Try Off Beat...Northern Kerala. Review on Kerala, General

Kerala was once, a long long time back - an unknown corner state on the map of India. Then someone discovered the while sandy beaches of Kovalam, then some one else came across the backwaters of Kumarakom. And then headed by the dynamic - Mr. Amitabh Kant (he was the Director - Kerala Tourism) - the state emerged as one of the most exclusive Holiday Destinations for inbound tourists. Today a holiday to Kerala costs more than a trip to Singapore.

South Kerala has somehow managed to become more popular than the North, even though both areas boast of backwaters, beaches, cuisine, Ayurveda....We went to relatively undiscovered North Kerala for our Honeymoon for 7 whole days!!

CALICUT STATION - After 2 whole days of traveling from Delhi, the Mangla Express stopped at Calicut on a warm sultry morning in early February. Yes, warm & sultry in February! We were booked at a Resort called Kadavu Resort about 15 km. from Calicut. The resort had sent a cab to pick us up. Now my first impression of Kerala wasn’t very nice - the Calicut Railway Station was appalling. It was crowded with frustrated young men who just stare at you (don’t know what else they were doing there, though). The walls had posters of Triple X movies & there were ahem Ladies Undergarments on the window displays!! I mean I was shocked!! Anyway, after 30 minutes of negotiating traffic in the narrow lanes of the city - we reached Kadavu.

KADAVU RESORTS - This was in Feb 2001 & the resort was still under construction. Our first reaction was to curse the tour operator who had booked us – we weren’t informed of this. There were workers all over the place; only 3 cottages were ready for occupancy, there were no restaurants - nothing! And, if you please we were the only guests. The staff, however, was more than ready for us. Very warm, hospitable people run the Resort. I am still in touch with the Manager & I believe now it’s a Five Star Luxury Resort offering the best facilities in Northern Kerala. There was nothing much we could do in a Resort that is still in the making but the cottage that was allotted to us kept us occupied. It was the cutest room I had ever lived in. Equipped with a kitchenette, a living area, a bedroom & a patio that overlooked the Backwaters - it was a Dream. The balcony also overlooked the serene & calm backwaters. We would spend most of the night outside in the balcony - discussing that whenever, if ever we had the chance to make our own home - it would be just this way. And by the way - the bathroom had a spacious bathtub (I love them). The chef here prepares the most authentic Malabari food. Believe, me I put on solid weight this week...I tried not to stuff my face with all the yummy preparations - but which sane person can resist Dry Mussels, Fish cooked in Coconut Gravy, Sambhar Chawal with Papadams......I wonder what my in -laws felt when they saw me after the Honeymoon (?) We didn’t get our son married to that!! I had tried consciously to lose weight for the wedding (bah!)

CALICUT CITY, KOZHIKODE - Since we were there for a whole week, we made trips to Calicut thrice. Nothing-exceptional here. Small crowded city, some good 4* Hotels. We had a meal once at Welcomgroup Fortune's Indian Restaurant called Khyber. Can be avoided. Nothing beats the chef at Kadavu!

WAYANAD - This district neighbors that of Kozhikode. We hired a cab one day & went off to explore this beautiful hill district of Kerala. I think it was about 60 - 70 km from Kadavu. I don’t remember what '' Attractions'' we saw there, I think we didn’t really see any of the places we were recommended to see. That was because we kept wasting our time stopping & admiring the scenic beauty en route. The mountains here are so different from what we see up North. There is so much greenery - its almost like a truck has never passed this route.

INFORMATION - This information is from a brochure I picked up at Vythri Resort, Wayanad about the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. I didn’t visit it though – I think you might need permission for that.

Wayanad lies at an altitude varying from 700 - 2100 meters above the sea level. The district has the highest number of tribal settlements in Kerala. The hill ranges of Vythiri taluk (taluk is a sub division of a district), through which the road from Kozhikode ascends the Wayanad plateau over the mind-boggling bends and ridges are the highest locations of Wayanad district.

Established in 1973, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous to the protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the northeast and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu on the southeast. Rich in bio-diversity, the sanctuary is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which has been established with the specific objective of conserving the biological heritage of the region. The sanctuary is very rich in flora and fauna. The management lays emphasis on scientific conservation with due consideration for the general lifestyle of the tribals and others who live in and around the forest region.

That’s all I remember!

Next time you’re looking for a Holiday Destination - try this part of the world.

Please check https://hotelskerala.com/kadavu/index.htm for more information.