The best bookstore on the beach!

Of course I am biased but I really think that my friend Joy's bookstore (Ancy's bookstore - named for his daughter) is the best one on the beach. From humble beginnings (maybe 30 books eight years ago) he has built up a very good collection of just under 2,500 books (as of when this entry was initially written in 2008 - now, in 2009, he has about 3,000 books). He's got about 1,300 English books, 400 German and 300 Swedish and a smattering of other languages.

I spent the last few days of my visit helping get the store ready for the upcoming tourist season - we painted and installed five new shelves (still have paint in my hair) and put the English, German and Swedish books in alphabetical order by author. The photos show me putting the English books in order and finally admiring my handiwork!

























Joy still has some work to do including an exterior paint job on the shop, giving the floor a good clean and installing some lights. If you're in Kovalam Beach and need something to read (or just want to say hello) do drop by. The shop is behind the Velvet Dawn restaurant which is down near the lighthouse end of lighthouse beach (another landmark is Hotel Sea View Palace which is just next door).

Disappearing Sights

There are many things in India that used to be very common 10 years ago but now are seen infrequently. One is the sight of men climbing coconut trees (see left) to bring down coconuts or 'ready to drop' branches (so that they don't fall unexpectedly and hurt someone/something). The men wrap a circle of rope around their ankles and shinny up the tree quickly and expertly.










Another disappearing sight is that of the tea man. This tea seller would come by Kovalam Beach most afternoons but you certainly don't see 'mobile' tea sellers as often as you used to. And another unfortunate change (for the environment) is the replacement of the old recyclable clay cups with plastic ones and the use of individual teabags rather than readymade tea (so the tea seller has hot, heavily sugared milk and water in the urn and he just adds it to a teabag in a plastic cup when he serves it to you - YUCK!)

Signs of the times

It is not hard to see change in India although much of it seems very superficial. For example this billboard near Kovalam Junction embodies many of the aspirations that seem to be uppermost for young Indians - to dress, look and behave - as Western as possible.

In a reversal of the way things are here 'readymade' (or off the rack) clothes (like blue jeans and T-shirts) are much more expensive than tailor-made.









Death is handled differently in India. Despite it being a hot climate people will sometimes keep a body at home for viewing before a funeral or cremation. Obviously you are going to need refrigeration to do that and then you need to call the people at the mobile mortuary (left photo) who will supply you with a plug-in platform (right photo) for your loved one to rest on.



Finally you may come across signs like this one that I spotted in Chennai - it seems sex is a concern no matter where in the world you go and I think this poster has covered most of the male sexual problems very thoroughly.

Taj Green Cove

Looking back towards the Leela (white building on the headland) from Samudra Beach - the closest beach to the Taj Green Cove.

View towards the ocean from the Taj's poolside restaurant.

The Taj Green Cove is the other high-end hotel in the area. It is north of the Leela and is – in my mind – nowhere near as nice. It is set back in the coconut palms and therefore has only a distant view of the ocean (see below). I went for coffee the other day and not only was it more expensive (130 Rs with tax for a probably bottomless cup – I say probably since I had two cups and that was plenty for me but probably could have had more) but I only got 3 biscuits with it (instead of 4 at the Leela). Of course part of my disenchantment may have been because the very pleasant bathrooms contained a scale (the bathroom is obviously for use by patrons of the spa since it has towels, lockers etc) and I was foolish enough to weigh myself. I won't divulge the number except to say that the weight loss I enjoyed last year is not happening this time! Too much thali I guess.

Vizhinjam

Vizhinjam (pronounced approximately as Vuh-yin-yam – that's not 100% accurate but, as with so many languages, the Malayalam sounds that make up this place name do not exist in English) is a primarily fishing village south of Kovalam. It is colourful, unpretentious and much more 'real India' than Kovalam. Go early in the morning and you'll discover that many inhabitants still use the ocean as their toilet (not much different than us in Victoria I guess – except we nonchalantly flush our waste away in the bathroom rather than depositing it directly on the beach and letting the waves take it). Many of the houses are rudimentary and as you wander by you'll often hear a woman haranguing someone (probably a man) and understand how the term 'fishwife' originated!

Vizhinjam is supposed to be developed over the next few years as a deep water container port – I'm not sure if that involves dredging the harbout or not – but the process seems stalled at the moment. It's something to do with competing bids I think. The community is made up of mostly Muslims and Christians and the two most prominent features are the mosque and the church.

The yellow and white mosque is not open to non-Muslims but it is very attractive even from the outside. In the second to last photo – the one before the photo of the church – you can see a second mosque under construction to the right of the existing mosque. You can see one of its minarets just to the right of the third clump of palm trees.

The church of prominence in Vizhinjam is Our Lady of Good Voyage. Its foundation stone was laid in 1949. It is a candy-coloured confection of a place of worship that somehow seems perfect for the background of green palms, blue skies and sparkling ocean. The church is quintessentially Indian with its simple architecture, brightly coloured paintings adorning the altar and similarly coloured statues hung with garlands of flowers. There are only a few rows of movable pews at the back of the church – most worshipers remove their shoes (as you would in a mosque or Hindu temple) and sit on the floor.

Vizhinjam is a very photogenic place with a harbour crammed with colourful boats, a church that looks like it's carved out of rock candy and a mosque set like a jewel in a stunning seaside setting.

Trivandrum Zoo

Trivandrum's zoo and its surrounding grounds are a refuge of greenery and relative peacefulness from the busy, traffic-congested city roads.

The zoo is probably the best I've ever been to in India with large enclosures for the animals and a viewing public that mostly seems to obey the posted rules (about not attempting to feed the animals and not throwing things at them or taunting them in any way). It also, in common with most attractions in Kerala, has a reasonable admission charge (20 Rs for adults) and no differential pricing for foreigners.

I've only included two shots – one of the hippos and one of a relaxed herd of sambar deer. For me one of the highlights of the zoo is something that many other visitors probably don't even notice – the hundreds (if not thousands) of bats (fruit bats I think) hanging in the high reaches of the many trees in the zoo's compound. I have seen such bats in many zoos I've visited in India – perhaps they are attracted to the zoo animals' food or maybe it is that zoos offer the largest concentration of tall trees in cities. The day I visited was quite hot and the bats all seemed to be flapping one wing – perhaps this is some kind of cooling technique. These are not small bats – they are about crow-sized – and you are alerted to their presence by a shrill chattering unlike birdsong or insect noise. Unfortunately they are so high up in the trees that it is hard to get a good picture of them.

Entry to the zoo also includes the reptile house (which is outside the zoo proper) where there are some very formidable looking snakes as well as a group of complacently feeding guinea pigs who are unaware of their eventual fate (becoming dinner for the snakes).

Monsoon missing in Kovalam (suspected to have absconded to Mumbai)

I must admit that I am getting a bit tired of waiting for the rumoured monsoon which has yet to put in much of an appearance. These photos seem to indicate that the prophesied event is soon to arrive but in fact we have had only about 30 minutes of hard, steady rain happening over the space of several days (although there was one night in May where it just pelted down for hours). I don't seem to be acclimatizing very successfully although I am finding sleeping much easier. There was some unseasonal rain in March this year (which apparently ticked off the tourists here then to no end) and so perhaps the monsoon won't be coming at all this year or in perhaps in a very abbreviated form. I live in hope however, of days of cooling rain, some really wonderful fierce storms and raging winds.

A Kovalam landmark - Vizhinjam Lighthouse

Built in May 1972 the lighthouse has only been open for visitors for the past few years. I don't know what the second beach at Kovalam was called before it was built – maybe 'No Lighthouse Beach.' I was very impressed to see on this visit that in 2007 a solar panel was installed that is helping to power (or perhaps completely powering? Hard to know) the lighthouse's bulb.

As you can see in this bottom up view getting to the top is a workout – especially the last six feet which are up a steep nautical-type ladder. Note to ladies – wear pants or, if wearing a skirt, make sure no one is close

behind you during your final push to the top.

The views from the lighthouse are spectacular. Looking south to Vizhinjam – which will in the future be the location of a deep water harbour – you can see the mosque and, in the second photo, peeking up from the carpet of palms, the pink towers of the Our Lady of the Voyage church. I'll be doing a blog entry on Vizhinjam in the future.

Looking north you see Lighthouse Beach and the outcropping of rock that separates the two beaches. On the backside (not visible) of the last outcropping is the Leela hotel. The last photo is not of the lighthouse at all but of a sandcastle perhaps inspired by it.

Flowers of the Leela

The real flowers of Leela are the staff but I haven't had a chance to catch them on camera yet (or get their stories). But it's not surprising that such a beautiful hotel has colourful and well kept grounds and so here – with excuses for not knowing their names (either popular or botanical) are the tropical flowers of the Leela.

There is one photo that is not of a flower but of a fruit which Joy tells me is actually served as a vegetable.

The Lovely Leela

The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach is simply a gorgeous hotel. When I came here in the 90s this property on the headlands between two beaches (be sure to check out the Leela's website to see aerial photos that I obviously am unable to get without a helicopter!) was home to a dumpy, Kerala State Tourism hotel where you had to go to change travelers' cheques. Then for a short while it was a Le Meridien. I'm not sure when the Leela group took it over but it is nothing short of spectacular now.


As a non-guest I don't have access to what are probably some of the hotels best features – apparently there are two other swimming pools in addition to the infinity pool that adjoins The Terrace restaurant (below).




And while up at the Leela for tea the other day with a newly made Brit friend (Martha) we looked down enviously at a massive outdoor seating area with candles, huge clay pots (probably at least 5 feet tall) filled with greenery and comfy couches that I hadn't realized was there. This outdoor area is the dining and drinking area for the club rooms shown in the far left of the previous picture.



This picture shows the view to the north from the terrace.











What makes the Leela extra special is the beautiful décor and construction of the building and the uniquely Kerala touches. Mosaics are found on the floor of The Terrace and the lobby.


















A carved wall plaque (not sure if it is wood or stone) features birds and flowers.















The lobby is light and airy with a stunning flower arrangement that changes daily.




















The vast iron pots in the sunken seating areas are full of rose petals and art with exuberant colours decorates the walls.









































I think this painting of a Kathikali dancer is just magnificent.















And just to prove that I've actually been inside here's me in what is probably an antique mirror.















Elephants are everywhere both inside and out.








































A lovely Ganesh has pride of place to the right of the main door.




Rooms at the Leela start at about $300 Can but an Australian couple told me that the rooms they looked at were simply breathtaking and included floor to ceiling windows with sea views, chocolates and all the mod-cons you could desire. It is completely acceptable to go up for a 3-cup pot of tea or coffee (which I do once or twice a week - $3.00 with a generous tip) or a meal (not a bargain at about $20 but the food is VERY good and the pastries are the best I've ever eaten in India). A drink at sunset is also a possibility – something Martha and I did the other day. She had a gin and tonic ($4.50) and I had a small (330 ml) Kingfisher beer (same price). It was a painterly sunset and we both enjoyed ourselves very much.

The final thing I'll say about the Leela is that the staff are friendly and genuine without being obsequious. If you are planning a trip to Kerala and can afford it the Leela would make a great one or two night treat for the end of your visit. If not – just do like I do, wander up for a meal or a drink and pretend that you're rich enough to stay.