Kerela - Kochi , Munnar & Alleppey

Much awaited annual vacation.with an early morning flight we landed at 9am and we booked an ola cab for eranukalam .spent the day at our own pace . Marine drive (boating),mg road (shopping),fort kochi, main boat jetty .the evening was a yummy dinner at Sardarji ka Dhabba(banerji road).yummy food and the best part is they have separate kitchens for preparing veg and non-veg food.

Next morning at ksrtc bus stand . frequent buses to all nearby places of interest.buses start as early as 4:50 am.try taking the early buses to reach within first half and spend the rest of the day for sightseeing.For Munnar ,there is a bus at 9 am and then 10:30 am .6 hours to Munnar.out of these 3 hours in hills promising breath taking views all the way.

Although there are few buses but the best way to see the place is to have an auto or cab or Jeep at your disposal. better to discuss your itinerary with the driver before starting for the day since this hill station is so beautiful that every nook and corner is offered as a tourist point to the visitors.if travelling with kids check out the boating (speed boat or high speed boat ) , children park (amusement park with various swings ,slides and virtual games ) at mattupetty. Or visit the rare animals at Rajamalai national park and see some spectacular scenery on the way . Take an elephant ride at elephant park,feed them and get clicked for it.visit the beautiful flower collections on the way.

Early morning bus from Munnar to alleppey( or kumarakom if you have more time) .on reaching alleppey enjoy alleppey beach and children park.long walks on the beach and shopping back in alleppey local markets.

Take a dedicated auto or cab and cover coir industry/museum , beautiful churches ,boat rides (shikara boat if not opted for a night in house boat ),speed boats , elephant rides ,Marari beach (try some chilli bhaji and onion pakoras local style )

Take early morning bus or train to eranukalam and enjoy MG road , visit Cochin gurdwara ,subash park and other children park around main boat jetty . check out spices on Broadway lane ,eat local food around bay pride mall.

Tips :

1.When in Kerala don't forget to try the yummy local dishes : appam's with veg stew, iddiyapam's with chana curry ,puttu ,Malabar parotta ,onion pakoras ,banana pakoras ,chilli Bhajji ,local chocolates and the famous fish curry ,if you like non veg food.( Banana chips and jackfruit chips too )

2.If you are a vegetarian ,no worries . there are many places that offer veg only food .

3. Must try is local veg thali ,it is yummy and flavourful ( try this if you are not fussy about coconut oil preparations )

4.For non vegetarian , this place has a plethora of halal meat options.

5. If you crave for chaat (paani poori / samosa /bhel poori ), head to bay pride mall for the local vendor just outside the mall.

6. If you seem lost ,ask localities. People are very friendly and helpful .

7.Cochin has good coverage of ola and uber cabs . Autos are also pretty cheap and easily available .

8.Trains ,Boats and KSRTC buses are available in abundance to move from one Kerala city to another .(friendly if you are on budget travel)

Kerala has so much to offer : beaches to hill stations to wildlife to adventure . It is THE place for vacations .