerala.One of(if not the)best things ive done.desperate to go back, so thanks for sharing your pictures.

[Paul Barton]

:thumbup:Lovely picture Army bloke.I have great memories of a trip the year before last, when I cycled from Cochi in Kerala round the coast to Chennai and after a squizzy in the Andaman islands,back across the middle to Goa and then back to Kerala.One of(if not the)best things ive done.desperate to go back, so thanks for sharing your pictures.

 

 

Nice! I cycled from Goa to Chennai in 2007, brilliant it was.

[treecreeper arb]

Nice! I cycled from Goa to Chennai in 2007, brilliant it was.

 

Excellent..such a satisfying way to travel.Have you plans for further trips,or have you done any others?

[breffni]

Goa is a hole full of tools. You might as well go to the med its all Europeans and its dirty as well

[Paul Barton]

Excellent..such a satisfying way to travel.Have you plans for further trips,or have you done any others?

 

 

It was brilliant! I'd love to do the longer route you did!

 

I'd go back for another tour in a flash but at the moment a young family and new business doesn't allow it. One day!