After the luxurious stay at the houseboat of Alleppey, it was hard to bid adieu. Nonetheless, the sea of Kovalam with all its charm was beckoning us to take on the ride further. After a relaxed and sumptuous breakfast at the island in the backwaters, we boarded the same small boat and made our way towards the land. The peaceful and secluded environment of the backwaters and the friendly staff there made the farewell all the more difficult. However, we reached the boarding point and met our driver waiting for us with a smile on his face. Kovalam was located further south of Kerala and this ride also took us a well above 4hrs. A small coastal town, Kovalam was a beautiful blend of natural beauty and cosmopolitan city. If the crowds of Goa are too much for you, if you are looking for a place where you can sit by the shore and gaze at the never ending beauty of the sea, then Kovalam will be no less than Heaven for you. That is exactly how I felt when I reached our hotel. Slightly away from the beach, far from the maddening crowds, nestled in greenery our hotel – Hotel Grand Sea Kovalam was by far the best hotel arranged by Mr. Anil Nair, our travel agent. A huge room that opened into a balcony from where you can see the Kovalam beach was just the kind of room I was expecting; it was perfect. We were all the more delighted to see a Sikkimese cook in the hotel who exactly knew how us Bengalis like to have Chinese food prepared. So, we planned to definitely get a taste of Chinese cuisine during our stay there. Since we reached late, we went out to check what food options were available to us at that hour. We were pleasantly surprised to find a gourmet restaurant where we ordered the world’s best chicken and fish platters. Heavily satisfied, we took a stroll by the shore and did a little bit of shopping from the shore side stores. I loved everything about this place – the safety it ensured as women could freely swim there without notorious people ogling at them, the light breeze of the sea shore, the small old shops by the sea, and the happy faces. We rented laid back beach chairs and enjoyed the pleasures of the sea till we witnessed the majestic sunset. The evening was also equally relaxed, as we roamed around the sea side a bit, came back to our hotel to steaming hot and delicious Chinese meal, and called it a quick night. The next day, it was exploration mode on. We went to the light house which was quite close to our hotel as we stayed near the lighthouse beach. We also visited the Hawa beach, the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Neyyar Dam, and the Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple. Each and every location had a history to narrate. We further went to the Kovalam Port or Vizhinjam where we saw a weekend market or fair that was coming to an end. This was the place from where I got great Kerala silks for my mother and mother-in-low. After a nice spurt of shopping, we decided to come back and spend the rest of the day by the sea-side.
The evening was surely more crowded than the day time at the Lighthouse Beach. Nevertheless, people were busy with themselves and no body intruded into the private space of the other. The dinner at some simple shack was another unforgettable experience. We enjoyed delicious noodles and sizzler platter, and some mock tails to go with it. Blissful and gratified, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for another experience the next day, as we step out of Kerala to the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu to view the wonder called Triveni Sangam. Yes, next day it was Kanyakumari that was on the cards. |
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