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.
We’ve been following a Facebook group for those in the UK who have taken/are planning early retirement and the subject of escaping to warmer climates for the winter (or longer) came up. I was struck by how nervous a lot of older folk seem to be about travel… “is it safe?”… “how do you find somewhere to stay?”… “which travel agent do you use?” It seems that many folk have only been on all-inclusive package holidays where everything is…
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.
Our plans were going well until Debbie dislocated her shoulder and fractured her arm. Now we are having to make some alternative plans!
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.
Beginning our world tour with an ‘easier’ introduction to India starting with the tropical & (relatively) more relaxed South. Many people miss this part of India off their itinerary, focussing solely on the Golden Triangle or highlights of Rajasthan in the North, but we are actually panning to spend 2/3rds of our time in India in the South, and even then I don’t expect that we’ll even scratch the surface.