Christmas (Bhulafalia style) - Wednesday 25th December 2013

Today we spent Christmas in Bhulafalia. We had arrived in Bhula the day before and spent the night there. We had got a text from Aja inviting us to Christmas a week before, and when we asked him how many people would be coming, he said "Just a few people". We later found out that 'a few' would equal to around 50 people.



Unfortunately for Sajan and I, we found out that Santa Claus doesn't really come India to deliver presents that often. It was a first for us, so we were a little disappointed when we didn't find any presents around in the house. We discovered later that Santa hadn't come to many other peoples houses as well, so we weren't the only gift less people.

We were also a bit worried about the lack of kids that would be attending the Christmas. However found out that Nikki and Chhaya were coming, so at least we had people to hang out with!

It was pretty cool seeing all of our Indian family again. We met people again who we'd met when we were young!

It was a very hot day, so we had the barbecue out. Food wise, the highlight of the day was the Tandoori Chicken. It was so tasty, I think I had around 6-7 pieces.



There was also a typical Indian lunch laid out- rice, soupy chicken, salad, puris and mango rus (the rus was made from fresh mangos- be jealous). It was so delicious, and every one was full by the end of it.



The drinks weren't too bad either, except one of Aja's friends tried to offer me some home brew which smelt a bit dodgy (I didn't try it).

Overall it was a really fun day, and even though we didn't get any presents (sob), we were able to spend it with some cool people!










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Location:Bhulafalia

End of South India Trip - Sunday 22nd December 2013

Today saw the end of our South India trip. We were picked up by Nickel and taken to the Trivandrum domestic airport. We unloaded our bags from the car and said our good byes and thank you's to our Nickel.



Our flight on Jet Airways was at 12:30 and we got in at Mumbai at 2:10. Shantilal Kaka and Dayal Kaka (plus the driver) picked us up from the airport. Man it was crazy our driver was darting in and out of the three lanes dodging trucks, motorbikes, cars, and the odd cow at 80kph!!!

We popped in to Bhulafalia to say hello to the family then drove to Tavdi where we are staying at Shantilal Kaka's house. Jyoti Kaki and Vimal Ben greeted us at the door.


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Location:Gujarat

Kovalam - Saturday 21 December 2013

Today was the final day of our Keralan tour. In the morning, we went on a Back Water Boat Ride down several channels lined with coconut trees and other tropical greenery.












During the boat ride, we spotted many different birds including Kingfishers, Snake Birds, Sea Eagles, Herons and much more.


Pix 1 - Kingfisher




It was a very hot day, so we also stopped off at an estuary to dip our feet in the cool sea water and have a fresh Tarupa. It was nice getting out in the morning sun and having a last look at the Keralan greenery.











Sajan also decided to try catch some fish with a Tarupa shell....didn't really work out for him though...






After our boat tour, we decided to visit Kovalam Beach again as we only spent a short time there the day before. In the afternoon, the temperature had gone up to 32 degrees, and it was so hot! But we managed to push through the heat as we went into a couple of shops and had lunch at a beachside cafe.







That night we had dinner at the resort and we had Fish Tikka Masala, Chicken Tikka, Vegetable Pakora, Chicken Manchurian, and for mum Vegetable Makanwala.












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Location:Kovalam

Kovalam - Friday 20th December 2013

Today we drove to Trivandrum for a bit of sightseeing. First we went to the Napier Art Museum, home to many antique sculptures and artefacts. Some of the displays in the museum included ancient bronze sculptures of different gods, detailed sculptures made out of elephant tusks and a big wooden cart with interesting patterns carved in the wood which was used to transport the royal families. We were surprised at how detailed some of the sculptures were, and wondered how people sculpted that finely without the technology we have today. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos so we can't show you what they look like.

After the Art museum, we went and visited the Zoo which was also in the same location. We saw many different animals, including Cobras, Hawks, Hippos, Vultures, Jaguars and much more. Sajan's favourite was a tiger called Kiran, and my favourite were the Monkeys.

For lunch we went to a restaurant called Ariyanivaas where we had our first Masala Dosas!!!!! They were so delicious even Mousie had to have her own one.



After lunch Nickel took us to Kovalam Beach. Kovalam beach is a popular tourist beach because of its golden sand and the cool refreshing water. Along the beach there's were different shops and restaurants. We didn't stay long because it was boiling hot but managed to pick out some super awesome clothes for me :)













When we got back to the resort Sajan and I went to the pool to relax and have a swim while Mum and Dad went to have an Ayurvedic massage.


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Location:Kovalam

Kovalam - Thursday 19th December 2013

We ended our houseboat stay today and drove to the last destination of our tour - Kovalam. In the morning we had a last cruise on the houseboat before we packed up and left.

On the way to our destination, we met up with Sam Aja, Nani Ma, Girish Mama, Sanjay Mama, Jayshree Mami and her cousin Sarita. Unfortunately we had to wait two hours for them to arrive at our meeting point, as apparently the traffic was pretty crazy (Our driver Nickel said that their driver sounded pretty angry on the phone). However it was cool meeting up with them and hearing about their travels, and sharing our experiences with them too.







By then it was midday, so we set off on our last big drive to Kovalam, where we checked into our hotel - The Tranvancore Heritage. This resort was probably the best of them all!

The outside was lush and filled with greenery and was nothing like we'd seen before. The quality of the rooms and service were also great.




They had laid fresh flowers in designs on our beds!



It also had many facilities including two swimming pools, two restaurants, a fitness room, two gift shops and an Ayurvedic massage centre. It was also a short walk to the beach. What a great place to end our Kerala tour!









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Location:Kovalam

Alleppey Houseboat - Wednesday 18th December 2013

We left our hotel in Thekkady to go to Alleppey where we stayed in a houseboat. Alisha and I found the experience very relaxing and this was definitely a highlight of our Kerala tour so far.





























Chilling on our house boat....








Alisha reading her book...








Sajan playing monopoly deal......


We had a captain and a chef on the boat with us. We cruised along canals lined with coconut palms and rice padis. For most of the ride we lay outside on the boat soaking up the warm sun and scenery - It was very nice having a relaxing day off our busy tour.





























During the boat ride we stopped at a fish market and bought some Kerala "tiger prawns" to have for dinner that night - they were massive!








The chef did a fantastic job of cooking them, and they were delicious! We would definitely have them again.









Kerala masala fried tiger prawns - yum!




Alisha and her big pot of rice....

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Location:Alleppey

Thekkady - Tuesday 17th December 2013

Today we took another 3 hour drive to the next stop of our tour - Thekkady. Thekkady (also known as Periyar) is South India's largest wildlife sanctuary. But before we arrived at the park, we stopped at a spice plantation called Hindustan Spices. We were given a tour of the spice gardens and saw many different plants, including cardamom, black pepper, cloves and other medicinal plants. It was interesting looking at the different spice plants to see how they're grown. It was especially intriguing for Mum, who looked like she was in heaven when we went to the spice shop afterwards, and decided to buy a selection of spices and Ayurvedic medicines (although she was a little deterred by New Zealand's strict customs laws).










Sajan standing next to a cardamom plant


A nutmeg tree


We then set off for Thekkady. While Dad and Sajan went to check out the Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Mum and I went for an Ayurvedic massage which included Shirodara (the dripping of hot oil onto the forehead) and a steam bath. It was especially new for me as it was my first proper full-body massage. Overall it was very relaxing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone (but my hair was very oily in the end - and it stunk as well!).







Unfortunately for Dad and Sajan, they missed the boat tour of the wildlife sanctuary, and decided not to wait for the next one. After our massage we found them in the reception chilling on the couches - quite typical of them.

We stayed the night at a four star hotel called Spice Grove, five minutes out of Thekkady. It was pretty flash and even had 2 TV's and a separate lounge area.

That night we ordered room service of tandoori chicken, murgh tikka and fish tikka for dinner - it was Yum!!!


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Location:Thekkady