Kovalam beach: beautiful, peaceful and so nice

That day we decided to go to Thenmala, the first Eco-tourism location in Kerala. But we got up late, moreover we were not ready to travel such a distance on Sunday. Libin demotivated Neeraja by saying that ticket counter is 1km away from the actual place and I don’t know what he told, we decided not to go.

But it was Sunday, bored of watching films and moreover frustrated to spend the day in hostel, so we decided to go to Kovalam. Neeraja badly wanted to go Kovalam; she said she doesn’t have clear memories of that beach. I guessed she visited the beach when she was young. Anyways when two ladies have decided something finally there is no way anyone could stop it. Lakshmy wanted to join us but she had SBI clerical exams. (she is 99% sure she won’t get it but still she hold s on to the 1% and writes exam). So I and Neeraja decided, we are going Kovalam this evening.

How we reached.

We took bus from East fort bus stop which is 30 minutes far away from our hostel. Bus to Kovalam is frequent and it may take hardly 20 minutes to reach there. We took AC Volvo bus and cost per head is 26Rs which is very fair considering the journey.

Our experience

It takes 3 minute walk from bus stop to reach the beach. On our way we bought a packet of cut salty and spicy mangoes, costs only 10 Rs but tastes so delicious. The local flavor was more in it. The other tourists looked at us and smiled.

Kovalam is a very beautiful and clean beach compared to Shankumugham. The waves are so beautiful and water seems to be so clean. I noticed this only in Kovalam beach. When we started playing in water we were so happy. There is something about this beach that makes us so happy. Every time I looked into née raja’s eyes she was glowing with happiness, that spark was so clear in her eyes.

For me the waves were little naughty, big waves surprises us all of a sudden but it won’t make you afraid. It is peaceful even though it is naughty.

Near to our play area there was a fishing boat; Neeraja spoke to the local fisherman there and got into the boat. Sooner or later I too joined. The tourists were envious I guess, they wanted to get into the boat but they didn’t know the local language.

We started walking in the beach, we were not tired, and we just roamed from place to place. We also visited the shops but didn’t buy anything because the shopkeepers priced everything very high. It is for the tourists and not for the locals.

By 6 O clock the fishermen assembled and were ready to go to the sea. The tourists gathered to see the fishing. We didn’t waited that long because we need to get back to our hostel before 8pm. So we rushed to bus stop.

Unfortunately we didn’t know there were 2 beaches in Kovalam, we just saw the first one near the bus stop, it was very good. But we really want to go to the other beach now. I am more curious now.

“Shankumugham” the perfect hang out

Shankumugham is a very beautiful beach located in Trivandrum district in Kerala. It is so peaceful and for me it is perfect hang out. I went here first time with Bobby and Devika, then frequently with Neeraja, Lakshmy and Athira. Now Neeraja has become my best travel companion. We both have many common interests and tastes. Even though my first impression for the seashore was good, there is something about this place which I don’t like and that is nothing but cleanliness. There are so many litters in the beach which makes us feel dirty while walking there. We really need to fix this.

How to reach?

Catch a bus to Shankumugham from East fort bus stop. There is a special double ducker bus for this destination; the travel experience in it is especially great. You really don’t wanna miss that. Moreover it will take only 20 minutes if there is less traffic.

Main attractions I saw

Beach is remarkably peaceful; sometimes there is a little violent wave (mainly during full moon days). There is a small shelter made of stones, it is the frequent shoot location for serials, films etc. there is also a small park near to the beach and there is a statue of naked lady whose face is so calm (people always forgets to look at her face). There is also Indian coffee house, one of the gems of Kerala government. There is a wide variety of sea foods and local foods available in the food stalls and the price is optimum. As Shankumugham is one of the best tourists place in Trivandrum there is frequent bus transportation, try not to catch autos, they may charge you more.

My experience

Frankly speaking Shankumugham is the second best beach I saw in Kerala till now. Muzhappilangad Driving beach in Kannur is the best beach I saw in Kerala. It is clean, peaceful and very beautiful. Shankumugham is a good place for hang out with friends, family and all dear and near ones. But not a honeymoon spot (this is commented by my married friend). She said that it is a perfect dating destination (her face blushed when she said this and memories flashed in her mind, hey readers don’t think too much, she married the same person).

When we were with friends, enjoying the waves, we saw one married couple. They were trying to play with the waves. Every time a high wave comes, the guy runs away. Wife is busy taking photos of his ‘play’. Even though he is inviting her to join with his ‘play’, she remained enjoying his actions. Then he started splashing water over her. May be they were enjoying, but all people over there were laughing at them. For us it looked awkward. We too started enjoying this comedy show. You see in Kerala it is very hard to get these scenes so publicly. Even though we are the most literate people in India, our mindset is conditioned to be “narrow minded”. But slowly we are recovering and will soon become broad minded. Just see our generation.

It is very good to play with the waves. People irrespective of their ages becomes a child here. Playing in waters, posing for a good entertaining family photo etc are some of the common scenes here.  Play with the waves, enjoy the meals and have a perfect hang out with friends.

“Vettukadu”- a church like no other

Vettukadu is one of the most powerful churches in Trivandrum. I am writing about this church based on my interactions with friends, hostel mates etc. now why did I say it’s powerful? Well it is because whatever we pray from here becomes true. There a “white thread” which is available in church and we can pray for a thing and tie it to our hand. If it breaks without our knowledge in the following months then whatever you desired will happen. I did it and it happened. One of my friends said that when you visit a church for the first time in any place, the first three things you pray for will happen very quickly.

How to reach Vettukadu?

Vettukadu is located in Trivandrum district in Kerala. Catch a bus to “Veli” from East fort Bus stop. Buy a ticket, it will hardly cost 11 Rs and tell the conductor to inform when you reach Vettukadu. It will take hardly 45 minutes.

Main attractions in Vettukadu

First you can see a statue of Jesus holding the cross. It is said that it is most powerful statue. We went there first and prayed. Then next to it is a cathedral which is under construction. If you cross the road you can see a temporary cathedral where devotees pray. Go there, pray, wait for minutes at least and then return. Don’t forget to get blessed with holy water.

Little away from the statue is where you will get the magical “white Thread”. If you go to that building you will be able to see a miniature statue of Jesus holding the cross, next to it there is a bundle of white thread available. Pray, make a wish, take white thread long enough to tie in your hands. You can also carry thread for your friends, relatives who didn’t come there also. Then near to that there is holy water. I often see people drinking holy water after they make a wish.

I went to Vettukadu first with bobby, Lakshmy and Devika. Then with Neeraja and recently with Anju. What I like about the place is that it is calm and near to the beach. But it is sad that beach is not clean. After the construction of cathedral Vettukadu will become more magnificent.

When I tied the white thread I felt some energy with it. When I made the wish and tied it, my faith in it was strong. Even though it got broken in front of my eyes, whatever I wished came true. My thread got broken within 3 weeks. And if God want to examine your patience it may take months for the thread to break off. This happened with Neeraja. 

Café Coffee Day

I am a small town girl, I am proud to say it. So when I came to a city like Trivandrum I found many things which I have never seen before. One of the best things I loved is the freedom I got. No one cares what you do unless it is bothering them, but if I was in my small town whether you do something or not everyone want to poke their nose into it. I love Trivandrum for many things.

I never knew about café coffee day until I came Trivandrum. It was first hard for me to believe that there is a shop exclusively for coffee and various type of coffee products (I actually can’t even remember the product names- there is so much variety). It was actually a treat sponsored by Neeraja; I don’t remember why she gave us treat. We used to have “treat” for every small and big things. That’s how we celebrate. So Neeraja, Devika, bobby and I went to CCD (café coffee day). I went there for the first time, the settings were good. Great ambiance.

Bobby and Neeraja went to order the cappuccino and other products. The service boy was telling the names of products. The remarkable thing about bobby is that even if doesn’t know what the product is, how it will taste or look, he will act as if he is the expert in it. He will order something as if he knew it is the best. Well we didn’t have any complaints. If you are not brave, at least pretend to be brave. That is his policy.

After ordering we waited almost for half an hour, my excitement increased when cappuccino came. It was in a beautiful cup, the aroma of it was so nice. Along with it there was a small packet of sugar. I asked Neeraja why they didn’t mix it before. She said cappuccino doesn’t need sugar; it is we Indians who want sugar. I was repelled by her reply. I am a very sweet person and I prefer more sweetness in everything. Even though I am not a coffee addict I prefer little more sugar in it. So for the first time I tasted cappuccino…..

It wasn’t that much tasty, all my expectation came to stand still. I expected more sweetness, but it wasn’t giving me any. Whenever I saw an ad of people drinking cappuccino I was very mad to have it. But here I am with a full cup of it; one sip was enough for me. I wanted to finish it soon but the bitterness was not allowing me to do anything. Somehow I gained momentum to drink it.

“Don’t drink that much dear, we spend sixty bucks for one cup so we have to be here for at least sixty minutes” bobby said to me. I didn’t know what to reply and I was shocked to hear that he paid sixty bucks. Then I realized why there was great ambiance for a coffee shop…

People in city are always busy. Even in that busy schedule they want to make time for their dear ones, especially friends. But in city the social spaces are very much limited. CCD provides you good ambiance, good climate, good mood, it is indeed for the social space they charge you more. For techies and corporate people it is no big money at all. After all they are getting more than they expected. After all CCD could survive only in cities. 

times at the Napier museum

The first time I went to Napier museum was with Lakshmy and Bobby. Of course I have come here with my parents when I was too small, I don’t remember much of it. But now I love this place more and more. It was on a Sunday evening we went to the museum and hence it was closed but we roamed around the museum premises. Many people of different ages were jogging and walking, all aiming to burn the excess cholesterol and to maintain more health.

The museum has got a great ambience. I think it is one of the places to get lost, to think and to fall in love. It is very hard for me to believe that there lays a peaceful land in the middle of the city. The buildings made by foreigners, the gardens rejuvenated by the government, the zoo and the art gallery, all in one stop. That is the specialty of this place. You just have to walk around and around. You could spend almost a day here and no one would bother unless you are not disturbing the other.

Once I liked this place, I became a frequent visitor. There is something about this place that keeps us coming here.  People come here for the above reasons. I find more locals than tourists here.  If you ever been in Trivandrum you would never miss this place.

I keep thinking what do I like more about this place, let me just jot down

• ·         There is plenty of space to walk
• ·         Walk and talk process is really good here
• ·         Great ambiance and good air flow
• ·         Plenty of trees means plenty of oxygen
• ·         A nearby KTDC canteen for the food lovers. (My friend is a coffee addict, even if I try to abscond this area; she forces me to come here). But the price of coffee and snacks are way too high for students like me
• ·         The chances to meet your old friend here is slightly more than usual
• ·         You can sit or lie down anywhere and no one would mind you
• ·         Many place to pose for photographs

What else would you desire from a place like this? One time we went here just after Onam, there were swings tied under huge and small trees here and there. I jumped on the swing that was near to the gate and started swinging. Wow that was really good, I never expected to get such an experience there and there it is full of surprise…

Museum may have its historical importance’s but when I am here, sometimes I feel like I am part of something great. Only few places can give you this feeling. Like a free bird I am flying in the museum… enjoying every bit of freedom with my dear ones… 

into the most richest temple of the world

Sree Padhmanabhaswami temple is one of the most riches temples in the world. It’s so beautiful and marvelous. I have been in Trivandrum for almost one year and I went there after six months. Of course I have been there with my parents when I was so small and I have only faintest memories of it. Only I thing I remembered was that the idol was lying down and we have to look through all three doors to see the whole idol.

This is one of the most remarkable temples I have ever seen. You may know many things about the temple just by Google search, so adding all bits of information will make you tired here also. So I am just saying my view, opinions and comments.

For the first six months I didn’t go, because there were many flimsy reasons that I invented. Girls have to wear saree or you should wear a dhoti over your salwar. You can wear skirts and top also. It is the thing about saree and dhoti’s I abstained my thoughts to go there. Moreover no mobiles allowed inside.

But one morning I had a dream of going there and I saw the idol. This has happened never before, and if God came in my dreams that means I am invited personally, it is like a calling and I couldn’t just ignore it. So I told to my friends to go as soon as possible. When I said to them about my dream they were surprised and it acted as a catalyst.

Neeraja, Lakshmy, Athira and I got ready, wore suitable dresses and went there. God is VVIP, so we had to wait almost 1 hour to get Darshan. We went on morning for darshan and that too on a Sunday, there were a big rush and because of which we really didn’t see the idol fully. More over that day, royal heirs of the temple were coming and we couldn’t climb up the stairs and see the idol. Bad luck. Only thing I saw clearly was God’s hand lying down, I couldn’t see his face or legs. I felt bit unlucky.

For me it was another calling, it is like you need to go again to see clearly. So we went again on a Sunday, this time there were no royal heirs coming, so we were allowed to climb up the stairs and see the idol. I saw the crown, the snake head, the hand, legs. Wow that was almost good darshan, but then also we couldn’t see fully. But our darshan level increased, so I was happy. Again it is another calling.

After Darshan we just started roaming inside the temple and started exploring the medieval architecture. The perfections made in every pillar were unique and beautiful. It must have been a hard work to do on those days but then also the master’s perfection was reflected. We looked up and there were different kinds of fish carved on the ceiling. We started thinking why fishes were carved on top and not on bottom. Well we didn’t get any clear explanation from anyone and we couldn’t invent one. We wondered where the treasure rooms might be, we didn’t see any sign of it also. May be we were not that observant. However we started noticing that one of the securities were following us (Because normal devotees won’t roam around the temple and praise the sculptures in every pillar) and so for the securities we were showing a suspicious behavior. Soon we went outside the temple.

Next time Neeraja and I alone went to temple on a Sunday evening. We both wore Saree, I wore Kerala Saree and she wore Tamil saree. We were so lucky that there were very little queue and no rush. We got into the line and entered the temple. Through a small rush we climbed the stairs and started seeing and praying. This time I saw the snake, head, hand, the whole body, legs, Lord Brahma sitting on a lotus which came from Lord Vishnu’s stomach and also the Shiv-linga and other idols in the middle. It was a splendid darshan. My eyes were full and so was my heart. I was so happy that day. It was so good. We had darshan for almost 7-8 minutes. Usually we had darshan for 50 seconds, but this day I could never forget. Wow, mind-blowing, I must say that.

After the darshan we were so hungry. We had to rush near a vegetarian hotel. There are many famous vegetarian hotels near the temple, however our favorites are Hotel Annapoorna and Hotel Ganesh. This time we preferred Hotel Annapoorna (because of better infrastructure). We were treated royally there because of our attire. If we go in casual dresses no one used to mind us but this time they even called us madam. That was strange. I ordered my recent favorite “channa batoora” and she ordered “Masala dosa”. Awesome taste, I admit that!  

Another thing I experienced about this temple is that whatever you pray (I mean genuinely good) will happen. All you need is to put trust over the Lord and he will take care of you. This is very true and happened to me. When you have an answered pray, you will pray more and go there again and again. So did I. well I asked to Lord for genuinely good things to happen, which I was afraid that it won’t happen when it got delayed, but then also I had kept my faith and trust in him. And so it became true. And for many such reasons I just love this temple.