Our Honeymooning in Kerala- Checking out the Adode of Serene Attractiveness

“I sing of mild flowers, gushing streams and placid winds
When amidst the tranquil pleasures of the earth,
Love in its whole quiescence–aided me learn you
As my complete remaining, my total daily life…”

Nicely, contrary to all the other travelogues that I have written these days, this just one could audio like a fragment of my emotional fancies. And for that matter, whosoever on earth explained to to recount his/her honeymooning ventures/escapades would just like to convey to you how a lot attractiveness, tranquility and lust for everyday living was ready for them to be explored in their honeymoon haven, considerably from the madding crowd! As for me, it was an practical experience so preciously personalized that I couldn’t have discovered the eloquence of phrases to describe it for several years, experienced it not been for my husband’s constant insistence to pen down my thoughts on it. So I dedicate this just one to none other than my sweetheart, and to the constant enjoy and affection that has held us limited in the direction of just about every other amidst all odds of existence!

What can I say when really like was in its most tranquil form, among the roaring waves of the seashores, the silent prayers inside of the elegant temples, and amidst the unique magnificence of coconut trees?
The die-hard passionate that I employed to be in my teenybopper higher education days, I experienced usually dreamt of an excellent date by the aspect of a pristine beach front, with the sands flirting with our toes, with the waves gushing to proclaim the starting of a new, fascinating togetherness, with silence intertwined with delicate whisperings. And believe me or not, all of it definitely came correct in my daily life, not on my initially day, but on my honeymoon, in Kovalam seaside, Kerala!! How can I at any time ignore the day? It was a new dawn for me, the 3rd of December, the day we set out for our flight to Trivandrum in the midst of a foggy early winter morning in Kolkata!

Why did we choose Kerala beaches and backwaters as our honeymoon desired destination:

Genuinely talking, seashore websites all above India have simply just fascinated me due to the fact my childhood. Moreover, because both equally of us experienced just made a decision upon traveling to some put that would not be crowded (very a prevalent standards for honeymooners!) and at the exact same time would be unique adequate to be remembered for a lifetime, we unanimously agreed on touring the beach front internet sites of Kovalam as properly as exploring the beautiful splendor of the Alleppey backwaters. And even though I have listened to some persons say that beach locations are the similar all over the place, I instinctively felt that it is not so in Kerala. And why not? Sure by the exotic Arabian Sea on its western facet, with its vast shore line extending up to 600 kilometers, we can safely and securely say the tiny state of Kerala homes some of the most effective beach locations of the nation, or rather, of the globe!

Speaking of the seashores, I never personally know why the Kerala beaches have taken a backseat when Indian visitors are anxious. Most of us blame the tremendous acceptance of the Kerala backwaters for it, but if you request me, nicely, exactly where else can you locate this kind of gentle surf and crystal crystal clear blue waters topped with a wonderful coastline line that is adorned by sandy shorelines, rocky promontories and coconut palms? And the beauty of most of the Kerala beaches lies in the point that all of them are immensely picturesque web-sites although at the same time currently being tranquil and serene, a lot less infested with seasonal crowd. And in all the three days we put in in the Kerala seashores like Kovalam, we just celebrated their tranquility, seclusion and virgin attractiveness, together with sharing some of the most divine times together, seeing the small, quaint area fishing villages, some aged piers that lengthen in to the sea, lagoons, broad lakes and various clean h2o rivers. At the Kovalam beach internet site, we loved the sight of a tiny village down the shoreline, the beautiful Lighthouse beach front. At the Shankhamugam seashore on the other hand, we have been lucky to encounter 1 of the most spectacular sunset views ever amidst the picturesque surroundings of a preferred haunt of sunset watchers. A further intriguing beach front, the Thirumullavaram Seashore was a great early morning retreat, where by we started our working day hunting at the swaying coconut palm trees, and watching local fishermen who set out into the sea in research of their capture! On 1 hand, we ended up acquiring far more and much more awed by the untarnished attractiveness of all the beaches, though on the other hand, we were just relishing our sheer perception of delight hunting at the contrast between the blue hues of the drinking water and the sky! Almost everywhere around us, there was a bite of paradise, which was having far more serene with the nectar of our sweet togetherness!

Our prayers in the Padmanabhaswamy temple:

As I had currently listened to and browse some amazing tales about the hoary temple custom at the Southern Condition of Kerala, we had pretty decided that our take a look at would be incomplete with out looking at at the very least a pair of them. Furthermore, like most of the newly married Hindu brides, me too had some sentimental leanings in direction of presenting prayers and ‘puja’ to the Lords for equally of our life, our long run and our extended togetherness! Nicely, I can nevertheless plainly try to remember the day we paid out a quick check out to the exquisite Padmanabhaswamy temple, when we ended up just fascinated with its special temple architecture and the tranquil serenity within the substantial temple boundaries! To be in sync with the mood, I dressed myself fully in a traditional south Indian ensemble, acquired flowers from the local sector and hanged them all-around my hair as a demure Keralite bride, and I loved each individual second of it! The working day began off with our sheer wonder in exploring the awe-inspiring architecture of the Padmanabhaswamy temple and the serene ambiance of divinity inside of it. One of the grandest and 1 of the most ancient temples of Kerala, it has been lively with tradition, having been associated for decades with the arts and tunes. Useless to say, the most awe-inspiring sight within the temple was its shrine, showcasing an imposing picture of Vishnu in the Anantasayanam posture an image which we seen by way of a few doors in front of the shrine. It was a sunny Sunday morning, and the big collecting in entrance of the shrine was enough to inform us the spiritual fervor of the folks there! Nonetheless, past the sheer religious pursuits of folks, we were finding a lot more and more awed by the Dravidian type of the temple architecture, its 100 toes large ‘gopuram’ (also built in historic Dravidian type) and its outstanding mural paintings and stone carvings! No surprise then, that with a colorful calendar of festivities, the amalgamation of stonework, wooden operate, murals and sculpture- harmoniously blended into a construction vibrant with traditions of the location, the Padmanabhaswamy temple is extremely regarded as a person between the 108 temples focused to Lord Vishnu in India. To me, the temple was intriguing to say the least (in spite of its demanding worship protocols), emphasizing fully on the sanctity, simplicity and a prevailing naturalism which marked the worship of Lord Padmanabhaswamy.

The journey to the gorgeous Alleppey backwaters:

The working day was the 6th of December and the early morning had been manufactured into an auspicious just one by the prevailing serenity of the temple. Now, we had extremely little time at our disposal in Tiruvanandapuram, the temple internet site, as we had to established out for a different fabulous journey, a night time at a sweet, picturesque houseboat, discovering the beautiful attractiveness of the Alleppey backwaters (now named Alappuzha Backwaters) and the cluster of lovely very little islands in the vicinity. We had by now booked a a person-night cruise on a houseboat that would let us explore the attractiveness of Alappuzha, and we would invest the night time in the quiet tranquility of the backwaters. The believed alone was so intimate that when we were seeking to achieve the coastal township of Alleppey, we didn’t even observe that our driver received confused with the path and we have been obtaining very late than our scheduled time! On the other hand, just after significantly strife and tribulations, we attained the coastline from in which we could see our smaller, romantic houseboat amidst the drizzling raindrops, seated on a network of lakes and lagoons and canals that had been crisscrossing just about every other! Never ahead of had I seen a additional heavenly sight everywhere! People all across the globe have named the Alappuzha as the Venice of the East. Rightly so, as it has been house to the picture-best waterways and canals unmatched by any other web site in the orient. Having fun with the particularly passionate dusk with the sight of the enchanting backwaters and the raindrops which experienced created the location even far more out of this world, we stepped within our small, cozy houseboat for our backwater ride right after dusk. Sailing together the “kettuvallam” (houseboat) as a result of the enchanting backwaters of Alappuzha was the expertise of a life span, however the journey experienced to cease after a while because of to tough winds and significant rainfall. Our boat was then anchored somewhere close to the shore and we were being to continue to be inside the boat for the night and yet again start out our journey the following morning if the storm cooled down. Ours was a a person area houseboat which includes a picturesque sundeck, a cozy bed room and an attached personal tub, with excellent construction and high-class furnishing showcasing exquisite flooring, hull and valavara (cover). The cause I am describing the interiors of the houseboat is that it was a completely calming expertise to me, staying thoroughly various in its uncooked, naturalistic attraction in the midst of a photo-excellent circumstance of lakes, lagoons, canals and rivers. And though the houseboat operators had their share of flaws, they built up for it with some intellect-blowing authentic Keralite cuisines together with some appealing delicacies made with the area fish!

The following working day, early at dawn, the storm cooled down and we could see the crystal clear azure sky, which meant we could now start out sailing through the backwaters all over again. And lo, what do we see as we commence the backwater trip? Palm fringed slender canals winding by way of the huge expanse of paddy fields, neat little hamlets lined up along possibly sides of the canals, and earlier mentioned all, a bewildering labyrinth of shimmering waterways composed of lakes, canals, rivers and rivulets! Also, along our way, we explored the scenic countryside of Kuttanad (referred to as the “rice bowl of Kerala” thanks to its prosperity of paddy crops) with its shimmering waterways, its dense tropical greenery and its wealthy crop of bananas! There were being these fishing nets of the community fishermen, the flock of ducks swimming all around the banking institutions and tiny birds flying across the sky, smelling deeply of the lively daily life in the countryside of the magical Kuttinad!

Late at noon, we made a decision to face the cluster of minor islands on the Vembanad Lake, which is extremely considerably a element of the Kuttanad region. There was an immensely stunning chicken sanctuary in the vicinity, distribute across 14 acres–rather a favorite haunt of migratory birds (which include herons, teal, waterfowl, cuckoo, wild duck and migratory birds like the Siberian storks) and an ornithologist’s paradise! We were being advised that the ideal way to check out the birds of the Kumarakom sanctuary is a boat excursion. Nonetheless, we failed to have ample time for the boat trip, but explored to our entire the lush greenery of a few of islands and the serene magnificence of the Vembanad lake that juts into the mainland in a series of lagoons and streams. Jointly, all of it produced splendid scenery that is continue to clean in my memory like a drop of morning dew!

It was the previous evening of our tour, and with hearts heaving with the sheer ecstasy of the environment as well as with the sorrow of parting strategies with the magical Kerala, we reached the
Whispering Palms lake resort, the 4-star vacation resort in Kumarkon, positioned on the financial institution of the Vembanadu Lake. It was intriguing to find that this vacation resort also adorned the normal backwaters! That was the past evening of our continue to be in the picturesque honeymoon haven that we experienced picked for ourselves. To make the night time unforgettable, and to bask in the luxurious of tranquility, we remained awake till the wee hrs of the night, not in our room, but outside, observing the stunning elegance of the backwaters nestled undauntedly by the tall palms and coconut trees which was staying liked from a level just outside the house the vacation resort! As compact youngsters sitting in the lap of Mom character, we had our toes floating in the waters, and also had to fork out a modest price tag for it. 1 of my pair of sandals out of the blue disappeared into the waters, and right after some time, we recognized it was worthless browsing for it. As we laughed it off, our giggling and ‘sweet nothings’ evaporated into the air and mingled with the mystic charm of the configurations of the gorgeous Kumarkon! Now keeping some thousand miles away from my nation, I wistfully yearn for the essence and the fervor of these couple times put in in the lavish exploration of nature’s miracles in Kerala, the God’s own land! Some day, right before we die, we would surely really like to relive these idyllic times! Until then, all I can do is to conclude my crafting with these renowned strains of William Wordsworth:
“Earth has not anything at all to display far more truthful/ Dull would he be of soul who could move by/
A sight so touching in its majesty!”