8 girls from different cities on a bacherellote trip to Kerala - Part 1

Time to have some refreshing tea/coffee so here's small hotel just at the entry road of Cochin Airport named Hotel Malabar . I would recommend to have coffee and not tea if you are in Kerala . I know even though it is one of highest Tea producing state but really serves bad tea to drink.

We were really early to get in and it is really amazing walking path towards waterfalls and surrounded by tall trees and wooden fencing. Its kinda mini trek to reach to the this huge waterfall . Athirappalli waterfall is one the largest waterfall in India which stands tall at 80 feet and nicknamed "The Niagara of India" and also known as "Bahubali waterfall" now.

Vazhachal Waterfall , Thrissur :

Because most of the shooting is done at this place of India's one of the biggest hit movie "Bahubali". Most of the movie scenes and songs in India has been shot here . They have restricted area for entry so we have to enjoy this waterfall from certain distance for safety . After spending some time here we headed to Vazhachal waterfall which is 5 km away from Athirappalli waterfall.

Just a short drive from Athirapally, the Vazhachal waterfall is close to dense green forests that are home to many endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna. We don't have an entry to inside the water but that really does not matter as the view is so divine and beautiful . We had great time at both the places and sweet coconut water (one is enough for two people).

We had stay at Munnar that day so we moved on towards Munnar . By the time we were hungry and it was time to grab some food . Our driver uncle recommended us "Hotel Saravana Bhavan" , NH47, Thrissur road - Koratty . They had such mind blowing variety of Dosa's and other south Indian food . We ordered different types of Dosa and i personally love Kerala parotha so i just grabbed it when it arrived.

Food was delicious and you must visit to calm down your appetite once you are in Kerala or Thrissur . Chai and Coffee was just ok here . One thing i knew before coming to Kerala about Kerala Ayurvedic Water is a hot drinking water, slightly pinkish in colour, used by many people in the state of Kerala which is served in many restaurants and homes just before eating and we got it Saravana bhavan.

It is made with a hard part of the wood of a multipurpose tree that is widely used for various medicinal purposes. Pathimugam is widely used since ancient days and is an excellent herbal medicine. It is made with a hard part of the wood of a multipurpose tree that is widely used for various medicinal purposes. Pathimugam is widely used since ancient days and is an excellent herbal medicine.

Kerala Farm , Kallar , Munnar :

Thrissur to Munnar(Idukki Dist.) total distance is 156 km approximately and around 3 hours continuous journey . We had enough time so we decided visit one of the spice farm in Kallar , Munnar named "Kerala Farm" .

Entry ticket was 100 per person but we managed to bargain with them and got tickets for 60 per person . They basically take you across the farm and introduce and brief uses of them to you of some Indian spices like pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and so on. , ayurvedic medicinal , coffee plantation . They also had some tourist attraction such as lake , tree house, few rare birds and for kids swings on trees .

Kerala is one state in India which is popular for use of ayurvedic medicines. Herbs and shrubs are said to possess certain medicinal values but less considered that even a tree which does not bear any edible fruits can also possess some medicinal compounds.

You can buy some Attar (Indian scents ) (I bought one for my brother too , it smells so pleasant) , handmade chocolates and Kerala sarees . Once you get out of it , you can see their own Ayurvedic medicinal shop where you will get medicines for all problems and spices . But the problem is all the medicines comes in large quantity like 0.5 kg/litres and more than that and they are costly . So it becomes hard to decide whether to buy or not.

But Manager and seller assures and guarantees you about the medicines and their effects so you can give it try once as all medicines are really pure and trust on Ayurveda.

I am telling you while travelling to Munnar , i witnessed heavenly gorgeous range of mountains full of tea plantation and trees , wide blue skies turning orangey-red during sunset , streets full of shops and people wearing smiles on their faces , deep stunning valleys .

This view made my day and we reached to our hotel in Munnar by 7 pm. It was tiny and Bhulbhulaiyya kind of hotel "Nest Resorts" which had very poor facilities to be honest . We were very disappointed initially but we had no option as we had to stay there only for a night.

We doubted the quality off food from same hotel so we decided to have it from somewhere else. So we went to the another hotel "Tea Castle" , just next to Nest resort . Though food was mouth watering here , service was very poor and slow.

Day 2 :

Munnar Tea Plantation :

Next morning we woke up with serene hilly view in front of our rooms and made our morning grateful. We had breakfast at Nest resorts only and come to know that they serve luscious food in spite of having poor rooms. Idly and Dosa here yummy . We got ready for our next destination , Munnar Tea plantations .

Someone had said me once , "Destination is not important but Journey is !" and it is very true in case of Munnar . The low mountain scenery is magnificent – you’re often up above the clouds watching veils of mist clinging to the mountaintops. Munnar town itself is a scruffy, traffic-clogged administration centre, not unlike a North Indian hill station, but wander just a few kilometres out of town and you’ll be engulfed in a sea of a thousand shades of green.

Travelling across huge exquisite and delightful mountains makes you blissful and gives you hopes for better things . You realize how colourful and wonderful life is ! I was totally in love with this place .

You can stop anywhere and go inside Tea plantations , smell the breeze , feel the mountains and click the unlimited photos here . Once known as the High Range of Travancore, today Munnar is the commercial centre of some of the world’s highest tea-growing estates. The majority of the plantations are operated by corporate giant Tata, with some in the hands of local cooperative Kannan Devan Hills Plantation Company (KDHP).

On the way you will find some lakes which adds scenic beauty to Munnnar . Our driver uncle used to suggest us best things to get from that particular place and guide us . Stop wherever you see small stalls on the way , do try some tomatoes , very sweet pineapples, carrots , guava’s because they very tasty and are good for health.

Mattupetty Dam lake :

Then we headed to Mattupetty dam lake , located 13 km from Munnar is situated at a height of 1700 m, and is a delight for nature lovers. Besides the lush green tea plantations, and the rolling grasslands, the Shola forests in and around Mattupetty are ideal for trekking and are habitat to a variety of birds.

One of the main attractions in Mattupetty is the beautiful lake, and the Mattupetty Dam, which are ideal picnic spots. The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Idukki provides boating facilities in the Mattupetty Dam. Speed launch, slow speedboat and motorboats are available on hire.

We went inside and amazed by the enticing beauty of nature and different shades of water . You will find range of small shops next to lake which is as crowded as lake . Shops full of wooden artefacts, hand made chocolates , home made wine and other stuffs and all are at very cheap price and you can bargain here little bit to get fare deal.

Kundala Lake :

We had stay at Thekkady on that day plus we had to attend Kerala's cultural program there which has specific show timings in evening and as we knew last show is between 7 - 8 pm so without wasting our time we started our journey towards Thekkady.

Munnar to Thekkady total distance is 91 km which takes nearly 4 hours and has dense forests on the narrow road and is one of most scenic route. We had evening tea at some small hotel on the way which made our evening better as it was surrounded by tall and dense trees and very deserted .

Kadathanadan Kalari & Navarasa Kalari Centre ,Thekkady :

The narration is thrilling and they use English language to narrate the story so it becomes easy to understand for us. The best part is the end where you are invited to go down into the arena to be able to hold the weapons and shields and get some great pictures as cameras are allowed.

Kathakali is the classical dance of Kerala and is translated as “story play” in Malayalam. It is used to tell stories from the Indian epics and interestingly, this dance style is a blend of different fine arts like literature, music, painting, acting and dance. It is not simply a dance-drama but an act of devotion featuring the universal struggle between good and evil.

We missed the Martial arts show but never mind , Kathakali performance so amazing . If you have little bit of interest in tradition or culture , then this is treat for your eyes and soul .

After the show we checked in the hotel. If you are looking for hotel to stay in Thekkady then "Hotel Sandra Palace" is the best option . Rooms are great with all facilities including Wi-Fi , room service and staff is really helping and cooperative.