Our final day in Nepal and up at 6am to see the sunrise over the Himalayas for the last time. Breakfast, pack then domestics done we dragged and carried our bags the 1km or so up and down hill to the Tourist bus park. The bus left 10:15 and snaked down the warm sunlit narrow lane through Nagarkot and outlying villages and onward into the Bhaktapur Valley. The valley is littered with chimney after chimney of Brick making factories all pumping out smoke day-in day-out. Suffice to say the valley is smog-ridden, no peacocks or fountains here.... The bus driver dropped us on a main dual road near to the airport and we taxied to departures. We were multi-security checked (after the recent explosion in Kathmandu security was much tighter) and managed the usual paper formalities. Our 1h 50m flight to Delhi was swift and uneventful - but I did get some ace photos of the Himalayas (see photos!) - Enjoy. Delhi immigration was a gem - fast and efficient - we then checked in to our 3h 30m Trivandrum flight (via Bangalore we found out!) and grabbed some lunch/dinner. Our flight left late but we arrived (after Bangalore stop and passenger take-off take-on) only 20 mins late at Trivandrum. Speedy bag collect and we met George our Hotel Manager at the airport. It was 25degrees and 'balmy at midnight! He whisked us to The Orion at Kovalam some 25mins away in air conditioned luxury. We were allocated a nice 2nd floor balcony room with fan and we could see the Kovlaam lighthouse across the bay. The sound of the waves crashing from the Arabian Sea was almost deafening but therapeutic. We hit the sack pronto after our 18hrs of travel. Sleep was not great (dogs barking again!) plus the sheer sticky 24 degree heat. Early up and we arose to breakfast healthily at a nearby seafront restaurant. All tasty fruit/juice/water/toast/egg/porridge/teas etc.. less than £4. We explored and looked for alternative lodgings as we only booked 2 nights. We walked up to the lighthouse side of Kovalam Bay and back. It was hot (34 degrees) so we relaxed at a marvelous Indian Veg. restaurant with the best food we have had since being out! We noticed there is a mix of clientele - Indian and Euro - but few Brits, with most being aged 50+. We found some great hotels and agreed on a hotel set back from the sea with Pool, WiFi and balcony no A/C for £13.50 per night. We sat on the Balcony and people watched until the sunset then dinner at the same great taste and great value Indian Veg restaurant! Early night as some sleep catch-up was required!
We have spent the last week relaxing here in Kovalam. It is quiet, with just a little hassle from beggars and vendors. Pace is slow and we are enjoying our new Hotel Thushara with pool, hot water and wifi from our room (for less than the last one)! It is very quiet with only 6 or so rooms taken, set behind the strip so no dogs/waves sounds. Our local veg. restaurant, Lonely Plant Restaurant which we eat at at least once a day is like a scene out of Jungle Book. It has a covered seating area next to a large watering hole and behind the water area is a fern/coconut palm jungle area. The wildlife we have watched has been amazing. It has been a goldmine for photos of Kingfishers, woodpeckers, bats, a frog and even a Mongoose (how exotic!) - see the amazing photos. We have just relaxed each day in the 35+ degree heat - but took a bus into Trivandrum, Kerala's capital - about 15km from here - to do a reccy for inter-town bus and train connects. Lovely quiet air conditinoned bus was great (as we have fan only at our room) - but things got busier and louder as we reached Triv'. It was the scene of a female only pongala pilgrimage and the town was heaving with trippers doing the temples and festivities. The "pongala" (to boil over)pilgrimage is in the Guinness book of records as it can attract up to 2.5 million women on one day - the largest congregation of women. The women, we later found out, cook rice and jaggery (sugar cane substance) in earthen pots over brick hearths along the sidewalks. This cooking is an offering to their godess Devi. They make wishes to their god as they do this. The smoke from thousands of pots is terrific apparently. We did not know about this and did not see the actual ritual. As we stepped off the bus at East Fort we were hit by the heat, the sheer numbers of people and vehicles and the noise (mainly of enormous 'Metallica-esque' speaker systems every 20-30m or so outside blaring music at deafening levels). Sheryl promptly put her ear plugs in!!!! It was a real shock after Kovalam as we explored temples, bus and railway station, shops and, of course a tasty Indian restaurant for yet another marvelous curry lunch mmmmmmmmmm... The streets were crammed with women wearing beautifully coloured saris, their hair decorated with offering flowers. The smells from flowers stands, fruit stands and food stalls was wonderful. All this and with music blaring it was sensory overload. We were the only Europeans around Triv' the whole time we were there. We bought necessities - Sheryl's mandatory Umbrella and some liquid soap and headed back by rickshaw/Tuk-Tuk in the manic traffic, with locals amused seeing us both. We also spent time walking around the beaches here and the back roads. Behind Kovalam strip and a few hotels/eateries are palm forests and paddy fields just brimming with wildlife. I also watched the fishermen bring in their morning catch of fresh fish - using much manual effort and a huge net, tell us what you think of the photos?
We plan on relaxing (nothing new) here another 5-6 days then off to Varkala up the coast for .... another relax on a cliff top 'roundhouse-chalet' overlooking the Arabian Sea. Sounds quite nice really. Anyway off for breakfast and we are exploring a local harbour later. Please keep messaging and check out our VIDEOS and PHOTOS, thanks.