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.

Flowers of Kovalam

Kerala is known for its myriad shades of green but its flowers are also quite lovely. Since I know about as much about flowers as I do about Malayalam (the palindromic English name given to the language of the Kerala people) I present these photos without caption for your enjoyment. If you know what they are please feel free to email me their names.

Welcome to Kerala - let's eat!

Except for the occasional splurge (like the buffet at the Leela – more on this fabulous hotel later) I eat very cheaply and quite simply here in Kovalam.

Breakfast is usually puttu (pronounced poo-too – emphasis on the too) and banana. Puttu is available either in wheat or rice varieties and is simply rice/wheat flour mixed with grated coconut and then steamed in a tube.



It's rice puttu in the photo and the yummy red bananas which I get when Joy gets them as opposed to the smaller, yellow bananas which you see in Chinatown in Victoria that are about a third of the size of a garden variety supermarket banana. Both types have way more flavour than our bananas at home. You smush the banana up with your fingers and break off chunks of the puttu and gobble it all up together. It's very tasty but is at its best when fresh, hot and fluffy (which is rarely in my case as it is usually sitting waiting for me when I come back from my walk). I'm not going to eat the pen – I just put that in for scale.

Lunch is usually a very basic thali. Thali is the name for the 'all you can eat meal on a plate' that is signified by the sign 'meals ready' in restaurant/tea shop windows (often in both English and Malayalam). Kari, the Finnish tourist, introduced me to what is about the cheapest thali I've ever eaten.



It isn't fancy, as you can see. It is boiled rice topped with dahl (lentils), two veg curries (ranging from things I recognize like cabbage or green beans to others I don't) and pickle (far left depression in plate). Your plate is refilled as you eat – if you don't like something don't eat it and you won't be given any more. Locals and some brave tourists eat with their fingers but I know from trying it that it is supremely difficult to eat soupy rice without making a terrific mess so I ask for a spoon (and you only have to ask once – this is mostly a local eating place and the few foreign customers stand out in the proprietor's mind). Most days I eat at this shop where the lunch is 15 Rs (about 40 cents).

If I am feeling bored with life and/or food on the beach I'll go to Trivandrum where one of my favourite stops for lunch is Arriya Nivas (which is a hotel with two restaurants). Downstairs is the non-air conditioned dining hall where your thali is served on a banana leaf and is probably cheaper (one day I'll have to check). Upstairs is the fiercely air conditioned hall where what is arguably the city's best thali is served in high style.



You get chapatis and pappadams – which you don't get at the Kovalam tea shop (not surprising for 15 Rs) – as well as lemonade, a wonderful selection of curries, a choice of two types of rice (the 'boiled rice' of the tea shop thali or a more basmati like rice) and a dessert (usually payasam which is a sweet rice and milk pudding with raisins and cashews – it is just below the handle of the spoon). The waiters here are all like Jewish mothers and will encourage you to eat until you feel you will burst. The thali here is 75 Rs (just over $2 Canadian).

Back in Kovalam dinner is usually chicken fry and parothas.



I don't believe the chicken is actually fried – I think it is more likely roasted in a very hot wok type vessel. It is rubbed with spices and is skinless (which I'd never really thought of until now – trust the Malayalis to be healthy ahead of the curve). It is very tasty but occasionally is lip-blisteringly spicy (even Joy will comment). Parothas are a wheat and water bread that are flakier than a chapati – perhaps they have a bit of oil in them but I suspect it is how they are made – they start out as balls of dough about the size of tennis balls which are then turned in to a kind of spiralled circle that develops layers as it cooks. This picture also has a bag of vegetable curry (or it could be chicken curry – everything comes in plastic bags here much to my dismay) and a boiled egg – that may have been Joy's dinner.

Joy gets food for both of us and we eat at the hotel – there are not a lot of restaurants open right now as it is off-season and it is easier for him to just get food for two. I give him money once a week (about 600 Rs - $15 Canadian) and that is plenty for breakfast and dinner, occasional cups of coffee, snacks and water. Soon after I arrived we got the water delivery people to set me up with a dispenser (200 Rs deposit) and now 20 liters of water, which lasts about a week, costs me only $1.50. Hope you've enjoyed this glimpse in to my daily grub.

London SRK sighting, Dubai dust and India at last

First of all I should explain that the reason this entry is so late – after all tomorrow I will have been here two weeks already – is due to my loaning my camera to Kari, a Finnish tourist who I met when I was here in 2006/2007. His digital camera broke and he seemed to have a bit of an obsession about documenting the waves and the evolution/dissolution of the beach as the season progresses which kept my camera in his custody for several days. Since he is leaving on the 14th and I'm here for several more weeks it didn't seem like much of a sacrifice.

The whole trip to India went really well. As expected the flight on Air Canada from Vancouver to Heathrow was packed full but I still managed to get about 4 hours sleep and arrived feeling pretty chipper in to London. There was some confusion about my ticket in Vancouver – apparently Travel Cuts had made my reservation but not my booking (not sure on the nuances of the travelspeak there) and although I had at one point been issued seats the check-in people at Vancouver actually didn't have me anywhere on the plane. There were a few anxious moments when I wondered whether I was going to get on the plane but I did. Based on this experience I decided that the first job at Heathrow would be to find the Emirates desk and make sure they had a record of me flying with them. They did and I checked in at that time too meaning I didn't need to be back at Heathrow until about 8 pm (for my 10:00 pm flight).

So I went off to meet my friend Delia at Rasa's restaurant near Oxford Circus station. We had a delightful lunch, a wander around, a stop at the National Gallery and hit a used book store on Charing Cross Road where I picked up two books for a pound each for the plane.

I headed back to Heathrow about 4:00 pm – much later and I would have hit rush hour traffic. Plus by this time I was beginning to feel a bit sleepy despite several coffees along the way. I thought it would be better to be at the airport in case I was overcome with sleepiness and started to nod off wherever I happened to be.

I got back to Heathrow in plenty of time and was wandering around waiting for the gate for my flight to be posted when I saw a young Indian girl run up to a friend, grab her friend's arm and start pulling her towards one of the big duty free shops. She was obviously very excited about something so I decided to follow her to see what the buzz was about and was rewarded with an SRK sighting (and some very crap pictures – I will obviously never make it as a paparazzo – or is it paparazza?).









SRK is Shah Rukh Khan who is arguably the biggest star in today's Bollywood constellation. In person he was rather underwhelming – he was quite short (maybe 5' 8”), looked absolutely shattered with tiredness and the trademark charisma and energy were nowhere to be seen. Still, it was a bit of a thrill and the reactions of his fans (many of whom were employees of various stores in the airport) was fun to watch.

The Emirates flight from Heathrow toDubai was maybe half full and I got a bank of three seats to myself. Unfortunately I got carried away watching the gorgeous Will Smith in “I am legend” and didn't get anywhere near as much sleep as I should have. Still I felt good on arriving at Dubai and headed out in to the sunshine which was in hindsight a mistake (but I had seven hours and didn't fancy staying at the airport all that time).


Dubai was dusty, incredibly hot and obviously not built for pedestrians. It was like watching the traffic along the Pat Bay Highway – almost every car had only a single occupant and many of the vehicles were huge SUVs. I crossed a bridge that was still under construction and saw many workers – the majority of whom looked Malayali (from Kerala) – doing a variety of menial tasks. One poor guy was even washing light standards with a rag and a pail of dirty water. Why does a painted light standard on a bridge that no one is likely to walk across need to be washed I wondered?

After about an hour of wandering I'd had enough. It was incredibly hot and I couldn't seem to get close to the water along which I wanted to walk. I headed back to the airport and paid an outrageous sum ($13) to take an absolutely fabulous shower in the health club of the International Hotel in the airport. Worth every penny!

I had seen a sign earlier that said Emirates passengers with a layover of more than four hours (that's me!) were entitled to a free meal so after the shower I presented myself at the restaurant. Unfortunately it turned out that Emirates policy is not to offer the free meal to anyone who leaves the airport and since my boarding pass had been stamped by immigration I had to admit that I'd been outside. I was more than a bit ticked off as I had asked the cabin crew on the Heathrow-Dubai flight about going outside the airport (I wasn't sure if a visa was needed for Canadians) and nobody had mentioned this. So I had to buy my own lunch – a very bizarre clubhouse sandwich with anemic, limp fries and a pot of tea for about $10.

Waiting for that last flight seemed the longest part but eventually we headed off on another half empty plane where the flight crew encouraged us to pick another seat if the one we had didn't suit us. I picked one right near the emergency exit where I had tons of leg room as there were no seats ahead of me. It was a quick flight in to Trivandrum (3.5 hours) and on our way over I could see the lighthouse at Kovalam as well as the mosque at nearby Vizhinjam.

My luggage appeared quickly (I thought it might be buried at the very bottom of the cargo hold and take hours to emerge) and except for a heart stopping moment when the immigration guy said “Your passport expires in two months” (my passport expires in June 2009 and for some reason he thought we were in 2009 already) it was smooth sailing in to India. I would really recommend Trivandrum as an entry point for those of you planning a trip to India – you could head straight to Kovalam (a $10 taxi ride) and get acclimatized in relatively low culture-shock surroundings before heading off to explore the rest of the country. Alternatively you could stay in Trivandrum which has some nice moderately priced hotels (in the $40-$70 dollar range).



My flight arrived at 8:20 pm (about 20 minutes early) and my friend Joy (see photo - in his England National Team soccer shirt which I bought for him in Victoria) was there to meet me with a taxi and by 9:30 pm I was sitting on the balcony of my hotel sipping a cold beer (thanks Joy for stocking the fridge for me) and wishing there was some way I could make my room as cold as the contents of the beer bottle (the rooms in this guesthouse are ceiling fan-cooled – no airconditioning). Since then it's been lots of sweating, not much swimming (the sea is really too rough), reading, eating and relaxing. Perhaps in June, when things should be cooled somewhat by monsoon rains, I'll decide to undertake some of the less enjoyable duties on my to-do list (the dentist, a trip to Chennai and perhaps an attempt to see the production of the Nano in Pune). More on how I spend my time in Kovalam in a day or two.

Here are some Kovalams views - the view from my guesthouse and a view of the guesthouse itself (the guesthouse is called Marina Kovalam, the strange black rectangle is a British guest that I inadvertently caught in the photo and didn't want to show online without her permission).