I remember visiting this place many years ago with a large group of family members. All I had was snapshots of the place in distant memory!! So... when a leisurely visit home with my parents and bro around called for some change, Pichavaram was the closest and obvious choice. Unlike the earlier trips illustrated on this blog, this one was sans my hubby.
My parents, my bro and I started off after a healthy ragi porridge breakfast on a Friday morning hoping to be there by 10 to escape the afternoon heat. Little did we realize that the place infact opens as early as 7 am! The sun was out by 10 am but the heat bearable - we chose the 2 hour boat ride. We had to curse our luck though for leaving back the camera at home. The rower was an enthusiastic localite providing lots of information on the place. The speed at which he was throwing botanical names of species around embarassed the ignorant us.
Pichavaram is the only other mangrove forest engulfed backwater location in India (the other one being in the WB/Orissa region). Once upon a time it was the haven for smugglers who got in goods from foreign countries illegally through this place - post the famous MGR movie Idhayakani, Pichavaram developed into a famous tourist spot removing its tainted image forever.
Pichavaram lake is vast and sublets branching out of the main lake makes it very scenic. The narrow sublets are engulfed with mangrove trees on either sides giving a cozy and cool feel to the tourists. The water level raises and subsides every 6 hours with the varying inflow from the sea. A 4 hour ride on a normal boat / 2 hour ride on a motor boat would take the visitor all the way upto the beach but considering the weather we decided to stick to the lake. Fishermen were aplenty trying their luck with the fishes and prawns in the water body. When the water level is at its lowest, the lake is hardly 3-4 feet deep. The eco system has gotten affected post Tsunami though there were no high tides or loss of lives.
More than the vast lake, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride through the sublets and the chutku halts under the shades of mangrove trees on the side. The place also offered immense scope for photography and all I had was a 2MP Samsung mobile to experiment with (very unfortunate!) - will try to upload few of those. The ride left us with a very pleasant feeling and I resolved to visit the place more often!
Tips & Tricks:
- A place worth visiting especially for those residing in a 100 km radius from the place. Ideal months to visit - Dec / Jan and ideal time would be as early in the morning. Once the sun starts spreading its shine, it might get sweaty and irritating.
- The place seems pretty safe but keep away from wearing expensive jewellery as the rowers can take people to any unfamiliar nook and corner of the lake.
My rating: 6.8/10
Monday, March 1, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Yercaud!
8-10 Jan 2010
Yercaud was the 2010 new year treat given by Karthik's employer for all employees (+ spouse + children). Inspite of 2 travel intensive weekends, we were all excited about the 3rd one. The big question mark was the crowd that would accompany us but the comfort factor was Karthik's friends with whom we will anyways hang out.
The train journey started quite formally with the organizers distributing one bottle of water and softdrink tetrapack before everyone snoozed off. The question mark became a pleasant surprise as the crowd (about 100 people) let their hair loose for the reminder of the trip making it a memorable and jolly weekend. Sizeable credit should be given to Vaibhav and his team from Maks tour opertors for injecting energy and enthusiasm to people across ages.
8th Jan
Mini buses picked us up from Salem junction in the early hours of Friday. The late night journey effects continued and I was asleep until we reached Sterling Resorts. The resort was located just next to a viewpoint (Ladies seat) and inherited a lovely view on all sides. However contrary to our expectations, the facilities / room turned out to be ordinary. The resort was full with few other groups too occupying it for the weekend and hence about 20 of us were placed at lesser known Ajith guesthouse - less than a km away from the resort. Ours was a 2 bedroom, 1 hall arrangement - Me, Karthik, Mukul and Garima shared the space. The quartet was soon to become the infamous 4 for being late always and having maximum fun.
Our first spot, Pagoda viewpoint, was good to look around, click pictures and laze about. Before we left for the next place, we ensured that our bus was filled with young couples and bachelors adding to the entertainment quotient. Our next destination was Botanical Gardens which unlike the rose gardens in Ooty, was primarily an interest for Botany lovers. We were welcomed by some interesting plants which were named - "Kiss me not", "Hug me not", "Touch me not", "Forget me not". They were all thorny plants warning the visitors. The garden was vast and full of variety. The most captivating species was the Pitcher plant, an insectivorous variety which traps and dissolves the insects which land on its cavity.
We moved on to the ancient Shervaroyan cave temple - the guide informed us that the cave which starts here stretches all the way to Coorg in Karnataka. None of us were inclined to test it but the temple in itself was nicely poised inside a dark cave. A huge playground and plenty of time initiated a surprise cricket tussle between the employees. While the players enjoyed being a part of the match, they also provided ample entertainment for the onlookers to rejoice. After a nice workout, we had a relaxed noon playing cards and enjoying a cozy nap.
Superb DJ, good lighting, inviting dancefloor, decent food, perky games and an enthusiastic crowd rocked the evening. We were sweating it out even in the cold weather and totally loving it.
9th Jan
The itinerary mentioned that we would be given a wake up call at 6.30 am. Thankfully sense prevailed and we were asked to assemble for the trek at about 8.30 am. We started our trek down the hill to Killiyur falls. The overall stretch was about a km with about 0.5 km of steep climbdown. An hour later, we happily landed in the foothills to enjoy the waterfalls and munch on our breakfast. Post the trek, we moved on to some boating at the lake. As our ill luck would have it, rain gods started showering cutting short the boating expedition but we had some amazing bajji, masala appalam and snacks out there. After a relaxed afternoon, a round of table tennis and carrom set the mood right for moving and shaking on the dance floor later on. Mukul & Garima were judged the Best Dancing couple for setting the stage on fire. Hours later, we were still awake playing cards and chatting until our eyes begged of us.
10th Jan
We were leaving post lunch and the morning was left to us. Post breakfast we went on a long stroll - first to Ladies Seat viewpoint and then to State Horticulture farm to visit the Rose Garden. The garden deceived us as there were no roses but the layout was beautiful and worth a visit. Pepper was growing in abundance in the region, so it was but natural for us to purchase some spices and eucalyptus oil bottles for our near and dear.
Few tips & tricks:
1. Sterling Resorts - average facilities and food. Walking up and down the vast expanse in the resort is a fun exercise. Sports room is decently equipped and provide entertainment in the evenings. However, the place shuts by 8.
2. Yercaud is best in Dec-Jan. Day temperature hovers around 22 degrees and drops to about 12 degrees in the night. Summers would be quite warm as the hillstation is about 1500 meters above sea level.
3. The place is ideal for Bangalore and Chennai dwellers as its just few hours away.
Our Take:
Priya’s rating – 6.3/10
Karthik’s rating – 7/10
Yercaud is a small hillstation with nothing much to do but relax! Ideal for a lazy weekend away from the mad city rush.
Yercaud was the 2010 new year treat given by Karthik's employer for all employees (+ spouse + children). Inspite of 2 travel intensive weekends, we were all excited about the 3rd one. The big question mark was the crowd that would accompany us but the comfort factor was Karthik's friends with whom we will anyways hang out.
The train journey started quite formally with the organizers distributing one bottle of water and softdrink tetrapack before everyone snoozed off. The question mark became a pleasant surprise as the crowd (about 100 people) let their hair loose for the reminder of the trip making it a memorable and jolly weekend. Sizeable credit should be given to Vaibhav and his team from Maks tour opertors for injecting energy and enthusiasm to people across ages.
8th Jan
Mini buses picked us up from Salem junction in the early hours of Friday. The late night journey effects continued and I was asleep until we reached Sterling Resorts. The resort was located just next to a viewpoint (Ladies seat) and inherited a lovely view on all sides. However contrary to our expectations, the facilities / room turned out to be ordinary. The resort was full with few other groups too occupying it for the weekend and hence about 20 of us were placed at lesser known Ajith guesthouse - less than a km away from the resort. Ours was a 2 bedroom, 1 hall arrangement - Me, Karthik, Mukul and Garima shared the space. The quartet was soon to become the infamous 4 for being late always and having maximum fun.
Our first spot, Pagoda viewpoint, was good to look around, click pictures and laze about. Before we left for the next place, we ensured that our bus was filled with young couples and bachelors adding to the entertainment quotient. Our next destination was Botanical Gardens which unlike the rose gardens in Ooty, was primarily an interest for Botany lovers. We were welcomed by some interesting plants which were named - "Kiss me not", "Hug me not", "Touch me not", "Forget me not". They were all thorny plants warning the visitors. The garden was vast and full of variety. The most captivating species was the Pitcher plant, an insectivorous variety which traps and dissolves the insects which land on its cavity.
We moved on to the ancient Shervaroyan cave temple - the guide informed us that the cave which starts here stretches all the way to Coorg in Karnataka. None of us were inclined to test it but the temple in itself was nicely poised inside a dark cave. A huge playground and plenty of time initiated a surprise cricket tussle between the employees. While the players enjoyed being a part of the match, they also provided ample entertainment for the onlookers to rejoice. After a nice workout, we had a relaxed noon playing cards and enjoying a cozy nap.
Superb DJ, good lighting, inviting dancefloor, decent food, perky games and an enthusiastic crowd rocked the evening. We were sweating it out even in the cold weather and totally loving it.
9th Jan
The itinerary mentioned that we would be given a wake up call at 6.30 am. Thankfully sense prevailed and we were asked to assemble for the trek at about 8.30 am. We started our trek down the hill to Killiyur falls. The overall stretch was about a km with about 0.5 km of steep climbdown. An hour later, we happily landed in the foothills to enjoy the waterfalls and munch on our breakfast. Post the trek, we moved on to some boating at the lake. As our ill luck would have it, rain gods started showering cutting short the boating expedition but we had some amazing bajji, masala appalam and snacks out there. After a relaxed afternoon, a round of table tennis and carrom set the mood right for moving and shaking on the dance floor later on. Mukul & Garima were judged the Best Dancing couple for setting the stage on fire. Hours later, we were still awake playing cards and chatting until our eyes begged of us.
10th Jan
We were leaving post lunch and the morning was left to us. Post breakfast we went on a long stroll - first to Ladies Seat viewpoint and then to State Horticulture farm to visit the Rose Garden. The garden deceived us as there were no roses but the layout was beautiful and worth a visit. Pepper was growing in abundance in the region, so it was but natural for us to purchase some spices and eucalyptus oil bottles for our near and dear.
Few tips & tricks:
1. Sterling Resorts - average facilities and food. Walking up and down the vast expanse in the resort is a fun exercise. Sports room is decently equipped and provide entertainment in the evenings. However, the place shuts by 8.
2. Yercaud is best in Dec-Jan. Day temperature hovers around 22 degrees and drops to about 12 degrees in the night. Summers would be quite warm as the hillstation is about 1500 meters above sea level.
3. The place is ideal for Bangalore and Chennai dwellers as its just few hours away.
Our Take:
Priya’s rating – 6.3/10
Karthik’s rating – 7/10
Yercaud is a small hillstation with nothing much to do but relax! Ideal for a lazy weekend away from the mad city rush.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Merry Merry Christmas!!
25-28 Dec 2009
It was indeed a Merry Christmas vacation for all of us!! We had paid our dues much earlier - waking up early just to book tickets, calling friend's father's friend's friend's friend to do our bookings, endless calls & confirmations, strategic planning for 5 month old baby's travel, flying in from Singapore / Delhi.... and it was totally worth it.
JK, Shiv, Seetha, Navya, Karthik & I started our journey dramatically on 24th with JK making it just a couple of mins before the train departed! JK was to be Navya's acting boyfriend and caretaker while the couples relished the trip :P The fun element of the trip doubled with Sathish & Razi joining a day later at Alleppey! Our target: Chennai - Cochin - Alleppey - Nagercoil - Chennai in 4 days!
25th Dec - Cochin
We checked in at Sree Krishna Inn - a reasonably decent hotel just outside 'Ernakulam Town' station for a couple of hours to freshen up. Brushing aside demands from our sleepy eyes, we got ready in time for rocking Veega Land (a reputed theme park). The lush green Kerala started unfolding in front of our eyes as we travelled towards the theme park. Veega Land was unusually overflowing with people given the vacation time... but then, whats the fun about screaming and jumping with no one around. The first ride that caught our attention was Twin Flip Monster - there was too much excitement around that ride. Me & Seetha were the most enthused.... after a 15 min wait we set our foot in the monster and it really turned out to be one. At the end of 5 mins... all of us were left with spinning heads, nasty headache and puky feeling. Me & Seetha were the worst affected - and took a couple of hours to recover! The monster also ruined a large part of the day as we became averse to any fast motion for quite sometime. Navya became cranky too with the new atmosphere, crowd and humid weather getting on to her. Water sports were a savior in the second half but we all decided to end the day early and head to Alleppey.
It was about 7 pm when we set our foot in Pagoda Resorts - the place was colorful and fully decorated for Christmas. After 2 consecutive bad meals, we were delighted at the dinner buffet spread. Apart from the normal pulav, roti, subzi we had kappa (traditional kerala dish) and Christmas cakes. Good spread of food, friends to chat up and a cozy atmosphere called for a nice long dinner. Navya was still not out of the travel hangover and almost got her parents to abandon the further travel plans. We ended our night with a game of 'Business'!
26th Dec - Alleppey
What a bright day it was... Sathish & Razi reached even before we woke up.... Navya had a good night's sleep which means the trip continues as per plan.... JK stepped into the caretaker shoes and ensured Navya had a good morning nap ....We had a delicious breakfast!! Except for some billing issues at the resort, we were in the best of spirits when the autoricks came to pick us up. Roads in Kerala amaze me - some of the most travelled roads are not more than 1.5 meters wide and can just about manage to fit in a Hyundai Santro. We travelled through many such lanes before arriving at the houseboat area. I fell in love with the boat the moment I set my eyes on it. It looked both majestic and cozy with the sundeck and living area being the major highlights. Ours was a 2 bedroom one and perfect for the 8 of us. A summary of the next 7 hours: Custom-made egg bhurji+music+cards...Vembanadu lake.... Sweet toddy+fish fry... chat/laughter... cards... lunch with rice, sambar, 3 veg curries, omlette, fish fry, chicken curry.... envisioning JK's future (a.k.a. having fun at JK's expense).... cards.....songs.... yummy tea+pakoda.... silent goodbye sitting on the sundeck! We all wanted more of it... but alas, it was time to bid goodbye to the lake.
27th Dec - Nagercoil
We reached Nagercoil in the wee hours of Sunday morning and checked into Hotel Singar. The plan was to take a quick nap and head to Thiruparappu waterfalls by 10 am. The lazy bums that we were.... took our own sweet time in getting ready and finally started by 11 am. The journey was beautiful... we crossed villages, cultivating fields, fruit orchids,streams of water and gigantic trees. Karthik finally relented and started singing (which is not necessarily positive). The waterfalls was way too crowded and we started wondering if we would enjoy. Once we stepped in, all that mattered was the sheer joy of being overpowered by the falls. The crowd didnt bother us and we had loads of fun soaking in water for hours together. By the time we half heartedly decided to wind up, it started drizzling. Perfect ending to it all.... hot chai and bajji. The route on our way back was even better - the road was sandwiched between giant rubber tree farms giving a forest feel to the ride. After another quick nap, it was time for meeting the bride & groom in the evening. One of our juniors, Karthikeyan joined us for the reception and we all had a great time teasing / embarassing the couple on stage. Dinner was total Ashok style - Egg dosa, Appam, Parotta, Uttappam, Veg & Non-veg curries. The night wouldnt end without another session of cards with Sathish's nakkals overflowing in full form. The sane bunch went insane rolling with laughter!
28th Dec - Nagercoil
The dream come true marriage was full of filmy dialogues for most of us attending a Tamil Christian marriage at such close quarters for the first time. Karthik, Shiv & JK danced their way in the procession from the wedding hall to the church attracting attention from the entire town. What seemed like a peaceful wedding thus far turned into a thiruvizha (festival) at lunch time. 100s of people suddenly poured in and it was an interesting experience fighting our way to the pandhi (wedding meal). I was drowsy even before I could complete the meal - the payasams were the best. All we wanted was a good nap but we had just enough time to pack our bags and leave for the railway station. The bunch of us started our journey hoping to relive our college days... and the trip did total justice! We did it all.... non stop laughing, mocking, teasing, gossipping, playing.... and I do feel a couple of years younger right now!
Our Take - Cochin:
Priya's rating: 5.5/10
Karthik's rating: 6/10
Alleppey - Houseboat:
Priya's rating: 8/10
Karthik's rating: 8/10
Perfect relaxed vacation is best spent on Alleppey houseboat!
It was indeed a Merry Christmas vacation for all of us!! We had paid our dues much earlier - waking up early just to book tickets, calling friend's father's friend's friend's friend to do our bookings, endless calls & confirmations, strategic planning for 5 month old baby's travel, flying in from Singapore / Delhi.... and it was totally worth it.
JK, Shiv, Seetha, Navya, Karthik & I started our journey dramatically on 24th with JK making it just a couple of mins before the train departed! JK was to be Navya's acting boyfriend and caretaker while the couples relished the trip :P The fun element of the trip doubled with Sathish & Razi joining a day later at Alleppey! Our target: Chennai - Cochin - Alleppey - Nagercoil - Chennai in 4 days!
25th Dec - Cochin
We checked in at Sree Krishna Inn - a reasonably decent hotel just outside 'Ernakulam Town' station for a couple of hours to freshen up. Brushing aside demands from our sleepy eyes, we got ready in time for rocking Veega Land (a reputed theme park). The lush green Kerala started unfolding in front of our eyes as we travelled towards the theme park. Veega Land was unusually overflowing with people given the vacation time... but then, whats the fun about screaming and jumping with no one around. The first ride that caught our attention was Twin Flip Monster - there was too much excitement around that ride. Me & Seetha were the most enthused.... after a 15 min wait we set our foot in the monster and it really turned out to be one. At the end of 5 mins... all of us were left with spinning heads, nasty headache and puky feeling. Me & Seetha were the worst affected - and took a couple of hours to recover! The monster also ruined a large part of the day as we became averse to any fast motion for quite sometime. Navya became cranky too with the new atmosphere, crowd and humid weather getting on to her. Water sports were a savior in the second half but we all decided to end the day early and head to Alleppey.
It was about 7 pm when we set our foot in Pagoda Resorts - the place was colorful and fully decorated for Christmas. After 2 consecutive bad meals, we were delighted at the dinner buffet spread. Apart from the normal pulav, roti, subzi we had kappa (traditional kerala dish) and Christmas cakes. Good spread of food, friends to chat up and a cozy atmosphere called for a nice long dinner. Navya was still not out of the travel hangover and almost got her parents to abandon the further travel plans. We ended our night with a game of 'Business'!
26th Dec - Alleppey
What a bright day it was... Sathish & Razi reached even before we woke up.... Navya had a good night's sleep which means the trip continues as per plan.... JK stepped into the caretaker shoes and ensured Navya had a good morning nap ....We had a delicious breakfast!! Except for some billing issues at the resort, we were in the best of spirits when the autoricks came to pick us up. Roads in Kerala amaze me - some of the most travelled roads are not more than 1.5 meters wide and can just about manage to fit in a Hyundai Santro. We travelled through many such lanes before arriving at the houseboat area. I fell in love with the boat the moment I set my eyes on it. It looked both majestic and cozy with the sundeck and living area being the major highlights. Ours was a 2 bedroom one and perfect for the 8 of us. A summary of the next 7 hours: Custom-made egg bhurji+music+cards...Vembanadu lake.... Sweet toddy+fish fry... chat/laughter... cards... lunch with rice, sambar, 3 veg curries, omlette, fish fry, chicken curry.... envisioning JK's future (a.k.a. having fun at JK's expense).... cards.....songs.... yummy tea+pakoda.... silent goodbye sitting on the sundeck! We all wanted more of it... but alas, it was time to bid goodbye to the lake.
27th Dec - Nagercoil
We reached Nagercoil in the wee hours of Sunday morning and checked into Hotel Singar. The plan was to take a quick nap and head to Thiruparappu waterfalls by 10 am. The lazy bums that we were.... took our own sweet time in getting ready and finally started by 11 am. The journey was beautiful... we crossed villages, cultivating fields, fruit orchids,streams of water and gigantic trees. Karthik finally relented and started singing (which is not necessarily positive). The waterfalls was way too crowded and we started wondering if we would enjoy. Once we stepped in, all that mattered was the sheer joy of being overpowered by the falls. The crowd didnt bother us and we had loads of fun soaking in water for hours together. By the time we half heartedly decided to wind up, it started drizzling. Perfect ending to it all.... hot chai and bajji. The route on our way back was even better - the road was sandwiched between giant rubber tree farms giving a forest feel to the ride. After another quick nap, it was time for meeting the bride & groom in the evening. One of our juniors, Karthikeyan joined us for the reception and we all had a great time teasing / embarassing the couple on stage. Dinner was total Ashok style - Egg dosa, Appam, Parotta, Uttappam, Veg & Non-veg curries. The night wouldnt end without another session of cards with Sathish's nakkals overflowing in full form. The sane bunch went insane rolling with laughter!
28th Dec - Nagercoil
The dream come true marriage was full of filmy dialogues for most of us attending a Tamil Christian marriage at such close quarters for the first time. Karthik, Shiv & JK danced their way in the procession from the wedding hall to the church attracting attention from the entire town. What seemed like a peaceful wedding thus far turned into a thiruvizha (festival) at lunch time. 100s of people suddenly poured in and it was an interesting experience fighting our way to the pandhi (wedding meal). I was drowsy even before I could complete the meal - the payasams were the best. All we wanted was a good nap but we had just enough time to pack our bags and leave for the railway station. The bunch of us started our journey hoping to relive our college days... and the trip did total justice! We did it all.... non stop laughing, mocking, teasing, gossipping, playing.... and I do feel a couple of years younger right now!
Our Take - Cochin:
Priya's rating: 5.5/10
Karthik's rating: 6/10
Alleppey - Houseboat:
Priya's rating: 8/10
Karthik's rating: 8/10
Perfect relaxed vacation is best spent on Alleppey houseboat!
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Mauritian Safari!!
15-21 Sep, 2009
Well, in case you are wondering... Mauritius was the closest we got to Africa and hence the title!!
It was an overnight transformation from hot, humid Chennai to pleasant, breezy Mauritius. A string of scenes - super regulated traffic, lush greenery, hectares of sugarcane fields bordering the highways and most importantly, roads sans humans – convinced us that we were out of India! On the other hand – Velmurugan Kalyana mandabam, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, SBI Mauritius, advertisement hoardings of LIC / New India Assurance company etc. - that we encountered on our way to the resort assured that we were not too far afterall. Dreamy eyed, we rode through all of this to our much awaited Sands resort.
As we zeroed in on Mauritius, we realized that selecting “the” resort was a bigger task. Hours spent over Google, tripadvisor.com and quotations from SOTC/Thomas Cook led to the final decision – “The Sands Resort”. From the moment we stepped in, we could not wait to dive into the pool after a quick lunch at the restaurant. The white sand beaches at Mauritius are shallow for about 500 meters, making it perfectly safe and fun to play around in. The cold evenings were best spent chit-chatting on the hammock or the beach chairs by the sea – which had one of the most picturesque views from Sands. Our favorite evening pastime was to get lost viewing the sunset in Mauritius, considered one of the best in the world. We also had some sweet surprises at the resort – chocolates left on the bed, free snacks for trial on the beach, African dance and bonfire evening, bed decorated with floors etc.
16th Sep: We had 2 choices - lazing around at the resort or exploring “quad biking”; we chose the latter. A quad is a four wheeler mini tractor of sorts (2-seater) with jumbo wheels that can maintain stability through roughest of roads. All the other 3 couples had prior experience with quad biking and the guide was cynical about our skills. I proved the guide quite right but the I-will-not-give-up man managed to convince the guide otherwise after 15 mins of test driving. All through our journey up & down 3 mountains, we witnessed lush greenery, breath-taking views of the ocean and encountered herds of deer & wild boars. The bumpy tracks, water-logged stretches and the steep downhill journey did give us the jitters at times, but we managed to sail past it all. Exhausted but happy, we concluded it was one of the most challenging and satisfying activities ever! The authentic Mauritian lunch included in the package happens to be the best meal we had in the week.
17th Sep: Our guided tour series started with a North Island tour. Nothing exciting though about visiting few monuments / structures / botanical gardens / malls that paid commissions to the tour agent. The water lily plants at the gardens are supposed to be a treat to the tourist’s eye when they fully bloom in December-January. The day’s tour was only worth the delicious lunch and a relaxed time spent at Le Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis.
18th Sep: It was time for the South Island tour which started off pretty disappointing with a souvenir gift shop and ship-model selling outlet. The tour turned much better as we climbed few mountains to visit craters, temples, waterfalls and seven-colored earth (the varied colors owing to ferrous deposits). Thanks to the cool breeze, 5 min drizzles at regular intervals and 22 degree temperature - we had a lovely time with our mini-walks around the greenery at each location. Our enthused driving guide Vimal provided tons of interesting information on the island. The potential of Mauritius, the virgin island, was unleashed by the British in early 1800s by getting tons of slaves from India to work in their sugarcane fields. The Indians who managed to survive 6 months of journey back then, have spent generations in the island ensuring that Indian descendants form more than 60% of the current population. Almost whole of the sugar produced in the island is exported to Europe. So, inspite of being the highest exporters of sugar in the world, the localites import low quality sugar from China for consumption…..
19th Sep: The most awaited journey to Ile-Aux-Cerfs started with the undersea walk. With about heavy 40 kg helmet on my head, I was excited to step on the sand under sea (about 5 ft deep). The sheer feeling of moving under water amidst the colorful fishes and corals was thrilling. The helpers gave us bread crumbs which the fishes nibbled from my hands leaving behind a sweet ticklish feel!! I had half a mind to stay back, but 15 mins later I was forced back on the deck…. sigh! Couple of hours later, we were cruising through the bright blue ocean on a speed boat to experience the much-hyped parasailing. My articulation skills would do complete injustice in expressing the elated feeling I went through flying mid air over the ocean alongside the only person I wanted to be with at that moment. Deep into the sea and up above the ocean within few hours – what a day!! The immensely satisfying day ended with some great African dance & music… the dancers even taught us a couple of hip shakes!
20th Sep: We had reserved the day for the exciting complementary water sports that Sands promised – wind surfing, water skiing, kayaking etc., only to be told that we need to be excellent swimmers to try those out. We were shattered… but did not want the discouraging boat club members to influence us. Seeing few other tourists perform these activities, we realized that wind surfing was beyond us. However, the water surfing experience at Dimna Lake (Jamshedpur) way back in 2005, cheered us to try out water skiing. The brave & energetic duo failed so miserably at the end of it all – Karthik drank 2 litres of sea water before he gave up and I conceded defeat after trying to turn myself around in the ocean for 10 mins. Keeping the disaster aside, we had the perfect relaxed day with an hour in the pool, a pack of cards, yummy pasta and a long walk!
21st Sep: Our return flight was in the night and we had decided to visit the Casela Bird park in the morning. We aren’t big fans of birds but the main attraction at Casela was the possibility of being up, close and person with the king of the jungle – Lions! The cabs were working out to be too expensive and we wanted to try public transport. I was surprised to find the condition of buses worser than in India but the bus stops were very cute – colored in bright green, yellow or red. The bird park has too many alternate attractions and so little birds that one may wonder why its called so. Our chief objective was to meet & interact with the lions and we wasted no time to reach our destination. It is an irony to see the beasts tamed to such an extent that they behaved like dogs. Inspite of the reassuring staff around, it wasn’t easy for me to get off the fear factor. Nevertheless, I felt quite elated to touch, feel and be around the lions.
At the end of the 6 days, it was tough to leave the bright blue beaches behind us…. but Karthik was delighted at the prospect of his mom’s sambar & rasam for the next meal!
Few tips & tricks:
1) Try to stay in the western coast of Mauritius; the eastern coast gets very windy & cold in the evenings forcing tourists to stay-put inside their rooms. In case you opt for guided tours, avoid resorts way up the north/south borders of the country. Staying around the central region would reduce travel hours and give you more time to enjoy the luxurious beaches.
2) Sands resort: Much recommended for its great service & ambience. Since we were the only vegetarians in the resort, the restaurant staff volunteered to prepare customized dinner everyday based on the cuisine of our choice. Pros – Very few Indian tourists, customized service, breath-taking Infinity pool, helpful staff. Cons – Tendency to give preference to white skin over brown skin among few hotel staff, most free water sports require one to be an excellent swimmer, remote location (about 2 km walk to the nearest village) – compelling one to buy food/beverages for exorbitant prices from the hotel
3) Try avoiding the 3 day guided tours – atleast the North Island trip was totally not worth it.
4) Food options at the resort especially for vegetarians are limited. Mauritian food is a slightly modified, bland version of Indian khaana – it is worth trying! There are lots of Indian restaurants outside the resort areas throughout Mauritius. Though we did not try those out, we heard good feedback
5) We strongly advise you not to pay for the lunch as a part of your package. On the days of touring, they pack sandwiches / burgers which get really cold by lunch time. Also, it is totally worth trying out restaurants / cuisines outside – some of them turn out to be wonderful.
6) We used SOTC – the services offered were good – no complaints. All Indian tourists seem to be attended by Seaside Tours, a local agent in Mauritius. Only Thomas Cook as its own branch located in Mauritius.
Our Take:
Priya’s rating – 8/10
Karthik’s rating – 8/10
Definitely Recommended!
Well, in case you are wondering... Mauritius was the closest we got to Africa and hence the title!!
It was an overnight transformation from hot, humid Chennai to pleasant, breezy Mauritius. A string of scenes - super regulated traffic, lush greenery, hectares of sugarcane fields bordering the highways and most importantly, roads sans humans – convinced us that we were out of India! On the other hand – Velmurugan Kalyana mandabam, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, SBI Mauritius, advertisement hoardings of LIC / New India Assurance company etc. - that we encountered on our way to the resort assured that we were not too far afterall. Dreamy eyed, we rode through all of this to our much awaited Sands resort.
As we zeroed in on Mauritius, we realized that selecting “the” resort was a bigger task. Hours spent over Google, tripadvisor.com and quotations from SOTC/Thomas Cook led to the final decision – “The Sands Resort”. From the moment we stepped in, we could not wait to dive into the pool after a quick lunch at the restaurant. The white sand beaches at Mauritius are shallow for about 500 meters, making it perfectly safe and fun to play around in. The cold evenings were best spent chit-chatting on the hammock or the beach chairs by the sea – which had one of the most picturesque views from Sands. Our favorite evening pastime was to get lost viewing the sunset in Mauritius, considered one of the best in the world. We also had some sweet surprises at the resort – chocolates left on the bed, free snacks for trial on the beach, African dance and bonfire evening, bed decorated with floors etc.
16th Sep: We had 2 choices - lazing around at the resort or exploring “quad biking”; we chose the latter. A quad is a four wheeler mini tractor of sorts (2-seater) with jumbo wheels that can maintain stability through roughest of roads. All the other 3 couples had prior experience with quad biking and the guide was cynical about our skills. I proved the guide quite right but the I-will-not-give-up man managed to convince the guide otherwise after 15 mins of test driving. All through our journey up & down 3 mountains, we witnessed lush greenery, breath-taking views of the ocean and encountered herds of deer & wild boars. The bumpy tracks, water-logged stretches and the steep downhill journey did give us the jitters at times, but we managed to sail past it all. Exhausted but happy, we concluded it was one of the most challenging and satisfying activities ever! The authentic Mauritian lunch included in the package happens to be the best meal we had in the week.
17th Sep: Our guided tour series started with a North Island tour. Nothing exciting though about visiting few monuments / structures / botanical gardens / malls that paid commissions to the tour agent. The water lily plants at the gardens are supposed to be a treat to the tourist’s eye when they fully bloom in December-January. The day’s tour was only worth the delicious lunch and a relaxed time spent at Le Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis.
18th Sep: It was time for the South Island tour which started off pretty disappointing with a souvenir gift shop and ship-model selling outlet. The tour turned much better as we climbed few mountains to visit craters, temples, waterfalls and seven-colored earth (the varied colors owing to ferrous deposits). Thanks to the cool breeze, 5 min drizzles at regular intervals and 22 degree temperature - we had a lovely time with our mini-walks around the greenery at each location. Our enthused driving guide Vimal provided tons of interesting information on the island. The potential of Mauritius, the virgin island, was unleashed by the British in early 1800s by getting tons of slaves from India to work in their sugarcane fields. The Indians who managed to survive 6 months of journey back then, have spent generations in the island ensuring that Indian descendants form more than 60% of the current population. Almost whole of the sugar produced in the island is exported to Europe. So, inspite of being the highest exporters of sugar in the world, the localites import low quality sugar from China for consumption…..
19th Sep: The most awaited journey to Ile-Aux-Cerfs started with the undersea walk. With about heavy 40 kg helmet on my head, I was excited to step on the sand under sea (about 5 ft deep). The sheer feeling of moving under water amidst the colorful fishes and corals was thrilling. The helpers gave us bread crumbs which the fishes nibbled from my hands leaving behind a sweet ticklish feel!! I had half a mind to stay back, but 15 mins later I was forced back on the deck…. sigh! Couple of hours later, we were cruising through the bright blue ocean on a speed boat to experience the much-hyped parasailing. My articulation skills would do complete injustice in expressing the elated feeling I went through flying mid air over the ocean alongside the only person I wanted to be with at that moment. Deep into the sea and up above the ocean within few hours – what a day!! The immensely satisfying day ended with some great African dance & music… the dancers even taught us a couple of hip shakes!
20th Sep: We had reserved the day for the exciting complementary water sports that Sands promised – wind surfing, water skiing, kayaking etc., only to be told that we need to be excellent swimmers to try those out. We were shattered… but did not want the discouraging boat club members to influence us. Seeing few other tourists perform these activities, we realized that wind surfing was beyond us. However, the water surfing experience at Dimna Lake (Jamshedpur) way back in 2005, cheered us to try out water skiing. The brave & energetic duo failed so miserably at the end of it all – Karthik drank 2 litres of sea water before he gave up and I conceded defeat after trying to turn myself around in the ocean for 10 mins. Keeping the disaster aside, we had the perfect relaxed day with an hour in the pool, a pack of cards, yummy pasta and a long walk!
21st Sep: Our return flight was in the night and we had decided to visit the Casela Bird park in the morning. We aren’t big fans of birds but the main attraction at Casela was the possibility of being up, close and person with the king of the jungle – Lions! The cabs were working out to be too expensive and we wanted to try public transport. I was surprised to find the condition of buses worser than in India but the bus stops were very cute – colored in bright green, yellow or red. The bird park has too many alternate attractions and so little birds that one may wonder why its called so. Our chief objective was to meet & interact with the lions and we wasted no time to reach our destination. It is an irony to see the beasts tamed to such an extent that they behaved like dogs. Inspite of the reassuring staff around, it wasn’t easy for me to get off the fear factor. Nevertheless, I felt quite elated to touch, feel and be around the lions.
At the end of the 6 days, it was tough to leave the bright blue beaches behind us…. but Karthik was delighted at the prospect of his mom’s sambar & rasam for the next meal!
Few tips & tricks:
1) Try to stay in the western coast of Mauritius; the eastern coast gets very windy & cold in the evenings forcing tourists to stay-put inside their rooms. In case you opt for guided tours, avoid resorts way up the north/south borders of the country. Staying around the central region would reduce travel hours and give you more time to enjoy the luxurious beaches.
2) Sands resort: Much recommended for its great service & ambience. Since we were the only vegetarians in the resort, the restaurant staff volunteered to prepare customized dinner everyday based on the cuisine of our choice. Pros – Very few Indian tourists, customized service, breath-taking Infinity pool, helpful staff. Cons – Tendency to give preference to white skin over brown skin among few hotel staff, most free water sports require one to be an excellent swimmer, remote location (about 2 km walk to the nearest village) – compelling one to buy food/beverages for exorbitant prices from the hotel
3) Try avoiding the 3 day guided tours – atleast the North Island trip was totally not worth it.
4) Food options at the resort especially for vegetarians are limited. Mauritian food is a slightly modified, bland version of Indian khaana – it is worth trying! There are lots of Indian restaurants outside the resort areas throughout Mauritius. Though we did not try those out, we heard good feedback
5) We strongly advise you not to pay for the lunch as a part of your package. On the days of touring, they pack sandwiches / burgers which get really cold by lunch time. Also, it is totally worth trying out restaurants / cuisines outside – some of them turn out to be wonderful.
6) We used SOTC – the services offered were good – no complaints. All Indian tourists seem to be attended by Seaside Tours, a local agent in Mauritius. Only Thomas Cook as its own branch located in Mauritius.
Our Take:
Priya’s rating – 8/10
Karthik’s rating – 8/10
Definitely Recommended!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Epilogue
The purpose of this blog is multifold:
- Share our travel experiences with friends & family
- List the do's & dont's for would-be travellers to the location
- Maintain a travel journal to re-live the experiences
- Ensure that we keep travelling at regular intervals
So here we unfold - our footprints on Mother Earth!
Priya & Karthik!
- Share our travel experiences with friends & family
- List the do's & dont's for would-be travellers to the location
- Maintain a travel journal to re-live the experiences
- Ensure that we keep travelling at regular intervals
So here we unfold - our footprints on Mother Earth!
Priya & Karthik!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)