Jul 24, 2012 10:40 AM
31787 Views
I am not a package travel kind of guy but was looking for a safe option when I decided to travel to Kerala and owing to the fact that its only me and my wife. We decided to check KSTDC and decided to take chance with them. They say its a 6-day package. But its literally 4 days and 5 nights only. You leave on a Wednesday night and come back by Monday morning. But other than that they are frank about everything else they say in their website. Places, hotels and time are correct.
Its a non-AC bus, but its fine as most part of the travel was either in Night or in hill stations so weather is cool. Bus is in decent shape (no vibrations) and they have plug points to each seat, so you need not worry about recharging your cell phone or camera batteries (I forgot to take my charger though!). Our guide was Mr.Siddu, who was a courteous man with knowledge of many languages. He and other crew members are well behaved and soft soken which makes a big difference to me!. Departure time is around 8 pm, but we were delayed as a couple ended up showing nearly 30 minutes late. First stop was in Kerala-TN border town where you will get bed for couple of hours and to freshen up. And similarly throughout the trip they stop at places where you have restroom facilities (again very important for old and females at least). They take you to veg restaurants but usually non-veg options are available nearby. We hardly wasted any time waiting for anything as things were prearranged.
And don't miss the martial arts show in Thekady (its very good). But unfortunately a blade piece ripped of from the artist's hand and rocketed towards us and fell just inches away from us. Not to mention, it was a kid who was seated in the next seat and it hit above his head! be careful with massage centers in Thekady, the one we went was bad (not the massage but the place). Boat ride from Kumarakom to Alleppey was good. Plenty of time is given to see places and rest in evenings as against many who say package trips dont give time to breath. Most times we need to pay entrance tickets ourself and no water bottles are provided either in bus. We were back in Bangalore by 6 am and Mr.Siddu helped us catch a bus to my place right in front of Badami house.
Overall, a very nice and memorable trip. As I said before courtesy of crew, hassle free travel arrangement made a difference and many minor drawbacks in this travel can be easily forgotten.
