Racing against time in Kerala

God’s own country taught me some lessons from the moment I landed on its territories. The lush green scenery, endless coconut palms, quiet backwaters and seemingly laid-back life made me believe I am only here to unwind and relax so I would have never thought I will be experiencing the unexpected.

So the plane landed and along with my local travel companions I got into the car we rented for our stay. Since we were heading from Cochin to Quilon we picked up our driver on the way from his workplace, a fish factory. Before we got ready to cover the 150 km distance within a devastating 4.5 hours journey (and I will explain the meaning of devastating) I got extremely excited to have a sneak peek into the factory procedures. So here we were and a rather enthusiastic supervisor walked us behind the scenes going through an ice coated freezing room (which instantly made me sick for a week), some packaging units and so on. Fully covered ladies working in the factory were looking at us with much curiosity trying to figure out what the hell we were there for.

The first untouristy experience made me ready for the 12 days in the state of Kerala and after a nostalgic dinner stop at Seagull restaurant we got into the car feeling supercool already not expecting what the next coming hours will bring. From the moment onwards the driver stepped on the gas I forgot who I was, where I came from, what I am doing over here and just prayed. For my life. For the next 4 hours. The driver seemed to be the local F1 racer speeding on 100 km/h within the city boundaries, taking shocking U-turns and shamelessly OVERTAKING THE OVERTAKING CARS occupying the entire width of the road, trucks and buses no matter. By the time we reached Quilon I literally felt like I was tumble-dried.

The last one hour of the destructive journey we spent with looking for the accommodation we just booked the very last moment only hours before and was so far-off the town that we started thinking we are heading to some forbidden place. We reached the accommodation with extreme tiredness and exhaustion and just wanted to do one thing: take a hot shower to wash off the (driver’s) sin and dust of the road. But the fun hasn’t stopped here. The prime location of the hotel didn’t reflect its condition which means no hot water, loose toilet seat, some bugs here and there and so on. All these came in handy though later for a blatant bargain on the room rate.

Taking the zero amount of travel plans and recent experience we went through by the time the night fell down I knew we are not here as tourists neither we are looking into some relaxing days ahead…

Kerala off the beaten track:

• Discover Quilon – Kerala’s hidden gem
• Take an authentic Ayurveda consultation in Trivandrum 
• Visit Varkala’s secret beach Where mysterious backwaters join the open sea
• Get your Spice kick and high tea in Thekkady
• See how Munnar reflects fifty shades of green
• Admire Athirapally waterfalls, the Niagara of India
• Relax in Kovalam – an almost forgotten place by the sea
• Spend the night on Kerala’s waterways
• Try the tastiest fish in banana leaf in always bustling Cochin
• Or just simply see Cochin on the move