Kochi to Munnar, Kerala

DAY 7: KOCHI TO MUNNAR

DAY 5: OF LAKSHADWEEP CRUISE – BACK TO KOCHI

We all got up early today as it was the last time we will get to see a spectacular sunrise in the middle of the sea. Once up we went on the deck of the ship which had by now become our favorite place on the ship. We took some pictures of the sunrise, some wacky pictures of ourselves, did some running around, some goofing here and there… whatever we can think of, we did everything as today was our last day on the ship. We all knew that in few hours we will be in Kochi and it will be time to bid goodbye to this ship, to the beautiful sea, to the wonderful breeze and to the freedom we had because our mobile phones had no network.

Our Last Sunrise on M.V. Kavaratti

We were out of network area the moment we left Kochi and trust me it was bliss. No phone calls, no mails (personal or official), no Facebook, no twitter.. nothing.  It was just you, your friends and family and the sea, the island, the ship, the adventure…. This was a true vacation.

We got ready and had our breakfast and again went to the deck. As we came closer to Kochi the colour of the sea started changing. The colour of the sea water changed from deep emerald green to grey now.

India's Flag on the deck of the Ship

Boat near Kochi

We saw how our ship was being parked on the dock. We again took our friends (tugboats) help to park at Kochi Port. Tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them towards the dock. The entire process took quite some time, much more than it had taken us to leave the port and head towards the sea.

Tugboat

M.V. Kavaretti finally docked around 11:30 pm at Kochi Port. We were advised to leave our luggage in front of our rooms and collect the same from the Port. It took an hour to exit from the ship (12:30 pm).

This cruise was in short a totally different experience. The ship is very well maintained – through out our stay on the ship we din’t find any rodents or insects. The ship was always clean and the crew members were always very hospitable and ready to help. We would definitely recommend all our friends to take this cruise.

With this we came to the end of our Lakshadweep cruise, but our vacation was not over yet. Except Parth (who was rushing back to Mumbai) we all were heading to Munnar. We had pre booked an Innova for our Kerela trip covering Munnar, Periyar, Athirapally and back to Kochi Airport.

We had earlier planned to visit Athirapally waterfall first and then head to Munnar. But our driver suggested to cover Athirapally on the last day of our trip before catching the flight back to Mumbai. So, after a delicious lunch in Kochi and dropping Parth at Kochi Airport, we headed straight to Munnar.

While on the cruise we were completely struck off from the world and didn’t have an idea what was going on. Once back to the land, we came to know that the strike in Munnar (into its 30^th day) by the tea workers was still on and all entrances to Munnar had been completely blocked. The tea workers were neither allowing anyone to enter Munnar nor did they allow those tourists already there to leave. There were some incidents of violence reported such as breaking windshield of tourist cars. etc. Thankfully we had arranged for our accommodation at a home stay (Gokulam Homestay) which is located around 3 kms on the outskirts of Munnar.

The drive to Munnar is simply amazing. The roads are narrow (it’s not a highway), covered with trees all around. When you are a few kilometers short of Munnar, and you can start feeling the fresh air. We switched off the air condition of the car and enjoyed the fresh and cool air. There was greenery all around.

Enroute Munnar

Enroute to Munnar, we stopped at Cheeyappara Waterfall. Tall, lean and majestic, the waterfall was in full glory. As usual we did some photo shoot, stretched our legs and then resumed our journey to the homestay. Before reaching our homestay we stopped over at a spice garden. The entry fees per tourist (with a guided tour) into the spice garden costed us Rs. 250. Before entering the garden, we were handed an umbrella each, which was quite strange as it was not raining.

Cheeyappara Waterfall

The spice garden guide took us around for 30 minutes making us aware of the various herbs, spices and the trees that the garden has. She showed us the plants of pepper, lemon grass, vanilla, turmeric, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, coffee. In the midst of our tour it had started raining and thus the umbrellas came in handy.

Every spice garden has a shop just at the entrance of the spice garden from where you can buy fresh spices and herbs. We also bought few packets of spices from the shop. Not too sure if we got a decent deal, but it was surely convenient.

Spice Garden, Munnar

By the time we reached our homestay it was dark and we had no idea how the view from our rooms was. The owner of the homestay, Mr. Sunil was a nice guy and briefed us of the situation of Munnar. He discouraged us from trying to venture in to Munnar as it could turn fatal.

It was cold and we all took out our sweaters and shawls, thus enjoying the cold weather. We had some amazing and simple home cooked food, watched TV for a bit and retired for the day. We were sleeping after so many days on land – where our bed was not rocking ;).

Points to remember:

• Munnar is a little costly as far as accommodation is concerned.
• Munnar can get a little cold in early morning and night. Please carry warm clothes accordingly.
• The road from Kochi to Munnar is a two lane road and is curvy and hills. Therefore, while estimating the travel time, don’t consider the kms. It takes around 4 – 5 hours to reach Munnar.
• Expense Details of the day:

Expense Particulars	Amount for 4 people	Amount per head
Lunch enroute Munnar	1,250	313
Refreshments enroute Munnar	100	25
Cab - 4 day booking for Munnar, Alleppey, Athirapally and Kochi	14,500	3,625
Homestay at Munnar	1,500	375
TOTAL	17,350	4,338

Kavaratti Islands, Lakshadweep

DAY 6: KAVARATTI ISLAND

DAY 4: OF LAKSHADWEEP CRUISE – KAVARATTI ISLAND

Today we will go to the capital of Lakshadweep Island – Kavaratti Islands. But it was not a smooth journey to Kavaratti Islands. Normally the sea had been calm and quite. But today, it was wild as if it wanted us to witness its fury. The sea was indeed rough with strong winds and high waves.

Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep

One big boat was called to take us to the island. As usual we were one of the last one to reach the disembarkment point of the ship. The first boat was already full and we, with few other ten to fifteen odd people were asked to wait for the second boat. The first boat was ready to move towards the island but was not able to, thanks to the turbulent waves. This made the boat bobble up and down by 5 to 7 feet, making it precarious for people to disembark as well as board the second boat. Plus the waves were strong and also against the direction of the path the boat intended to take, making it tougher for the boat to sail through. It was a blessing that we were not in the first boat. On top of all this, it had started raining as well.

SPORTS - IDs

After a struggle of an hour or so, the first boat was finally able to move towards the island. With the boat gone, the disembarkment doors were closed and all the exits to the open of the ship were closed as the sea was very wild and there was danger of someone falling over board. Since there were still around twenty people who had to go to the island, it was decided by the ship team that the ship will move more close to the island expecting that the sea waves will not be so strong closer to the island.

Once the ship came closest it could be to the island another boat came to fetch us. The sea was still rough and this boat too was moving up and down because of the waves. Pramod & Preeti decided to skip Kavaratti Islands considering the unfavorable conditions of disembarking. Also they had taashi with them and since it was raining, they didn’t want to take a chance of Taashi falling ill.

Disembarkation was a mess. We got on the boat, crossing my fingers for smooth sailing and some great weather as we all were looking forward to a good beach time on the last island visit of Lakshadweep.

As expected this island was much bigger than the other two islands. There were more people in this island as compared to the other two we had visitied – Minicoy and Kalpeni Islands.

Once of the land, we could say that the weather improved a bit and we could see clouds flying away a little. It was drizzling when we came to the island. The resort is right next to the jetty and therefore we walked down to the resort. As usual, coconut water was waiting for us. After the refreshing coconut water, we met with our co passengers who had come from the boat one and listened to their adventurous ride. The weather was becoming better and therefore they opened the scuba diving and glass boat rides.

The Beach

Nikhil and Parth again went for scuba diving and I headed for glass boat ride. In the glass boat, slowly the marine life comes alive… you can see the life under the sea up close, with the help of the ‘magnifying’ glass… so many colourful fishes.. so many corals… such beauty!!

The boat took us to the boundary where the shallow water ends and the deep sea starts. At this point it was blue water everywhere…

Colour of the sea

While heading back to the island our boat stopped working and suddenly we were in the middle of the sea with no way to go back. Finally after waiting for a while another boat came and tugged us to the island. By this time it had started raining heavily again.

We rushed to our palm tree leaves cottages to take refuge from the rain and the chilly wind. Nikhil and Parth returned shortly afterward and narrated their experience. The marine life here was apparently much richer than what they had seen in Mini Coy. But this could also be due to the right spot being picked up the scuba divers.

Lunch was followed with an hour waiting for the rain to subside. To pass time we strolled through the narrow roads, close to the resort and saw the only first traffic signal of Lakshwadeep. Once the rain subsided we were taken to a Marine aquarium and a Museum, with a 10 min drive through the island in a small bus.

Marine Museum

There were varieties of fishes, crabs and all kind of marine life kept in glass jars like zoology specimen. Here for the first time we saw the skeleton of a whale. It was HUGE, extending some 25 to 30 feet, almost 70% length of the hall. After this we returned back to the resort for some tea and biscuits. SPORTS authorities had arranged for a folk music presentation.

Sperm Whale

After the folk music we did had some fun time at the beach and then were asked to head towards the jetty. Realization struck that these were our last moments on Lakshwadeep and we let the shutterbug within us go loose J Once on the boat and just when we crossed the imaginary boundary of the laggons and entered the deep sea we realized that the sea was still wild and angry. Our boat could not reach the ship and thus again our ship came to us.

Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep

Once again it was quite an adventure to embark our ship from the boat. Once in we realized that this was our last sighting of the islands of Lakshadweep. Time to say good bye and head back to Kochi. As the ship started, we were leaving these beautiful islands far behind. The only thing now remaining in this cruise was return journey back home.

Points to remember:

• We went to Lakshadweep Island through Lakshadweep Samundram Package which is a five day cruise to visit the islands of Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaretti by ship M.V. Kavaretti. The package is arranged by The Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), a Government undertaking. The island tour is organized during the day with lunch and refreshments ashore. Nights are spent on board the ship. M.V Kavaratti has 150 Diamond class accommodations. Swimming, snorkeling and other water sports are arranged during the day tour. Children from 1 year and above up to 10 years will be treated as child.

Package include:

1. First class cabin accommodation
2. All 3 time meals [breakfast Lunch and Dinner] morning and evening tea or coffee
3. Welcome drink at the island.
4. All 3 island sightseeing.
5. Water sports Kayaking Snorkeling and glass boat 1 time 

6. Entry permit and Entry Ticket

7. Compliment T Shirts and Caps

8.  All the Government taxes.
9. Our personal assistance on the ship and Island

Please note scuba diving is not included in the package. You can avail scuba diving by paying at the scuba diving center.

• There is no mobile network on the ship and on the islands except of BSNL. So, say goodbye to facebook, watsapp, twitter or whatever else that you are hooked to. You might find network on Kavaretti Island.
• If you get sea sick, kindly take your medication along.
• Foreigners are not allowed in Lakshadweep, except on Bangaram Island.
• Lakshadweep is a no plastic zone. Please don’t litter.
• You are not allowed to carry corrals. It’s a punishable act.
• Expense Details of the day:

Expense Particulars	Amount for 4 people	Amount per head
Scuba Diving		3500
TOTAL		3500

Kalpeni Islands, Lakshadweep

DAY 5: KALPENI ISLAND

DAY 3: OF LAKSHADWEEP CRUISE – KALPENI ISLAND

After sailing overnight, we reached near Kalpeni Islands.

Sunrise

Just like the previous day, after breakfast we disembarked on small boats and headed to Kalpeni Island in small boats in batches. As we landed on the island we were taken to the resort in SPORTS arranged vans and mini trucks. As such the landscape & scenery of Kalpeni was quite different from Minicoy. We could see a couple of small islands on our way to resort. We were again welcomed here with coconut water. It had started raining and therefore we were asked to wait at the resort. A little away from the resort, in the sea we could see two islands.

The Two Islands

Once the rain subsided, we were taken to one of these two islands for kayaking and snorkeling. Just like Minicoy this island also had clear water. There was not much of a beach here and whatever there was, was filled with dead corrals. The water bed was also filled with sea cucumber.

We all tried our hands at snorkeling. A long tube  is used for breathing, the open end of which is always above the water surface while the other end, equipped with a rubber mouth needed to be bitten tightly between your lips. One had to breathe in and out through mouth like scuba diving. The purpose was similar; it allowed one to see the underwater world. But because you didn’t carry oxygen cylinder, you could go only about 4-5 feet below the surface, otherwise the open end of the tube would go below water and saline sea water would go in your respiratory passages. The advantage is that you can do it alone but in shallow water. We saw the corals, sea cucumbers and loads of colored fish.

Snorkelling

Since there were lot of tourists keen to try their hand at snorkeling and limited equipment. Hence we snorkeled for sometime and then gave the apparatus to the waiting tourists. Post this, I had the most fascinating time in water. I was just lying flat in water with the entire body under the water with only my nostril above the water surface. The life jacket kept me floating without me moving an inch of my leg. It was super cool ;)

We again went for kayaking, because we had some experience of it in Minicoy this time it was fun.

Kayaking & North Point

Once everyone was through with snorkeling and kayaking we were taken back to the resort in small boats. Back in the shaded huts, we had our lunch in open air and sat to relax.

A folk dance was organized by “SPORTS” authorities. About ten to twelve men right from their teen to 70’s wearing colour coordinated dhotis and tshirts danced in circles to the tune of local folk music. There were no songs being played on CD or something. They played their own instruments and sang their own song.  There dance was similar to the dandiya / garba dance.

Folk Dance

Post the folk dance we visited a coconut factory which produced dry coconut powder, coconut oil and laddus made from coconut. This was followed by a visit to the cotton hosiery factory. The factory produced nice cotton tees with coconut trees on it and Lakshadweep printed on it. The cost of the tshirts was also very economical but soon we realized that none of us was any money and therefore we couldn’t buy any t-shirt.

Sea opposite the coconut factory

From here we were taken to the north-most point of the island. The shore here too is covered with dead corals. It has a beautiful view and it is the point of the island from where you can see both, the sunrise as well as the sunset.

Nikhil, Me, Preeti, Taashi, Parth, Pramod

North Point of Kalpeni

After watching the beautiful point of the island we headed back to the resort to have our evening tea. Post the evening tea we bid good bye to Kalpeni Island and headed to our ship which was waiting for us in the open sea. It had become dark and we boarded the last boat to our ship. Though dark, our ship was well lit and easily visible at sea. It had started drizzling and thus the sea wind has become chilly.

M.V. Kavaretti in the middle of the sea

Getting on the boat to go to M.V.Kavaretti

We enjoyed the island a lot – it was a good mix of water sports and beautiful views. After the dinner we again watched a Charlie chaplin movie and then dozed off.

Points to remember:

• We went to Lakshadweep Island through Lakshadweep Samundram Package which is a five day cruise to visit the islands of Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaretti by ship M.V. Kavaretti. The package is arranged by The Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), a Government undertaking. The island tour is organized during the day with lunch and refreshments ashore. Nights are spent on board the ship. M.V Kavaratti has 150 Diamond class accommodations. Swimming, snorkeling and other water sports are arranged during the day tour. Children from 1 year and above up to 10 years will be treated as child.

Package include:

1. First class cabin accommodation
2. All 3 time meals [breakfast Lunch and Dinner] morning and evening tea or coffee
3. Welcome drink at the island.
4. All 3 island sightseeing.
5. Water sports Kayaking Snorkeling and glass boat 1 time 
6. Entry permit and Entry Ticket
7. Compliment T Shirts and Caps
8. All the Government taxes.
9. Our personal assistance on the ship and Island

Please note scuba diving is not included in the package. You can avail scuba diving by paying at the scuba diving center.

• There is no mobile network on the ship and on the islands except of BSNL. So, say goodbye to facebook, watsapp, twitter or whatever else that you are hooked to. You might find network on Kavaretti Island.
• If you get sea sick, kindly take your medication along.
• Foreigners are not allowed in Lakshadweep, except on Bangaram Island.
• Lakshadweep is a no plastic zone. Please don’t litter.
• You are not allowed to carry corrals. It’s a punishable act.
• Expense Details of the day:

Expense Particulars	Amount for 4 people	Amount per head
--	--	--
TOTAL

Lakshadweep Samudram Cruise - M.V. Kavaretti

DAY 3: CRUISE TO LAKSHADWEEP

DAY 1: FOR LAKSHADWEEP CRUISE – DEPARTURE FROM KOCHI

I woke up around 4:00 am.. that’s really very early for me. My alarm dint ring, then why did I wake up. Then I noticed the sound.. lo & behold - it was raining. That too in October!!. I got out of the bed and peeped out.

It was raining heavily… It was beautiful seeing the rain on the backwaters of Alleppey but then realization struck. How on earth are we going to transport our luggage to the car?? As you would have read in my last post, the homestay where we were put up cannot be reached through road… I just hoped that the rain will subside by the time we have to check out.

Sky in the sea

By the time we all got ready and it was time to start our drive to Kochi, though it wasn’t pouring cats & dogs, there was still a light drizzle. We again put our luggage in the small boat and started towards the road. Just like earlier, Pramod and me on the boat ;) Nikhil and Preeti (along with Taashi) on foot.

Our luggage nicely tugged in a white Etios, we headed to Kochi. Enroute we had a south Indian breakfast at the very famous “Indian Coffee House”.

We had to go to Willingdon Island to board the ship. Our driver took us to Willingdon Island but he didn’t know the exact place where we had to go to pick our boarding passes. Another friend of ours – Parth (who was joining us for Lakshadweep) had already reached Lakshadweep Wharf.

Boarding Pass - M.V. Kavaretti

After few inquiries we finally reached the right building and met Parth. We were all excited to meet Parth and super excited to start our cruise to Lakshadweep, our first ever cruise!! We went to the first floor of the building and collected the boarding pass, Verification IDs and complementary “Lakshadweep” T shirts and Caps.

After a thorough security check we loaded our luggage in a bus which took us to the dock. As soon as we entered the dock we could see the magnificent white beauty– M.V. Kavaratti.

We all were spell bound when we saw our ship. It was a WOW moment – it was actually a ship – not a big boat – but a proper SHIP. It was a medium sized cruise ship and our home for five days.

M.V. Kavaretti - Our home for five days on the sea

Our luggage was marked with the room nos. allotted to us and we were asked to leave our luggage and embark the ship. The porters ensured our luggage was sent to the respective rooms. We boarded the ship around 11:00 am.

Thankfully the rooms allotted to us were on the fifth deck which is the top floor and had a small window which offered a limited view. The room is a 15 feet by 8 feet room with beds arranged like bunks on one side. A table, two chairs, a wooden cupboard and wall to wall carpet completed the room décor. The room had a small bathroom in the corner and had the facility of hot shower. Our rooms were clean and comfortable. Two bottles of bisleri, two towels and two medimix soap were kept in the room. After having a look of our rooms we went to the deck to enjoy the view. Though it was noon, we spent a lot of time on the deck, waiting for the ship to leave the harbor. Since the boarding & inspection took approx 2 hours, we decided to take a tour of the ship.

Room in M.V. Kavaretti

The ship was five levels - our room was on Level 5, the cafeteria was on Level 4. The Ship has an recreation room which has two TVs and few carrom boards. The ship also has a small swimming pool and has a helipad. 

We were served lunch at 1:00 pm. The cafeteria is divided into 2 parts, each accessed separately by a door – on one side only vegetarian food is served and on the other non vegetarian. The ship is used by both tourists and localities alike and they share the same canteen. The only difference is that the canteen timing is different for tourists and localities. The crew (captain & his officers) also eat at the canteen. The area in the middle of the canteen is earmarked for them

Finally the ship started the journey around 2:30 pm. We had more than enough time to roam around the ship. We explored every nook and corner of the ship. Initially, the ship was very confusing - in no time we were lost and roaming aimlessly here and there. But with time we got a hang of the ship and could find our ways easily.

Huge Ships at Kochi Port

Now we were excited to see how the ship moves out of the harbour and made our way to the upper deck. A small tug boat pulls the giant ship out of the bay into deeper waters. Its amazing as one can’t imagine such a small boat having the power to move such a huge ship!!

Top Deck

Ship cruising out of Kochi

Eventually we were out of the bay and saw the city of Kochi fading behind us with the endless sea ahead of us. We could see the water colour changing from emerald green to black as we moved away from the city and further into the Arabian sea. After staring at the sea and enjoying the strong & cool breeze we all decided to go to our rooms and rest for a while.

Moving out of Kochi City

Around 4:30 pm (after the 4:00 pm evening tea) we had an introduction section wherein we were all called in to the recreation center and told about the ship – its history, its safety features, its power, the schedule of the package, details of the islands we will be visiting etc. We were told that we would be taken to one island everyday in the morning after our breakfast in the ship. Since, the sea is shallow near the island for M.V. Kavaretti the ship will not go to the harbor. Instead we will be taken to the island on small boats in batches. The ship will wait for us in a few kms into the sea and we would come back to it by evening, before the sun sets.

Crimson Sky

We were asked to carry the minimum stuff to the Island. Rest of the luggage will remain in the room. We were also asked to wear the life jackets (which are in the cupboard of your room) before we reach the disembarkment area (in the morning), which is located at the lowest deck of the ship. From this area we will get off the ship and move to the Island in small boats.

Lets paint the sky RED

After a good nap by few and some time pass by the others we all again assembled on the upper deck to have our first glimpse of the sun setting in the sea. Once on the deck we were spellbound – what an amazing view!!!  As the sun was setting, the sky had turned crimson red, slowly fading to orange and gradually becoming dark. In no time the sun had set and we could suddenly feel the change in the wind. Warm breeze has given way to chilly winds and we could see sky full of twinkling stars. After a while the men went downstairs and the women sat on the deck chit chatting under the star lit sky.

Tangerine Sky

Beautiful Sunset

At 8:00 pm we all headed to the canteen for dinner. The dinner was a gala event with soup, two vegetables, daal, rice, chapatti and sweet. Post the dinner we saw a movie of Charlie Chaplin on Pramod’s laptop (He doesn’t go anywhere without his laptop) and then decided to call it a day. The ship sailed smoothly with a gentle rocking movement.

We all slept feeling excited about the pristine clear blue water of Minicoy Islands.

Points to remember:

• We went to Lakshadweep Island through Lakshadweep Samundram Package which is a five day cruise to visit the islands of Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaretti by ship M.V. Kavaretti. The package is arranged by The Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), a Government undertaking. The island tour is organized during the day with lunch and refreshments ashore. Nights are spent on board the ship. M.V Kavaratti has 150 Diamond class accommodations. Swimming, snorkeling and other water sports are arranged during the day tour. Children from 1 year and above up to 10 years will be treated as child.
  
• Package include:

1. First class cabin accommodation
2. All 3 time meals [breakfast Lunch and Dinner] morning and evening tea or coffee
3. Welcome drink at the island.
4. All 3 island sightseeing.
5. Water sports Kayaking Snorkeling and glass boat 1 time 
6. Entry permit and Entry Ticket
7. Compliment T Shirts and Caps
8. All the Government taxes.
9. Personal assistance on the ship and Island

Please note scuba diving is not included in the package. You can avail scuba diving by paying at the scuba diving center. The website of SPORTS is www.lakshadweeptourism.com

• There is no mobile network on the ship and on the islands except of BSNL. So, say goodbye to emails, facebook, whatsapp, twitter or whatever else that you are hooked to. You might find network on Kavaretti Island.
• There is a chemist and a doctor on the ship but just in case if you get sea sick, kindly carry your medication along.
• Foreigners are not allowed in Lakshadweep, except on Bangaram Island.
• Liquor is not allowed on the Ship and on the Islands.
• The temperature in the ship is low and therefore it is very cold. Pls carry a warm jacket. You can also ask for an extra blanket in the ship. 
• Expense Details of the day:

Expense Particulars	Amount for 4 people	Amount per head
Cab ride - Alleppey to Willington	1,700	425
Samundram Package (all 5 days)	98,968	24,742
TOTAL	1,00,668	25,167