Travel by public bus along a winding road to the spice plantation town of Thekkady and Periyar National Park Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. This wildlife sanctuary surrounds a picturesque lake, formed by the building of a dam in 1895, which meanders around the contours of the wooded hills and provides a permanent source of water for the local wildlife. Though it's a tiger reserve, tourists come here to view the Indian elephants in the act of ablution and playfulness by the lake. In the evening, enjoy a tour around a local spice plantation and a delicious meal prepared by the owner's family. Venture into the acclaimed Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary for a guided nature walk in the hope of glimpsing sambar, bison, elephant, spotted deer, tiger and leopard. (Brochure)
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Up to this point, we have traveled in a night sleeper train, day train, private van and numerous tuk-tuks....now a new experience...a public bus.....not a long distance bus but one crowded with people going from town to town...hopping on/off. You get close and personal and you get to meet each other....university student...local business men...old men who want to know who you are...a messenger carrying a large pot to a town 20 miles distant. We talked to many of them.... having cute femalesin our group attracted a number of young Indian men After traveling about 4 hours, we had to change buses which was a challenge in itself. We got on our 1st bus at its origination point....this next bus, we had to shoehorn ourselves and backpacks into a much crowded environment.....to say the least, all of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience of traveling on India's local bus system.
We arrived at the small village, Thekkady, located adjacent to the Periyar Tiger Preserve. We are in a hilly area and the air is cool and refreshing...we finally escape the heat!! Our hotel is quite nice and well appointed....I can't complain at all about the accommodations on this trip. Chandra takes us on a short walk around the village....we all visit the ATM for additional rupees and have lunch at one of the local diners...so to speak.
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| Hotel Abadi |
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| Local Family Diner |
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| Kitchen |
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| Owner Preparing Local Breads |
Some went shopping.......
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| Mary, what do you think?? |
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| Lovely..lovely...Pip |
There is a large Catholic presence in the Kerala State which was originally populated by the Portuguese. The name of the Church is Lady of Lourdes. I attended 5:30 PM mass since I have not been able to attend mass since I left the USA. Located in the center of the altar were colorful LED lights
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| Lourdes' Exterior |
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| Altar |
The evening offers a special treat. We visit Mr Abraham's Spice Garden for a one hour tour of his garden and learn about the household and medical usages of various spices....recognized as one of the 18 top spice garden's in the world. We learn about pepper, turmeric, cloves, cocoa, black-honey produced by bees no bigger than a mosquito, etc.
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| Mr Abraham discussing Pepper |
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Ugly Gourde
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| Turmeric Flowering Plant |
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| Beautiul Spice Flower |
After the tour, Mr. Abraham and his wife prepare a wonderful vegetarian/ non-vegetarian dinner of multiple offerings. The plates are palm leaves and the utensils are our hands....kids would love this since Mom/Dad can't criticize them for using their hands. The highlight was dessert....take a handful of rice, squash a small sweet banana to a mushy consistency, add some yogurt and a dash of sugar. Now mush it altogether with your right hand and scoop the delicious mixture into your mouth....licking the drippings as they roll off your chin...get the picture....aaaaah. A superb host and his wife, a wonderful dinner and a special end to a tiring day.
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| Mr Abraham discusses Dinner |
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| Monica Creating Her Dessert |
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| Pip Adopts the Indian Way |
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| It Feels sooo Good |
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| Gillian - I Can Eat It All |
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| Finger Food |
Travel by public bus along a winding road to the spice plantation town of Thekkady and Periyar National Park Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. This wildlife sanctuary surrounds a picturesque lake, formed by the building of a dam in 1895, which meanders around the contours of the wooded hills and provides a permanent source of water for the local wildlife. Though it's a tiger reserve, tourists come here to view the Indian elephants in the act of ablution and playfulness by the lake. In the evening, enjoy a tour around a local spice plantation and a delicious meal prepared by the owner's family. Venture into the acclaimed Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary for a guided nature walk in the hope of glimpsing sambar, bison, elephant, spotted deer, tiger and leopard. (Brochure)
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