God’s own country always held a lure for me but this latent urge started getting more pronounced since I moved to Bangalore.
Perhaps it was the proximity to the place or the friends I made from that region who extolled it’s virtues or the unique and interesting concoction of ideas that they held. All in all, I couldn’t wait to step foot into the state and partake of it’s famed beauty. Little did I know that improper planning and onset of Covid a few months later would put my plan on the backfoot for a good 3 years.
So finally with travel restrictions easing up, I booked my tickets and landed in Trivandrum on a hot April ’22 morning. I had ignored naysayers and advice of well-meaning friends who said that Kerala was likely to be terribly hot and humid and wasn’t really a time for tourists. I didn’t care, plans had finally fallen in place after and it would take much more than a little humidity to dissuade me.
I had booked this highly rated place on Booking.com called Kerala Cottage and as I made my way along the beach to the place, my excitement was getting more and more difficult to contain by the minute.
The road to this place takes one through long stretches by the beach and culminates on the cliffside where the cottages are beautifully perched. The location is out of the world. Big blues waves crashed on the rocky edges lined with the tall, graceful coconut trees. The azure sky with the happening North Cliff in the horizon provided the perfect backdrop. Heaven and sky merged in nature’s magnificent palette to provide a feast for weary eyes. On a clear, bright sunny day, much to our excitement, we saw shoals of dolphins gallivanting in the sea and treating us to a rare feast for the senses.
I spent my day idling on the rocky cliffs and staring into the endless seas while the sea breeze gently ruffled my hair. In the evening, I would get down to the small black beach along the rocks and let the waves of the sea wash me over.
A short scooty ride of around 15 mins took me to the North Cliff. This is a popular spot, frequented by backpackers and party-goers alike. A number of cafes and pubs serving delicious authentic Kerala cuisine as well as international palates overlooked the sea. The Varkala beach with gentle waves crashing during the day lay a steep descent below. Walking on the cliff edge with the deep blue sea on one edge and quaint cafes on the other gave a very Santorini-esque vibe to me. My husband and I would gorge on delicious food and discuss nothing to everything on our afternoons in the cafes.
We would always make it back to the Kerala Cottage in time for sunsets. Sunset was a treat to the eyes from the cliffs. In a span of 30-40 mins,I would watch the sun slowly go down as the sky burnt up in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow, to finally find it’s rest in the sea.
All in all, an idyllic vacation driving through the winding lanes along the beach, letting the azureness of the sky and sea capture your imagination and letting the sun charm you into a beautiful evening with it’s fireworks.
