Let me begin with a disclaimer! This post is NOT about ALL of Kerala. I merely made a short trip for a friend’s wedding in Thiruvananthapuram (Phew! I’m going to stick to its erstwhile name – Trivandrum). I managed to squeeze in a couple of days at Fort Kochi (Cochin). I tweeted a bit along the way so I thought that I’d tell the story via those tweets and of course some pictures. I have decided to split this post into 2 and the second part will be coming up later during this week. Hope you enjoy reading through it. And do follow me on Twitter – @DelishDirection.
September 11, 2012
I’m at Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport (Mumbai, Maharashtra) w/ 8 others http://4sq.com/QBN9Sh
So excited about my second trip to God’s Own Country. Everything you’ve read about its beauty is true!
I’m at Cafe Coffee Day (Mumbai, Maharashtra) http://4sq.com/RGrK4M
“Instant human: just add coffee”; yes, that’s me! Had to settle for a latte as cappuccino was not available, but got them to make it double strong.
2 people, 1 suitcase. But 2 separate cameras and laptops! Travelling light #Kerala
Not to mention 3 pieces of hand luggage between the two of us! I can never pack light…
The bestsellers list here is making me weep 🙁 (@ Landmark Book Store) http://4sq.com/Ob6HGX
The Landmark book store was stacked with Chetan Bhagat novels, enough said!
I’m at Boarding Gate 10 (Mumbai, Maharashtra) http://4sq.com/Qawzau
I’m at Trivandrum Domestic Terminal http://4sq.com/ObLNrb
After a 2 hour Indigo flight. One of the best domestic airlines I have travelled with; highly recommended.
Descending into Trivandrum was awesome, view of swaying palms and the beach outta the window! #kerala
I was in 13A; window seat, emergency exit, great view outside!
Porota & beef fry from a roadside eatery in Trivandrum. Probably the spiciest meal I’ve EVER eaten! But delicious 🙂
Checked into Sunday B&B opposite the airport for the night, walked down to the beach and picked up dinner on the way. Yummy, but very hot beef fry. From Milford restaurant (I think that’s the name…)
The super spicy Beef Fry & Porota in Trivandrum #Keralapic.twitter.com/SYI27Euj
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Must sleep. Got a 6.30 a.m. train to Kochi to catch! #Kerala
Watched MasterChef Australia, had dinner (and had to gobble some chocolate cookies to counter the spicy beef!) and was tweeting away…
September 12, 2012
The train was at 6 a.m. not 6.30! Luckily, had reached the station before time. Must.Read.Ticket.Carefully 🙂 On my way to Cochin#Kerala
Reached Trivandrum station just 10 minutes before the train departed! Took the Shatabdi to Ernakulam.
Taking the ferry to Fort Kochi. 3 bucks per head! I love #kerala!
The best part of travelling in Kerala! The ticket is actually Rs. 2.50, but you don’t get that 50p back 😉
I’m at Sajhome (Kochi) http://4sq.com/Opl4NP
Another great part of travelling within Kerala is the numerous home stay options. Budget B&Bs with homely ambience and warm hosts. Saj Home is ranked no. 2 among all hotels in Kochi on Tripadvisor and we experienced why! Clean rooms, great breakfasts (cooked by his wife), helpful Saj… Highly recommended.
Planning to walk down to the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi & haggling for fresh fish today! And then get it cooked 🙂 #Kerala
This was one regret… We took a detour via the promenade and got caught in a heavy downpour. After that, all I wanted was to sit in a cafe and have some hot tea!
Once the rains subsided, we walked to the Tea Pot Cafe and had a pot of house-blend tea and a surprising roast chicken! Expected western flavours, got delicious Kerala flavours instead.
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This is the no. 1 ranked restaurant on Tripadvisor and the food was awesome! See next tweet.
Roasted Prawns, Keralaite Thali w/ Fish, Peri Peri Chicken and Honey Figs w/ Yogurt Pannacotta = #dinner at Oceanos, Fort Kochi#Kerala
I’ll let the pictures do the talking! There’s no pic of the pannacotta since we took it back to Saj, but it was delicious.
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The earlier tweet was about tonight’s #dinner for TWO. #justsaying 😉
What a day! Rambling around Fort Kochi, fishing (yes, that), #eatingyum #food… Place hasn’t changed much in past 5 yrs. Love it!#Kerala
Fort Kochi is best explored on foot. I’ll publish a detailed post on what to do in Fort Kochi in a few days. Here are some pictures, though.
About the fishing bit – when we were taking pictures at the Chinese Fishing Nets, the fishermen invited us onto the contraption that is the net. Got some great shots and tried our hand at hauling in a catch!
Did I mention I bought lots of #vanilla beans from the Spice Market here in Fort Kochi? At 1/3rd the cost? No? 😀 #Kerala
This was the only item on my shopping list from Kochi! Can’t wait to bake something!
Related posts:
End of Post 1! Second post will be up in a couple of days. Stay tuned…
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the food looks delicious…wonder how it compares with what you get in keralite places here
Thanks! It was delicious 🙂 You can get pretty authentic Keralite food in small eateries in Bombay, but there's no comparison with the food you get in God's Own Country!
Wow…this was fun!Loved this.
Thanks Swapna! I had a great time 🙂 Part 2 will be up later this week; keep reading!
Ahh, I wanna visit Kerela real bad!
http://livemodish.wordpress.com/
You must! It's a beautiful place 🙂
can you please give the details or contact number of the shop from where you bought vanilla beans
thanks
Hello, I can't remember the name of the shop. But it was in spice market, there are just a couple of places that sell vanilla beans