Temple, Houseboat & a Wedding

Time: May 4th-9th, 2022

Place: Guruvayur, Alapuzha, Mangalore, Moodabidri

Company: Wife & daughter later accompanied by colleagues 

Preview: Colleague's wedding at Moodabidri on May 8th initiated this thought of going on a vacation somewhere in the neighbourhood, especially since it was summer holidays for the kid. After a lot of research (that also included Kumarakom, Sakleshpur, Kukke, Palani, Kodai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, etc.), finalized first on destinations that included Guruvayur & Alleppey for family vacation and Mangalore with colleagues. For most part of the research, it was Alleppey and Kumarakom but in the end we thought that the houseboat will anyways ride through the same lake from ALLP, and hence KMRKM can be planned for some other time. And then GVYR came about to fill in on another day.

Next research was finalizing the itinerary based on train availability and colleagues' plan. Two options that we had were first MLR or last MLR. First MLR seemed better since we would be fresh for the wedding but then there was the threat of next wave of Covid looming large. With Kerala known for it's outbreaks, we thought that it is better to finish Kerala first and then get to the wedding. Initially, I had booked lot of train tickets, just to be safe, with both itineraries. Once the final itinerary shaped up, cancelled all the other train tickets. So, the final itinerary: BLR-GURUVAYUR-ALLEPPEY-MLR-BLR. 

Day 1 - May 4th: Left home at about noon. Our train was Hubli to Trivandrum without touching the usual stations of Yeswantpur or KSR (Majestic) or even Cantonment. It was bypassing via Byappanahalli and KR Puram. So, for the first time in my life, I boarded a train at KR Puram. We took the metro till Byappanahalli and then bus towards KR Puram (since connectivity from Byappanahalli metro to Byappanahalli railway station is not convenient). Train was on time and we thankfully managed a side lower/upper seat combo and had it for ourselves. It was wonderful, thanks to the occasional showers. Gradually, train got delayed by an hour, and we reached Thrissur at about 1:30 am. From there, we walked towards the hotel which we had already booked. Thankfully it was drizzling and not raining heavily. Retired to the bed at about 2 am.

Day 2 - May 5th: Checked out of the hotel by 9 am, got a bus to Guruvayur closeby (Kerala's KSRTC) and it was an hour's journey. By the time we entered the temple premises, it was close to 11 am. To our horror, the queue was long and serpentine. There just did not seem to have an end to it! But whomever we asked, we were told that it will get over in 2.5 hours. That hardly seemed likely since it was just not moving. we had a train to catch at 3:45 pm from Thrissur, so we couldn't take any chance. So bought the Rs 1000 special entry tickets and the darshan was over in less than 30 minutes. We spent some time near the sanctum sanctorum to imbibe the energy. It was my second time here but then I hardly remember a thing. Darshan done, we saw many other idols within the temple and then headed to the queue for anna prasadam (food). Alas, one more huge queue and even this was hardly moving. We waited for close to 30 mins and realized, it'd get late, so went out to a nearby restaurant. We hadn't had anything since morning and we were starving. But this restaurant too did not have much other than dosa. So, we had to do with it. It was not all that great.

We walked back to the KSRTC bus stand and realized that we had to go to Mammiyur temple too (as a tradition). Took an auto to that temple (instead of walking) and boy were we glad since it was about to close for lunch. Had quick darshan and we were done with Guruvayur. Thankfully, we got a bus at 1:30 pm towards Thrissur, and (slept most of the journey) it dropped us off at the railway station (or close by). The heat and humid was getting to us, and the hunger as well. So refreshed ourselves at the station, and waited for our train. Thankfully it was on time. It was a 3 hour train ride to Alleppey, and we busied ourselves with our respective books. The landscape surrounding us was lush greenery and it was indeed a sight to see. As they say, Kerala is "God's own country". The thing that I noticed about the railway station at Thrissur is that there were only two platforms - one that goes north and one that goes south! Since Kerala is shaped that way, it kind of makes sense and seems so simple indeed!

Anyways, we reached Alleppey by about 6:30 pm, and we took an auto to our reserved stay near the Alleppey Beach. It was a small cozy little room on the loft of an independent house. We had chosen that because it was bamboo-based walls, so had a nice feel. It was hot and humid however. Check-in done, we were famished, and immediately ordered food. Thankfully we got it early and we ate our first good meal of the trip since we left home the previous day. We were surviving on titbits all through! 

Meal done, I had to attend an office meeting for an hour. It was close to 9 pm when it got done and then we ventured out to the Alleppey beach. The roads were all lit, so it was not as scary as the Nirvana Beach adventure!! There were very few people at the beach, so it was nice and good. We could see the waves although it was dark. Spent about 30-45 minutes and headed back to our room and retired for the night.

Day 3 - May 6th: The day of the houseboat!! At about 9 am, we checked out and took an auto to Alleppey insides from where our houseboat would depart. All through the bylanes we could see people trying to entice tourists to come on their boats. Our boat was private and we had it all for ourselves until sunset. We had not opted for the day+night halt since we had read about nothing much to do at night and mosquitoes, etc. The crew was very friendly and there were two of them. The owner of the boat did not join us but he did welcome us very warmly. After the welcome drink, we started off from the backwaters and very soon entered into the longest lake in India called the Vembanad Lake. 

To sum up in few words, it was extremely soothing. I guess we were one of the first few to have arrived on time because the boat-traffic was relatively less in the morning. So, everywhere we looked, we had nice views of the lake and water, lush greenery, and laid back life of Kerala. The boat-cruise also was very smooth and peaceful. We took a number of pictures at every angle and every part of the boat. It was a small nice little boat with a small open place where we had sofa and dining table and a closed room for sleeping and attached bath. There were also some books to read.

Through Google Maps, I could see how the boat was traversing through the innumerous water channels of Alleppey. We could even see the direction for Kumarakom but could not see the town itself. By about 1 pm, the crew took the boat to a long channel where most boats later on came and anchored. I guess this was the place for having lunch. Lunch was indeed a treat. By special request, we had asked for no onion and no garlic veg food and it was delicious. After lunch, the crew took a nap. We ventured out onto land in the middle of the lake where we were moored. It seemed surreal to be surrounded by so much of water!

We continued forward and I realized we were going back to the starting point but through a set of small waterways giving us a glimpse of the Alleppey outskirts. We could see women folk fishing, grandparents lazily sitting and watching tourists go by, children run on the edges of waterfronts, etc. It seemed like a different world altogether! At this time of the day (which was close to evening), there was a lot of boat traffic, all heading back to their starting points! Some of the boats were occupied by college-goers with blazing music, some bachelors with alcohol in their hands, some family members like us, some large families, etc. 

Soon we got back to our place, and it was almost 6 pm. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and one that definitely should not be missed. The crew got us an auto thankfully (since we were in the middle of dense rural outskirts) and we headed in the auto back to the Alleppey beach. We had couple of hours to spend before our train could arrive. So we simply sat on the beach looking at the ocean. The sun had already set but there was enough light still. Post sunset, we walked on the beach back and forth and then headed back. Had an ice cream here, sipped some coffee there and finally it was time for us to catch our train. Thankfully it was on time. But then, it was Rajdhani heading to New Delhi, so it will rarely be late. I realized, it was the first time we were traveling on Rajdhani express! We got onto the train, took our berth, had something to eat (some confusion about dinner not being served) and retired for the night.

Day 4 - May 7th: We reached right on time at 5:15 am Mangalore Junction. Rest of my colleagues had left BLR about an hour ago and hence they would reach only in the afternoon. So we had lot of time. Decided, we might as well visit the Mangaladevi temple which is the basis of the city's name. It was beautiful, being there in the temple early at day break. In fact, we were just sitting on the premises facing the entrance/exit and we could see the sun rise directly in front of us, the full orange ball! After a simple darshan, we took an auto to our "Summer Sands Beach resort" which was near Ullal. A very big resort indeed. One colleague came from Chennai via train about the same time and we checked in, freshened up and went for breakfast. Had a long and lengthy one, right in front of the beach! Even at that time, about 10 am, the sun was soaring and it was too hot and humid. After little chit-chat, we went back to our rooms to relax and take a nap.

Around afternoon everyone arrived and we had a nice time meeting & chatting in person (some of them after a very long time due to work from home). Then some of them departed for lunch and some stayed back including us. We decided to meet at the beach in the evening since the heat was unbearable anytime before. So, all in all, most of the day was spent in the resort room!!

Just an hour before the sun set, we all went to the beach. Just like small kids, had a great time with the waves, running and rolling on the sand, yapping in general, building fort and sand castle, seeing it washed away, jumping, etc. Spent more than 2 hours, even after sun set and the setting was just perfect. Since the beach was secluded (not private but not easily accessible to the public either), it was not too crowded. Once we were done, had tea and then headed to the room for freshening up. After bath, again chit-chat in general with everyone in the room. Finally at about 9 pm, we headed out to dinner to a nearby restaurant. Dinner done, we got back and retired for the night whereas some of them continued to stay awake, and even ventured out to a walk in the beach at midnight!

Day 5 - May 8th: The day of the wedding. We left at about 9 am. We had two cars inside which we could all fit in thankfully. It was just about an hour away to Moodabidri. We were right on time, just as we reached the knot-tying ceremony was going on and we blessed the couple. Few more minutes later, we were on the stage for the photo and then it was all done. Quick lunch and we were ready to bid adieu to all. The BLR team started off at about 2 pm and another couple dropped us off at Bantwala Railway Station (although we had booked from MLR). Much of the discussion was spiritual in nature, and concentrated on Sadhguru. After bidding them adieu, we spent some time lazing in the station, having tea, eating snacks, taking pics on the tracks, etc. and finally our train came about 7:15 pm. Had our dinner and then retired for the night.

Day 6 - May 9th: For me, it was a disturbed sleep since the crowd was making lot of noise, especially after Mysore. Daughter and wife were away on a different coach (since I had booked for them under Ladies Quota) and my RAC had got confirmed in a different coach. Anyways, somehow managed and we reached on time at about 7 am, and back home safely by 8-9ish.

Overview: When we were searching for places in and around MLR, and finally chanced upon Alleppey/houseboat vs Kumarakom, I came across a train reservation that I had made way back in 2010 for our babymoon cum anniversary. For some reason, I also noticed that I had cancelled it (and eventually we went to Chikmagalur). And although KMRKM was considered for this trip as well, yet it didn't materialized. Some other trip perhaps, Kumarakom has to wait!!

To summarize - Guruvayur was way too crowded, much more than what we had expected. And, in fact, we were lucky to have got everything done within a few hours. Houseboat was the charm of the entire vacation. Very soothing and wonderful. Beach in Mangalore was fun with friends, something that I hadn't done for a really long time (I guess it was 2007, a good 15 years ago). Wedding in Moodabidri got done in a jiffy but the conversations will be memorable. And that's how our 2022 summer vacation came out to be - not too fancy, not too dull!

😊