Oooh la la Kerala!
It was the usual summer break from school, finished with my boards, and the blistering sun shone from above calling in for a perfect getaway. I was discussing with my parents and cousins, the beautiful places this country has to offer and couldn’t think of a better place than Kerala, God’s own country they call it. Also, being a person speaking the native tongue and Kerala being my native state, I never really got the time and opportunity to explore its existing flora and fauna and the rich heritage holdings. Packed my bag with the necessities and now I’m all set to travel and explore. We planned on driving to Kerala, I fit in my luggage and now comfortably seated looking outside the blurry skies through the eye of the window with anticipation of how things are going to be in the place we were heading, a well-described name in itself- heaven on earth.
My hometown being Kottayam which is about 650 kilometers from Bangalore, a drive would take about 10–11 hours and by train let’s say around 12 hours. Driving to Kerala and to my hometown is an absolute pleasure and early morning drives are the ones that count for. Our basic route is through Tamil Nadu and then crossing the border into Kerala. We usually have a stop for breakfast at Adyar Ananda Bhavan which serves amazing south Indian food. Dosas, Idlis, Vada, Pongal just to name the most prominent ones out of the many. Hey, no offense to other foods, I love them all equally, I eat them all equally. Don’t we all need a getaway in our lives more often? driving to my hometown in Kerala is one of them that actually makes you feel more refreshed and the delectation experienced is quite indescribable. The roads are beautiful with a long stretch of tar with cars, buses, trucks that tread on and with people like me sitting by the window side with their anticipation reflecting on the far side of the road. I often look at the sceneries that pass by, a motion picture in vision.
Arriving at my destination, blood rushing through my body, and a head filled with visions of an unknown beauty that lies ahead made me more curious about my mind and my imagination. We headed to our aunt’s house at first. The house was enormous with around 10 rooms, a huge hallway, and a dining hall capable of seating 30 people. The backyard was a treat to the eyes with an open field that leads to a captivating view of the countless times the sun has risen and set. It feels quite surreal to wake up to the rays of hope and happiness. The fresh green pastures gave away a reminiscing aroma that lingered around the house luring people off their lazy beds. Quite honestly speaking, the vicinity holds a series of open fields that portray a hill in the background with misty clouds that clinch on the hilltop, wow don’t they look like ice cream! Well, hilariously that’s only part of my imagination. There is a multitude of other activities one can do in places here Drives around here are like evening walks in the park, the weather seems to fit in right and is a contributing factor to the mind and body’s peacefulness. Coming to cravings, the food here is beyond a stomach’s imagination. Guess everybody part feels as heavenly as the place itself. Ah! The name yet again personified. From appam to a whole Onam meal is what you get in every house you visit, with each tasting different and delicious.
Temples in Kerala are an entire feeling in itself, very empyrean I would say. A mixture of holiness with an energy felt in every part of the body that will make one feel existent. Temples are a favorite part of my visits. Temple processions are a big treat to the eyes, with colorful props being used and people gathering from all the nearby districts to enjoy the celebrations. The elephants carrying gods on their backs from one temple to another look majestic in their might. The procession usually lasts up to a day or two with activities all day and night. “Kumbodam” is such a festival in the district of Maalam, Kottayam. it is a yearly tradition of going with my parents and being a part of it. My uncles and brothers usually take part in the procession where they carry a small round container filled with water and plants on their heads and dance all the way to the temple. The idol is taken from one small temple to the main big temple and the distance between the temples is around 2–3km. Sometimes the scorching sun causes blisters on the foot and it becomes difficult to walk on tar roads but hey that is the strength and perseverance shown by the people of my town. Soon after the festival, I come back home and it’s Rest Day. You can smell fresh food being cooked in earthen pots and the aroma lingers around the house like scented candles. I personally love how food tastes different from place to place and Kerala food tops most of my cravings with fried fish, tapioca being the game-changers. Honestly, an unpopular opinion is that Appam goes better with a multitude of gravies. It can be a predominant challenge to take on Dosas and Idlis as a primary breakfast option. Lunch and dinner is yet again a luxurious feast, you name every possible Kerala souvenir, and that will be served to you on the table. I’m often left confused as to what and where should I get my food from because firstly, way too many known houses around, and secondly, so many different culinary dishes. By the time I end up eating lunch and drinking tea from all the houses around, it's almost late evening and time for dinner. I go through this on a daily basis when I visit my hometown and yes, it’s an absolutely satisfying feeling! Happiness, food, and love are inexhaustible emotions that flow into your mind and body through all forms. Moving past the food o’clock, the weather on a few days is quite a bit of the extreme. This time around, I was sweating by 8–9 am in the morning and the sun does not really favor anyone traveling during summer.
I enjoy the evenings the most out here, it pours cats and dogs all through evening with the fresh green leaves reflecting tiny water drops, a teacup in hand is just the right amount of addition to the evening rain. I sit on the front porch of my uncle’s dwelling that overlooks a rubber field onto a road in the distance. The sight is straight out of a travel book. OH, how could I forget the important part of the evening rain- Gossips, Games, and Gala. I call it the “3G”, we play numerous games from cards to hide and seek, from cricket to spoken parlour games and some never-ending funny gossips. One can feel the rich amount of togetherness through these experiences. Some of my visiting days are meant to go around town shopping and looking at different places. We have a tradition which involves going to a new place every time we visit and it ranges from hills to beaches.
This time we went to the backwaters of Kerala, a very famous tourist destination and several resorts lay around the river that offers amazing hospitality and experiences. My mom’s friend owns a boathouse venture and we were lucky enough to travel from one part of the river to another in a boathouse. This was an unforgettable experience for me and my family. The thrilling views and the endless blue waters and the boathouse features are all contributing factors to the amazing adventure. The boat takes you around the river with a fixed time limit for the ride. It also includes a few stops for lunch and evening snacks. Fresh fish from the river is something the taste buds would die for. Toddy is a palm wine that is found in small restaurants alongside the banks of the river. Toddy and fish fry is a game-winner but since I wasn’t old enough to drink, I could not taste the victory of the former. A day well spent is a bit of an understatement. I also got the opportunity to steer the houseboat on the way back after lunch. I recommend one to take the houseboat ride, it’s a sheer pleasure straight out of your heart.
Besides, these are experiences that make my hometown visits so much exhilarating and content. After such day outs, We get back home, and coming back home doesn’t feel less exciting, My grandparents bring in goodies from around town, and opening them is a better feeling than unwrapping Christmas presents. We go the eat, drink tea, sleep repeat way for the day again.
Ughhhh I think we are at the end of my yearly hometown visit *insert sad reacts* and it gets better and better every year. It might be the same place I’m visiting, but the fact that it offers fresh different experiences is an indescribable feeling. Packing and goodbyes are really the hardest things to do. Packing because it’s a lot of effort and work and goodbyes because why leave something that makes you happy? Well, the drive back home is just a day away and I enjoy the last bit of activities. Grandparents are the saddest to watch us leave amongst everyone. They pack all the shopping items from fresh yielded groceries to munchies. My dad hates this part of the visit because he thinks all that we are taking back home adds extra weight to the already existing luggage. Finally, the day to bid goodbye is here, we visit our temple, wish for a blessing upon us and the near and dear ones, come back home to stomach-filling breakfast. Post breakfast, we board the car with luggage and the extra baggage that is filled with so many souvenirs. Right when we start the car, the place gives me a scented fragrance. Maybe it’s the place asking me not to depart haha! I use that fragrance to relive the memories on the way back. Like I previously said, the blurry skies through the eye of the windows, now give me moments to reminisce every bit of the adventure from the first day to the last. Post 9–10 hours of driving, we reach home. The feeling of coming back home is a very protective feeling. Unpacking all of the luggage is tiring and leads to dinner time. Now it’s time to go to sleep and think about the heavenly trip one last time before I wake up the next day to prepare myself for the regular routine. God's own country is a name well suited in every way and which has been a good trip altogether. Until next time and next year for a different set of experiences that awaits me.