Tamil Nadu Part 1 – Madurai
Our first Indian train journey, a spectacular temple, Ghandi Museum and new glasses for Debbie, ready in under an hour.
Our first Indian train journey, a spectacular temple, Ghandi Museum and new glasses for Debbie, ready in under an hour.
Six nights on the beach in Varkala. Beer in mugs, narrow alleyways, fierce waves and whistle-mad lifeguards.
We stayed in two location on the backwaters; firstly at a homestay in Kumarakom and then a couple of days on a houseboat that departed from Alleppey.
After the heat & humidity of Kochi, we set off for some welcome respite in the cooler climes of the Western Ghat mountain range. Our first destination was Munnar, the tea-growing centre of South India, followed by Thekkady in the Cardamom Hills and entrance to the Periyar National Park.
Fort Kochi is a total contrast to the modern Ernakulam part of the city – a thriving port and centre of the spice trade, colonised by the Portuguese and taken from them by the Dutch, it’s a lovely & intriguing blend of cultures and architecture. Very grand houses abound, some converted into heritage hotels, others into arty cafes and galleries, or just private homes or homestays.
After a relaxing 8 days in Palolem we moved 15 minutes up the coast to Agonda for the next 12 days of ‘trying to get Debbie’s arm working properly’ recuperation a.k.a. more sitting on our arses in the sun.
Agonda is quite different to Palolem – quieter, more ‘natural’, a bigger beach, bigger waves, the resort centred on a single road behind the beach than the beach itself, and almost exclusively foreign holidaymakers (whereas Palolem tourists are probably 90% domestic).
We like to take a cooking class in each ‘exotic’ destination we visit, and as India is so vast & with such diversity of cuisine, we’re likely to do a few during our time here.
Our first ten days in Goa have been mainly relaxing on Palolem Beach, where the cows roam free and there are cocktails and curries every evening. No intrepid adventures yet, but a wonderful place to relax and recuperate.
We are still researching itineraries for Japan and finding it a bit harder than India and the Philippines because there are no obvious routes. Different sites recommend different destinations and in different orders so expect this page to be updated as our plans firm up.
As a country frequently hit by typhoons, timing of travel is key, so this needed to be our next destination after a brief return home to meet the new (first) grandchild, see the parents and (hopefully) get our China visas.