Vagamon, Kerala, India

Vagamon is a lesser know/less commercialized hill station situated some 100 km from Cochin. Also known as the 'Scoltland of Asia', this place was first discovered by the British, as the temperatures here made it quite an ideal place for tea plantation.

The town boasts of scenic valleys, greenery, pine forests, mists, fogs, tea estates and pineapple plantations with occasional spice gardens.

We happened to visit over a weekend, and if I were to give an honest opinion about all our weekend trips in Kerala, I believe this one wins hands down.

The place is a visual treat. Every nook and corner of it just takes your breath away.  We drove down from Cochin and followed two separate routes while coming and going back. While returning we passed by Idukki dam. Following pictures will show what I mean when I say the whole trip was amazing!

Pineapple Plants

A huge pineapple plantation

And the misty mountains begin!

Lake amidst the mist. Can you spot it?

The lake. A clearer picture.

The cabin next to the lake. Sadly it was booked!

Endless meadows!

Meadows covered in mist!

Pine Valley

Walking in the pine valley

Looking for that ray of sunshine

Husband and I. A picture I really love!

Man made pond in a restaurant next to the pine valley! They have a huge buffet! And yes, we had our lunch here!

Can't get enough of green!

Mini trek!

It's sunny the next day! And it's time for some tea estates...

Friends having some fun..

View from a garden above Idukki dam

Looks like the green got replaced by water. Idukki dam in backdrop...

So how do you like the pictures? Want to know some travel related tips. Simply drop in a comment or mail...

Allapuzha / Allepey Beach & backwaters, Kerala

Located 62 kms South of Kochi, Allepey offers you a splendid view of the Kerala backwaters, along with an equally beautiful beach. The biggest highlight of Allepey is the annual boat race.

We did not have the privilege to experience the boat race, but we happened to visit during a beautiful pre-monsoon time where we were greeted with an amazing weather, quiet surroundings and the freedom to explore the entire backwaters in a boat, which won't be possible if you happen to visit during the boat racing days.

The drive from Kochi to Allepey was beautiful but the condition of the roads was a damper. It was quite a bouncy ride. As you reach closer to Allepey you will suddenly see lots of home-shops selling coir products. Yes, Allepey has lots of coir factories in the outskirts. The best part is they have lots of carpets at display as well. And you will definitely find them cheaper than your city prices. This definitely excited me as I have been on a lookout for a good carpet for a long long time. And yes, I did pick a simple coir carpet on my way back and some door mats too. All thanks to husbands charming skills we got entry into one of the factories itself and my 8x6 carpet was a steal at INR 480/-. I came back smiling all the way. :)

Enough of my shopping spree, let's get back to Allepey. Well we reached and since we were in no way planning to stay overnight we decided against a private house boat. We chose to take the Govt. ferry instead from first stop to last and back. Giving us a ride of 4 hours into the lovely backwaters and that too at a meager 40 bucks. The moment we boarded we were guided to the top floor of the boat and amazingly enough it was just the two of us and a couple of tourists who were too mesmerized during the entire ride to speak a word, and we had a lovely quiet 4 hr session to ourselves.

The beautiful villages, the simple villagers, the tiny boats, the bigger houseboats, the flora, the fauna, the occasional drizzle and the lovely breeze. Simply beautiful. No other words. Instead of putting it into words I would just let you enjoy the pictures.

Broken bridge at Allepey Beach

A closer look. Isn't that rusty yet classy!

Lovely sky above our heads!

The expanse of the beach

Cute little bright lighthouse...

Boat ride begins

Statue of Nehru, starting point for the boat race know as Jawahar Lal Nehru Boat race Competition

A houseboat passing by...

Water water everywhere...

And it rains... Can you see the raindrops on water?

Villager commuting from one place to another...

More villagers and villages in the backdrop...

And the usual life goes on...

Kerala Tourism has done a splendid job of promoting these amazing backwaters. For details about their exclusive project on the backwaters you can check out http://greatbackwaters.com/ and know a lot more about these unique water stretches. You can see some of the campaign images here.

http://greatbackwaters.com/ Campaign Image 1

http://greatbackwaters.com/ Campaign Image 2

http://greatbackwaters.com/ Campaign Image 3

I am sure these will inspire you to visit the backwaters for sure. So here's wishing you happy traveling. :)

Athirapally Waterfalls, Kerala

Comfortably located at some odd 70 Km from Cochin, these falls are a combination for scenic forests and streams. Yes, there's not just one but quite a few waterfalls in this area, the largest being the Athirapally Waterfall.

We happened to visit during the peak of the monsoons and it was a a beautiful and quick one day trip. The roads from Cochin to Athirapally can be a little troublesome, especially in monsoons, but still I would suggest that it's the right time as you get to see the waterfall in all it's glory.

We reached the waterfall and just followed the cobbled pathway that led us to the view from top of the fall, as in you see the river coming straight from one end and the other side it falls. And honestly we were a little disappointed thinking that's it? Still we killed some time clicked pictures and when we were about to leave we saw this tiny little board saying 'Way to the waterfalls'. And we sighed a relief, that the trip wasn't a waste of time after all. The pathway goes spiraling down to the bottom of the falls where you see the water falling down with all it's might sprinkling water everywhere in a big radius. Let's see some pictures shall we?

The road ahead on our way to Athirapally

View of the falls from top

Misty falls

And some more mist :)

View of the falls from the bottom

Another fall on the way

A stream on the way back

Road engulfed in greenery

Room at Rainforest Resort

View from the room's balcony

Tree house in the resort

View from resort's restaurant.

According to the manager at the resort the waterfall was only half of what it usually is. He explained something about water being released from a dam ahead that makes the entire brown stones currently visible in the picture get covered and overflow with water. 

All in all it was truly beautiful and is a must see if you happen to be in Kerala.