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Some of the top adventure tourist spots in India -->
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-travel-top-adventure-tourist-destinations-in-india/20110518.htm
Courtesy : Rediff
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, August 12, 2010
World Heritage Sites - In India
Rediff has compiled a list of the world heritage sites that are in India. Check this following link.
http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/aug/11/slide-show-1-world-heritage-sites-in-india.htm
http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/aug/11/slide-show-1-world-heritage-sites-in-india.htm
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Festivals of India
Rediff presents a list of most of the festivals celebrated in India. Take a look at the following link and plan your trip accordingly.
http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jan/19/slide-show-1-travel-festivals-of-india-2010.htm
http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jan/19/slide-show-1-travel-festivals-of-india-2010.htm
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Visit TamilNadu - HERE
For those, who cannot afford the time/money to visit a few parts of tamilnadu, and yet would like to get a glimpse of some famous tourist places in the state, the TamilNadu tourism department has come up with the concept of Virtual Tour. Visit the following link and get to see some places. Would like to see more additions to the list and also other state tourism departments come up with a similar concept.
http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/virtualtour/index.html
http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/virtualtour/index.html
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Chennai Trekkers
Are you a hard core trek enthusiast, wanting to scale lots of peaks??
Are you looking for some unseen places lying in South India?
Would you like to sleep in the middle of a forest with only the sky as the roof??
Are you interested in taking a plunge in to crystal clear water in the middle of a jungle??
Do you want to get massaged by the roaring waterfall??
Are you interested in meeting some new people and spending time with them in unknown places and returning with a different experience altogether??
And more importantly, do you like to boast about a adventure trail that you took to ur friends??
if so, Can you spare atleast a weekend??
If so, just visit the following link and register with them to experience the above mentioned things.
Chennai Trekkers
As the name suggests, it for hard core trekkers. These people go on trips atleast for a weekend in a month to some unknown places, lying very much close to chennai. Already this groups has lots of registered members and the count seems to be growing day by day.
Wat are you waiting for.. just register and start trekking...
Happy Trekking!!!!!!
Are you looking for some unseen places lying in South India?
Would you like to sleep in the middle of a forest with only the sky as the roof??
Are you interested in taking a plunge in to crystal clear water in the middle of a jungle??
Do you want to get massaged by the roaring waterfall??
Are you interested in meeting some new people and spending time with them in unknown places and returning with a different experience altogether??
And more importantly, do you like to boast about a adventure trail that you took to ur friends??
if so, Can you spare atleast a weekend??
If so, just visit the following link and register with them to experience the above mentioned things.
Chennai Trekkers
As the name suggests, it for hard core trekkers. These people go on trips atleast for a weekend in a month to some unknown places, lying very much close to chennai. Already this groups has lots of registered members and the count seems to be growing day by day.
Wat are you waiting for.. just register and start trekking...
Happy Trekking!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Honeymoon - Kumarakom - part 2
continued from here
Reached our cottage, refreshed ourselves, came out and settled in the ever present hammocks. Soon hot tea and spicy savories were served and we just laid there lazing in the hammock watching the sun set. Since we were the only guest, the service was very good and quick. Retired for the day and the next day greeted us with a gentle shower. It was just awesome to sit by the lake during the rain. Had our breakfast by the lake side and got ready for the houseboat trip. The normal boat ride is between 12 noon - 10 AM (next day). The boat had two well furnished bedrooms with attached bath, a kitchen, a drawing room with sofa and TV and also a small balcony in the upper deck. We were accompanied by three guys out of which one is a cook and two guys steered the boat. They explained us more about the place, their culture, business and everything. We went past many big and palatial houses which had the lake front as their main entrance, agricultural fields, some natural and artificial islands. Soon, the boat stopped in a small island filled with coconut farm and had our lunch. Soon, many boats were lined up there for the lunch halt. This island had a small shop selling cooldrinks, snacks and more importantly 'toddy', the local drink of Kerala. A must stop place for bachelors.
After the lunch, we took a small nap and when we were back, it was raining again. To add to the awesome weather, our friendly cook served us with super hot tea and pazhampuri. The lake was very very vast and at times, we could not see the shore at all. The guide informed us that at some places, the width is even close to 15KMs. We soon stopped and visited a small church. Went via the Thanneermukkom bund, which separates the sea water and the fresh water and eventually came to a halt along the shore around 6 PM. The boats are not allowed to sail in the lake after 6 PM, unless without prior permission.
With the help of the boatmen, we went out on a small ride in a small boat parked in one of the houses. After dark, we came back to the boat, put on the curtains in the drawing room to assure privacy and watched a couple of movies, had a sumptous dinner with 'karimeen' and retired to bed, with the gentle rocking of the boat to put us to sleep. The next day, we again set on the sail, had breakfast and reached back our resort around 10:30 AM, settled in the room, finished our lunch by the side of the lake, packed our things and set out to the railway station.
Thus ended a long, interesting and absolutely fantastic honeymoon trip. After days of relaxing and watching endless tea estates, rivers, lakes, waterfalls we were back to the pollution filled city and busy life of Chennai.
Points to note
1. Access : Road /Rail : Kottayam is the nearest city, which is very well connected to other parts of the state. Air : Cochin is the nearest airport.
2. If you plan to visit both Munnar and Kumarakom, i suggest you to go by cab so that you can enjoy the scenaries around. There are direct buses too.
3. In the boat and also in the resort, specify the style of cooking that you prefer. By default, they cook it Kerala style, which some of them might not like.
4. The boat people do not provide 'karimeen' by default. Hence, ask them to buy and prepare it for dinner. They do a very neat job.
5. They do have life jacket and you can swim if you want. Tell them before hand, so that they will stop in places conducive for smimming.
6. If interested, tell the boatman to arrange for a ride in the small boat.
7. Staying options are available aplenty in Kumarakom.
8. The boat house, if booked through resort might cost a bit more. If you want to save some money, go directly to the boat jetty, stike a deal with the local boatman and choose a boat of your choice.
9. The best period to visit it August-November, which is the lean season. You will have a very good climate and the resorts will charge a bit less.
10. Avoid going during December-January when the rates are at their peak.
11. You have the option of AC boats and if you wish to stay overnight, you can also opt for the boat to be parked in the middle of the lake. In such case, you have to inform the resort/boat office before hand, since necessary permission has to be got from the government.
12. Some places of interest are - Bird sanctuary, Parithimanal.
Reached our cottage, refreshed ourselves, came out and settled in the ever present hammocks. Soon hot tea and spicy savories were served and we just laid there lazing in the hammock watching the sun set. Since we were the only guest, the service was very good and quick. Retired for the day and the next day greeted us with a gentle shower. It was just awesome to sit by the lake during the rain. Had our breakfast by the lake side and got ready for the houseboat trip. The normal boat ride is between 12 noon - 10 AM (next day). The boat had two well furnished bedrooms with attached bath, a kitchen, a drawing room with sofa and TV and also a small balcony in the upper deck. We were accompanied by three guys out of which one is a cook and two guys steered the boat. They explained us more about the place, their culture, business and everything. We went past many big and palatial houses which had the lake front as their main entrance, agricultural fields, some natural and artificial islands. Soon, the boat stopped in a small island filled with coconut farm and had our lunch. Soon, many boats were lined up there for the lunch halt. This island had a small shop selling cooldrinks, snacks and more importantly 'toddy', the local drink of Kerala. A must stop place for bachelors.
After the lunch, we took a small nap and when we were back, it was raining again. To add to the awesome weather, our friendly cook served us with super hot tea and pazhampuri. The lake was very very vast and at times, we could not see the shore at all. The guide informed us that at some places, the width is even close to 15KMs. We soon stopped and visited a small church. Went via the Thanneermukkom bund, which separates the sea water and the fresh water and eventually came to a halt along the shore around 6 PM. The boats are not allowed to sail in the lake after 6 PM, unless without prior permission.
With the help of the boatmen, we went out on a small ride in a small boat parked in one of the houses. After dark, we came back to the boat, put on the curtains in the drawing room to assure privacy and watched a couple of movies, had a sumptous dinner with 'karimeen' and retired to bed, with the gentle rocking of the boat to put us to sleep. The next day, we again set on the sail, had breakfast and reached back our resort around 10:30 AM, settled in the room, finished our lunch by the side of the lake, packed our things and set out to the railway station.
Thus ended a long, interesting and absolutely fantastic honeymoon trip. After days of relaxing and watching endless tea estates, rivers, lakes, waterfalls we were back to the pollution filled city and busy life of Chennai.
Points to note
1. Access : Road /Rail : Kottayam is the nearest city, which is very well connected to other parts of the state. Air : Cochin is the nearest airport.
2. If you plan to visit both Munnar and Kumarakom, i suggest you to go by cab so that you can enjoy the scenaries around. There are direct buses too.
3. In the boat and also in the resort, specify the style of cooking that you prefer. By default, they cook it Kerala style, which some of them might not like.
4. The boat people do not provide 'karimeen' by default. Hence, ask them to buy and prepare it for dinner. They do a very neat job.
5. They do have life jacket and you can swim if you want. Tell them before hand, so that they will stop in places conducive for smimming.
6. If interested, tell the boatman to arrange for a ride in the small boat.
7. Staying options are available aplenty in Kumarakom.
8. The boat house, if booked through resort might cost a bit more. If you want to save some money, go directly to the boat jetty, stike a deal with the local boatman and choose a boat of your choice.
9. The best period to visit it August-November, which is the lean season. You will have a very good climate and the resorts will charge a bit less.
10. Avoid going during December-January when the rates are at their peak.
11. You have the option of AC boats and if you wish to stay overnight, you can also opt for the boat to be parked in the middle of the lake. In such case, you have to inform the resort/boat office before hand, since necessary permission has to be got from the government.
12. Some places of interest are - Bird sanctuary, Parithimanal.
Honeymoon - Kumarakom - part 1
Kumarakom is one of the most famous tourist destination in Kottayam district, of Kerala - truly the 'God's Own Country'. This is a cluster of islands formed by the Vembanad lake, one of the largest fresh water lakes in Asia. Alleppey and Kumarakom are the two major towns that fall around this lake and naturally they are very rich in vegetation and more importantly tourism. These places can even be called as the 'Venice of Kerala', since boat is one of the main means of transport and almost every household has atleast a small boat 'parked', just like we have two wheelers. These towns are very very famous for their lake side resorts and the houseboats. Most part of the lake is bordered by very nice resorts. Another high point in Kumarakom is the boat house, which you can rent from a couple of hours to days together based on your need. They come with two/three/four bedroom boats for groups, in which you can stay overnight. There are boats that have a big room ideal for family get-together and office meetings, which you can rent for some hours. There is not much activity to be done here, but for lazing in the hammock watching the water sway to the tunes of the air, or float in the boat in the middle of the ocean-like lake. A perfect place for honeymooners.
Coming to the rest of our honeymoon trip, we started from Munnar in a cab. The ride was again great along the neat, wide and winding roads of the hills with a river on one side, which accompanied us all the way and numerous waterfalls on the way with intermittent spells of rain and some good soothing music of Illayaraja for our company. The romantic journey from Munnar to Kumarakom took us close to 4 hours. Once inside Kumarakom, we could see the boats of all sizes and shapes, criss crossing in the small canals running across the town. We could understand why the roads were neglected since boats are the most sought after means of navigation. Hence, there was very less pollution in the air and with the remarkable amount of greenery and waterways to boot, this place automatically seemed romantic. We went across numerous canals and vast area of paddy fields and finally reached our resort - Illikallam.
Illikallam is the resort that is being undertaken and promoted by the Kerala Tourism department. This has 8 cottages which are just a stones throw away from the lake, set amidst cocunut trees and a small fish pond. The rooms are very well maintained and has very friendly support staff. Dont miss the 'karimeen', which is very famous in the whole of Kumarakom.
To be continued here
Coming to the rest of our honeymoon trip, we started from Munnar in a cab. The ride was again great along the neat, wide and winding roads of the hills with a river on one side, which accompanied us all the way and numerous waterfalls on the way with intermittent spells of rain and some good soothing music of Illayaraja for our company. The romantic journey from Munnar to Kumarakom took us close to 4 hours. Once inside Kumarakom, we could see the boats of all sizes and shapes, criss crossing in the small canals running across the town. We could understand why the roads were neglected since boats are the most sought after means of navigation. Hence, there was very less pollution in the air and with the remarkable amount of greenery and waterways to boot, this place automatically seemed romantic. We went across numerous canals and vast area of paddy fields and finally reached our resort - Illikallam.
Illikallam is the resort that is being undertaken and promoted by the Kerala Tourism department. This has 8 cottages which are just a stones throw away from the lake, set amidst cocunut trees and a small fish pond. The rooms are very well maintained and has very friendly support staff. Dont miss the 'karimeen', which is very famous in the whole of Kumarakom.
To be continued here
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