Discovering God’s Own Country: Amrita’s Family Trip to Kerala with Thrillophilia
It was a Saturday which means movie night in my family. Since it was my turn to select a movie, I chose one of the classics, Bahubali.
To compliment the night’s theme, my mother decided to prepare authentic South Indian cuisine. She was making my favourite, ‘Masala Dosa’.
As soon as the movie started, my mother served us our dinner. Looking at our plates, we realised that the dosas looked more like pancakes. The three of us exchanged subtle glances and discreet smiles, seeing which my mother irritably says, “This is the best I could do.”
Hearing this, the room broke into laughter.
But to be honest, it tasted heavenly.
While being engrossed in the movie, my dad mockingly says, “By the way, these pancakes, sorry dosas, taste delicious!”
My mom replied in anger, “You know… you should go to South India and eat dosas there!”
My brother added to this, “Yes, dad, let’s go to the South! I have seen in the reels that they serve such long dosas with multiple chutneys. I bet it tastes amazing”
Seeing my mother becoming more furious, my dad said in his best attempt to calm her down, “Yes, we can go to South India. Even my colleague just returned from Kerala and he said it was so beautiful and perfect for a family trip. But talking about the dosas, I bet no one can make it better than my wife!”
While my brother and I got excited in a second thinking about a trip to South India, my father secretly asks my mother, “So, what do you say…? Shall we go on a trip?
To which my mother nodded in agreement, forgetting all about her anger.
Unveiling the Gems
Our arrival as well as departure was from Kochi which is rightfully known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. It is a city which has it all, lush green landscapes, stunning rivers and lakes along with a historic charm.
Due to lack of time, we could only visit the Mattancherry Palace which is basically a historical museum. In the evening, we visited Princess Street from where my mother purchased gifts for our relatives. Before returning back to our hotel, we made a stop at Marine Drive which seemed like a popular hotspot, offering a glimpse of the lively nightlife of Kochi.
My parents’ favourite was Munnar and they still cannot stop talking about it. It truly looked so magical with its lush green valleys, clear blue skies, towering trees and gorgeous hills. We spent around two days in Munnar and it was one of the most peaceful experiences I have had till date.
Even our hotel was set in a perfect location from where we could enjoy brilliant views of the hills and lush green landscapes. I still remember how my mom and I preferred to stay back in the room to simply admire the sunset while my dad and brother went out to explore on their own.
We also explored a lot of beautiful places in Munnar, like the Cheeyappara Waterfalls. This was the first time I was seeing a waterfall and really wanted to take a dip in it, however, the speedy flow did not allow me to. We also visited the Tata Tea Museum where we tried a number of different teas and even got to see how they are prepared.
During our stay in Munnar, we also made a day trip to the gorgeous Kundale Lake. It was equally fun and relaxing for all of us.
And how can I forget about the enchanting Golden Island- Varkala. There we visited the serene Kappil Beach, spent the entire day at leisure, relaxing near the shore, admiring the Arabian Sea, trying various seafoods, taking pictures and witnessing the sunset.
Highlighting My Top Experiences!
Now let’s talk about my favourite part of the entire trip.
First, an adventurous jeep safari in Periyar National Park. The jeep took us through the dense jungles, allowing us to spot various wild animals- it was truly a thrilling experience to witness so many wild animals up close!
There was a time when the jeep stopped and the guide asked us to remain calm- there was a young leopard crossing paths. As asked, all of us in the jeep remained still and did not flinch even an inch.
Second, our amazing stay in a houseboat in Alleppey. I cannot begin to tell you how lovely that experience was. It was the most unique place where I had stayed but also loved it the most.
On the contrary, my dad was pretty scared of the shaky boat and kept walking slowly and in an extremely odd way, thinking that he was the one balancing it all. I even caught him wandering off at night, keeping an eye on us and to check if everything was safe and secure.
Apart from that, the houseboat experience was wonderful. Unfortunately, it was only a 1 night stay, during which we got to see so many local villages, explored the backwaters and enjoyed delicious meals on the boat.
Now, coming to square one, from where it all started- Dosa!
Yes, we did try the authentic dosas, quite a lot of time actually. The first time we were served dosa in Kochi, it was literally huge and came with a lot of sides. Seeing that, my brother teases my mother by saying, “Look Ma, Dosa!!”
Immediately, my dad took a bite and said, “Uhm, this is okay! I still liked yours better.”(pointing towards my mother)
- So, thanks to our mom’s dosas and of course, to our father because of whom we got to explore such a fantastic destination. I think my mom also secretly took some tips and lessons from a chef in Kerala on how to make a perfect dosa. Not gonna lie, her dosas have surely improved from pancakes to crepes!
Read More: Thrillophilia Kerala Reviews