Its really an amazing and very much enjoyed trip to Kerala with my M.Tech friends. We are a group of eight, which includes Madhu,Kaushik,Dayakar,Shashi, Srinu, Naveen,Kini and myself. We had been to both Munnar and Alleppey. First, this trip started with a plan from Kaushik. And this is good time to enjoy at the end of our course.Good thing, that  we all eight people have reponded well for the trip. But the only thing is we didn't get time to plan well for travel and accomodation, due to some factors. But we are guys right !!!!!!!! so we didn't think much about reserving tickets and booking accomodation as we dont have chance to think of those.  I was in Bangalore that time. And, remaining six(except dayakar) were in the college busy with their submission of project thesis and completion of project. So, I started from Bangalore to our college the previous day 27th.We started on 28th evening by Mavelli Express from Mangalore.And one more thing is, we thought that we would miss Dayakar for this trip, as he is at home that day when we started for Alleppey in the train.And he also started the same day morning from home. Our train timing is 22.00 hrs. And he came to mangalore at 21.56hrs. Soon, he got down at the bus station and took and auto to the station. By the time he reached the station, the train started moving also. This is very good that,we didn't miss him. As we didn't make any reservation, we some how got a place in the General compartment,as Mangalore is the source for that train. We told dayakar to sleep, as papa he is on travel for the whole day already from home. And this general compartment is a strange place for one typical, posh guy Shashi. Why becoz, he didn't travel anytime in general compartment . And he faced that hard experience in our trip. We all didn't have proper sleep for that night, as the compartment got full with so many people as the train is moving past next stations. But we didn't mind that much, as we are in very joyous mood.

 We reached the famous backwater place ALLEPPEY by 10'o clock in the morning. After reaching there, we got very good accomodation in one Heritage home (Vrundavanam Heritage Home). Its really a big dormitory and its very much comfortable for 8 people to stay. So, we got freshed up quickly, had some light kerala tiffin, got relaxed for sometime inspite of our tiresome journey. We had a nice kerala lunch in one hotel.

Then, we enquired about the Boat booking with the Heritage Home owner to make a travel in the backwaters. He himself arranged a boat for us for 400Rs/hr. We hired a Motor Boat for 5 hours from afternoon 2 to 7pm. Its really an amazing and enthralling experience for all of us to make a short voyage in the backwaters around the place of ALLEPPEY and to savor its beauty. Really, it lasts a beautiful picture in the mind of anyone. We all really enjoyed very well in the backwaters.

On the way, we have seen so many small small villages on the shores of backwaters. Really, its a terrific life for the people who staying there. The major source for everything and anything for those people is the only green,polluted, etc backwaters. Those people do bathing, washing clothes, etc in that deadly impure water itself. They even use that water for cleaning the utensils, clean chicken for food...They even dont have power source. And very hard thing is they have to buy water in big big barrels (tanks).Really its a very very heartpaining thing to watch. But, the only thing we thought good about those people is that, they are enjoying  a very pleasant, enchanting atmosphere in the backwaters enjoying that beauty of nature. And for those people to travel from one place to another place, or to buy any food items, there will be boats making trips in the backwaters, like we have city buses in the city. There are stops in backwaters itself, same as like we have bus stops. Its very interesting to see all these things in the backwaters. we all enjoyed the beautiful nature there. Moving slowly, seeing all these things, we reached to the place which is one of the biggest widespread backwaters in India. There, we stopped our boat, and had nice tender coconuts. The coconut water is really very sweet. But the thing is, the cost is same(10RS) which we have at our place, inpsite of so many coconut trees, which have spreaded to give a serene beauty to kerala.We reached to this biggest backwater place at the time of sunset..and its really beautiful to see the amazing sunset.

The major property for the people as far as we saw is paddy fields. Even they cultivate their lands from backwaters only, as there is no source for power. And do u know one thing?, the district in which ALLEPPEY stands is called "RICE BOWL OF KERALA". And one more surprising thing we came to know from boat people is that, people in those places wont sell the paddy fields at any critical situation. They feel its a very huge property for them like gold. And in the backwaters at ALLEPPEY, there will be boat race every year named on behalf of Nehru. There if any house is having a snake boat , its a very big pride for them.These are the boats which people use in the boat race.

And after a nice experience in the backwaters, we came back to the our place after having some light dinner. Then, started planning for Munnar. We saw the map of kerala, and decided the route to go to beatiful,greenish,cool ,beautiful hill station MUNNAR. We all got refreshed that night, after coming back from the backwaters, and finally decide to start for MUNNAR the next day morning at 6'0 clock. We started as we planned. We didn't have direct bus from ALLEPPEY to MUNNAR. So, not to waste the time, we got into the bus from Alleppey to Changancherry which is 18 km journey. Its so hard journey from Alleppey to Munnar that we took 5 buses in between to reach Munnar. This is because, we didn't have enough time in the college to plan the whole trip. And from Changanacherry to kottayam one bus, again from Kottayam to Muvvattupuzha, again from there to Kothamangalam, and the last bus from there to Munnar. we enjoyed the journey from Kothamangalam to Munnar. The route is so cool, nice view of the place. there are some waterfalls in between these two places.

And interesting thing in this travel from Alleppey to Munnar is, of all of us, nobody knows reading malayalam. Only Naveen knows to talk in Malayalam. And, in kerala 90% of the buses won't have boards written in English. Everywhere only malayalam. People even dont talk in Hindi there. So, somehow we managed to read the place names on the boards with the help of one shop owner. we went to a shop owner, and asked him to write the names of places in malayam on a paper. Then, whenever one bus comes to bus stand, we are matching the things on paper and bus board. This is how we travelled in kerala in the buses..Interesting right.....

Atlast we reached Munnar by 1.30 in the afternoon on 30th. There, our real problem started. We really faced a great problem for acccomodation there.Every where..rooms are full,due to three days holidays on that week end. Atlast, we only have rooms for 7000Rs/room. That is aslo, only for three persons. Its really unmanageable amount for us. we searched for the room till 5'0 clock in the evening almost in all the hotels at Munnar. But, somehow by God's grace, we met one very good person. Really, we r very much grateful to him. He really helped us in a very critical situation. Otherwise, we would have faced so many problems there in Munnar. When we are thinking about accomodation..He only came and asked us "What is ur problem"? Atlast he took us to his home...to let us stay for that one night...His house is really beautiful built on a small hill..So that evening, we just roamed for some time in nearby places...went to a stationey shop to buy some gifts, and some different flavors of tea packets (Ginger, Masala,Chocolate, elachi,lemon, etc..)....etc....Due to accomodation problem in the afternoon, the whole day went wasted for us. Night we had a very good spicy dinner at one of the restaurants.In that restaurant, the menu is so strange that the spelling of the most of the items are strange to look at. For example, Gobi manchoorian is written as "Gopi Manjoorian", and omlet is written as "omelete".And after having dinner,came to the place where we got to stay that day...Really that house people showed a very good hospitality to us. We had a very good sleep as we really got tired so much that day inspite of 5bus travel and searching for accomodation.thats how our second day our trip ended...

Next day morning, we all got fresh up quickly by 7'0 clock. Afterwards, that house uncle only booked a Jeep for the half day to roam around the places in Munnar. Really, it a very beautiful place for anyone to visit.And it really need some two or three days to savour the whole beauty of Munnar. The place looks so beautiful with tea plantations, waterfulls, very tall tall trees, etc. We had a nice tea in chilled weather in the morning at their home.Around some 9'o clock, Jeep came and we started for going around Munnar. It has got so many places to watch. But we had only 1/2 day to see places in Munnar. Because again we have to go back to the college by Tuesday morning..as Madhu had to submit his thesis that day, as its the last day for submission. So, we planned to enjoy as much as we can in this short span of time. So, we hired the Jeep for that half day.

First we went to Rajamalai...where Niligiri Thar is there..There we saw the endangered species "Wild Goats"..Really that place is very beautiful..After that we had been to Echo point, Malumattey Dam, Shooting point etc...as we dont have time...we covered very less places in Munnar. BEcoz we have to go to Ernakulam the same day..where we booked our return tickets to Mangalore. It was good that atleast we got tickets from ernakulam to mangalore with the help of srinu's friend who is staying in ernakulam.So, we are forced to see few places only. But...what we have thought...For Munnar..we have to plan atleast for a one week to cover the entire beautiful hill station..So, anyone cna enjoy the beauty of munnar for any number of times you vist it..We came back to that uncles home at around 2'0 clock..

And immediately, we started for Ernakulam at 2.30 only...Thats how our trip ended ...

Its really a very nice tour for all of us..we enjoyed a lot at both backwaters and cool Munnar..

................................Bhanu