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Monsoon
holidays
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As you can see, the magic of the monsoon season
has fascinated people from the earliest times to the present
day. Why not join the gang?
No, the rains don't lash down all day long. There will be heavy
rain for about an hour or two and afterwards lots of warm Kerala
sunshine when you can catch up on your sun tan, lounge by the
pool or do some sightseeing.
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"The
meeting of the earth and the clouds is
a kind of love-making."
Chasing the Monsoon, Alexander Frater 1990
"'The
sky on every side is shrouded by rain-clouds
Which wear the beauty of deep lotus petals,
And here look like heaps of made-up eye salve, and there
Possess the charm of breasts of women with child."
Indian poet, Kalidasa 100 B.C.
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| Tour
at a glance: |
Wondrous monsoon rain, study
of a great weather system, rejuvenated earth,
rejuvenated you through Ayurvedic oil bath
and massage, discover south and central Kerala,
rain forest, tree houses, fishing villages,
beaches, houseboat cruises, shopping, architecture,
sightseeing.
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On
June 1st, with miraculous timing every year,
this great weather system enters India at the
tropical city of Trivandrum on the Malabar Coast.
We suggest you arrive at Trivandrum Airport
at least one day before.
As the monsoon breaks, watch
the clouds collecting over a Fresh Fish Curry
lunch in one of this city's many fine hotels
(average cost of a Buffet Lunch 300Rupees, about
5 pounds sterling; local vegetarian restaurants
offer a thali meal, that's a variety
of small dishes, for about two pounds). Catch
a movie in English, Malayalam or a Bollywood
great in the afternoon if you want to escape
the showers. Then catch up with the violety
sky it as it arrives in the beach resort of
Kovalam, one of the finest in India. Join the
chatty locals as they study the pattern of the
biggest weather system known to man. Experience
some local snacks in any of the beach restaurants.
Afterwards shop for souvenirs along the seafront
and settle down for the night in a unique beach
cottage.
The rains rejuvenate! They
work their magic on the banana and coconut
trees and this climate will work its magic
on you too. Traditional Ayurvedic massage,
which rejuvenates mind, body and soul, is
best taken at the start of the monsoon. Try
a foot massage where the technician swings
from a rope in the ceiling and massages your
oiled body with his feet. Book in for a week's
rejuvenating beauty treatment which is guaranteed
to knock years off your age. You can try different
Ayurvedic centres as you follow the skies.
It's a quiet, relaxing time in the state of
Kerala. No hoards of tourists. All the attention
will be focused on you, giving you a new lease
of life.
Chase the monsoon from the
backseat of a private taxi all the way north
from Kovalam. Next stop is the temple town of
Varkala with its old-fashioned cottages and
sweeping red laterite cliffs from which rich
mineral water gushes that is believed to cure
all sorts of ailments. This town is a major
Hindu pilgrimage centre so a visit to the 3000
year old Janardhana Swamy temple with its own
ambalakulam or temple pool on Sivagiri Hill
is a must.
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Journey on another 20 kms to Kollam
on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake and now the centre
of Kerala's cashew nut industry. The beach at Thirumullavaram
circles a small fishing village and after your sightseeing
you can start one of the most memorable parts of your
Kerala yatra, a night cruise by traditional riceboat
to Alleppey. Alleppey with its networks of waterways
is known as the 'Venice of the East'. Here you can walk
the beautiful white sands of a nearly deserted beach,
shop for gold, visit temples and watch the evening sky
from a Heritage Home overlooking the beach.
It's on to Cochin, 'Queen of the
Arabian Sea', a unique Indian city which comprises a
bustling business district and several small islands.
Take a half-hour ferry ride to an island and view a
historic palace, catch another ferry and enjoy the comforts
of a five-star hotel on the edge of the water. See the
Chinese fishing nets, brought originally from the court
of Kublai Khan, haul in your dinner back on the mainland
in historic Fort Cochin and saunter along the spice-filled
streets of Mattancherry. Stay in a city hotel and have
another relaxing Ayurvedic Rejuvenation massage before
sunset.
Next day it's straight into the
heart of a 500-acre tropical rain forest where you
will observe nature from an authentic tree house,
perched 86 feet above ground level and made from all
natural materials. You move up in the world by way
of a genuine cane lift and all your food comes from
an organic farm.
Now you have a choice. You can
continue to chase the monsoon through northern Kerala
and even on to Goa. Or you can book in for the rejuvenating
benefits of a one-week Ayurvedic Treatment and enjoy
Indian Head Massage, Body massage, Oil Bath, Steam
Bath and many other calming treatments.
Ultimately this holiday will be tailored
by you - and of course, by the skies. That's why we
can't plan it day to day.
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