beach holidays – Page 2 – Wander With Stella

Back to the Malabar Coast of Kerala

Brilliant Green Rice Paddies Peak Out Along the Shores

The Backwaters of Kerala – don’t miss this experience in India

Every guide book and every hotel pamphlet and tourism booth and Tuk Tuk driver will tell you the “Backwater” experience is a must in Kerala and I couldn’t agree more. What could be better than a day on the water in one of the converted Kettuvallom boats that were used to transport goods in the many waterways winding between islands and the mainland, There are several places to start your Backwater Cruise, but I chose Alleppey. (Allapuzza another one of its names) Lucky for me the skies were clear, it was hot, but at 7:00 pm the a/c comes on in your cabin about the time that the temperature drops to a comfortable 33 degrees Celsius.

My boat was lovely and had an upper and lower fore deck, with a dining area and the rest was individual state rooms. Mine had a double bed its own bathroom and windows out to the water on both sides. The other passengers were Indian families for the most part. There were only about 12 of us altogether.

For the most part people sat close to the fans suspended to the dining room ceiling as we cruised along enjoying the views and life along the banks of the waterways. I was sitting enjoying music that was playing on a set of very large speakers when the parents of some teenagers left, leaving their prodigy behind. Immediately the music and volume changed and I realised that the teens were blue-toothed to the speakers. I thought hmmmmm…. I then blue toothed to the speakers pressed play and before I knew it Pavarotti won the cage match of music styles and the teens exited the dining room. I didn’t actually intend to play some opera but it was in the queue so it just happened. Sorry teenagers!

These houseboats are remodelled versions of Kettuvalloms that were once used to carry large amounts of produce. With the changing times, they have now evolved into literal hotels on the water that are equipped with all facilities that one can find on land. The view of rural Kerala from the houseboats is spectacularly serene and pastoral in contrast to the mayhem of road tripping.

Multi-day, Overnight and Day-Trippers Pass in the Channels

Some Boats More Resplendent than Others (Day-Trippers)

Fish Market & Grocery Store – Life Along the Canals

After drifting along for several hours we stopped at a fish market and the boat’s cook was there to say that if you wanted seafood to go ahead and buy it and he would take it back to the boat and prepare it for dinner. I bought prawns and treated myself to a small Pepsi of all things. That’s what thirst will do to you in a hot country.

Brilliant Green Rice Paddies Peak Out Along the Shores

Canals Lined with Homes, Villages and Farms

A lazy day of floating along staying cool in the air stream of electric fans, we watched the sun set beneath the palm trees.

Sleeping on board was peaceful, quiet and the sky was star filled. So nice to rock to sleep looking out across the water at the lights of settlements. After breakfast we returned to Alleppey and disembarked where my fearless driver Srihari was waiting to take me further south to Varkala and Novalam the beach destinations situated outside of the capital of Kerala, Thrivarnum.

Varkala & Narvalam – Beach Towns

Having one night in Varkala seemed enough, as pretty as it was and how nice the beach was it seemed like too much of a backpackers destination, without enough Indian flavour for my liking. The handful of people that were on the beach were European.

Thirarnum & Narvala Beach

So I took a Tuk Tuk the next day to Thirarnum had a bit of a tour of the city and headed to Navvarlam where I indulged myself in a upmarket hotel situated right on the beach. The hotel had such an interesting turnover of Indian guests: wedding guests, Hindu Pilgrams, Valentines sweethearts and family groups from all parts of India. I took the half board food package, meaning I had a buffet breakfast and dinner and I must say both meals were quite delicious and I was able to sample a huge variety of dishes all with English name tags which was very helpful.

Although Indian English is a different dialect from my English, it is the common language for a country with over 700 languages according to a linguistic survey that I found on Mr. Goggle. For this reason I met a lot of people in Kerala who spoke English and their own language (Malayalam) but not Hindi as you might expect.

Leaving Trithurnam by Train

I had purchased a first class air conditioned train car to travel the three hour trip back to Kochi Airport to fly on to Sri Lanka the following day. The train car was fabulous I was taken to my seat by a porter who hoisted my luggage into the overhead racks, then the natty conductor in full conductor dress came by to greet me and welcome me, with a hand shake no less, to the train, then I was given a large bottle of water and a red rose and received a large tray of snacks, including pastries and chocolate. Quite the service and the seats were comfortable and the views inviting. I would highly recommend the train trip between Kochi and Trivurnam if you get the chance. A taxi to the President Airport Hotel from the train station and I am settled in for my overnight flight to Sri Lanka. So excited for this next part of my journey but a little sad to leave Kerala, God’s Own Country indeed.

The Road to Munnar and the Kerala Ghats

The history of the Western Ghats is written in tea leaves..

I had such a good experience with my one day tour that I booked through Nicy Charly at Sight City Tours & Travels, that I decided to go all in with them and book my full itinerary with them. I don’t usually do this, because I am avoiding commercialising my Blog, but this company was outstanding both in their prices and their organisational skills and of course I was lucky and got their star driver again. If you visit Kerala I would highly recommend Nicey. She can be found on Facebook

So Srihari and I set out for Munnar, not too early, and arrived four hours later, but not without several stops.

My Fearless Driver Srihari KS after Lord Vishnu, Lion of Prosperity, Divine Krishna

Being a lover of colour…India fits the bill

Along the way to Munnar there are several suggested stops in the guide books including these two waterfalls, Cheeyapara and Valera one of which is waiting for the Monsoon season to return to glory and the other one that is just hanging in there.

I expressed an interest in Ayurvedics and Srihari suggested we stop at one of many Ayurvedic Farms along the way. I paid for a tour with a practitioner and he ushered me about the garden naming all the plants and their medicinal purposes. Very interesting but a great deal of information to absorb in a short time. Of course there was a retail outlet attached to the farm and I purchased some herbs and spices used for various health related purposes.

Ayurvedic Medicine for Skin Disorders – Type of Burrweed

The higher we got into the Ghats the more beautiful the scenery became with the contours of the slopes planted with tea and of course many road side attractions and Srihari humoured me with many stops for exclaiming and photographing the alluring landscapes.

Terraced Tea Plantations following the steps of the Western Ghats

This is Why I Came for the Beauty and the Colour

I’m sorry but you don’t know green until you’ve
been to the hills of Kerala

Finally at 1880 meters, we arrived at top station and of course the views were never ending, much like India itself,

Kerala is known in India as “God’s own country” for a reason

At one point I saw a sign for a botanical garden and I’m sorry but I had to stop and of course photograph madly and chat up the other garden fans. One family I met were from my home town Calgary and lived not far from the neighbourhood that I grew up in. The cheeky grandson told me his grandfather was single, hint, hint, until he was caught out as the man’s wife rounded the corner.

A garden feels like home to me, so many flowers are the same the world over and the sense of familiarity when seeing them outside of your own back yard, reminds me of the commonalities in this world. (I warned you I took a few pictures.)

Green goes with so many other colours…especially if you stop at a Botanical Garden

The trip to Munnar was so wonderful just when you thought it couldn’t get any prettier it would. The hotel that Nicy had booked for me had a definite alpine feeling and I instantly felt at home and was told that I had been upgraded to a chalet room all of my own. Lovely balcony with views over the garden and the valley, pool and great food, mostly vegetarian and delicious.

In the hotel dining room people were very friendly and I met a young foursome from Pune, Chtrapati Shivaji Nagar near Mumbai. Each couple had been married one year and were super into taking their picture with me and even came one morning to knock on my door so we could take one from my balcony. Following the selfie stage they moved on to the FaceTime stage with their families back home and I was introduced to parents and siblings and grandmothers who were all very happy to meet me. Young and sweet and definitely enjoying their vacation.

Laxmi & Anand Kade and Arti & Shubham Shinde

Likewise in the cabin next door the young couple asked to come over to meet me and I said of course. Selfies and calls home to meet the families ensued and I began to feel like somewhat of a celebrity.

Anika’s Wedding Photo Now Screensaver! Stunning or what!

Three nights in Munnar allowed lots of time for road tripping and visiting the Matupetti Dam and Lake, very scenic and surrounded by Shola Forest. According to Mr. Goggle the Shola Forest are rolling grasslands adorned with evergreen vegetations and stunted trees and spectacularly are now part of an ecosystem that is older than humanThe only disappointment was not being able to visit Eruvikulam National Park said to be home to 26 species of mammals. Leopards and tigers being the main predators with seasonal visits from elephants. But it had been closed as it was breeding time for the deer in the park.

Four Doctors and a Chef – More selfie requests

After spending several days exploring the spectacular growth patterns of the tea plant I wondered how I could have gone on so long drinking the stuff and yet knowing so slittle about it. Well that ignorance is gone following my tour of a tea museum and a processing plant.

The history of the Western Ghats is written in tea leaves. The cool temperature, the soil conditions and the local labour force were the exact right conditions for the British Empire to reap the benefits. When India gained its independence local coops took ownership of many of the factories but today many are owned by multinational corporations based in India such as Tata one of the biggest Indian conglomerates.

The tea museum run by the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company showcases the history of tea cultivation in Munnar since 1876 when tea was first planted in here. On display are several rare artefacts and curios as well as evocative photographs from an era of settlement and isolation and a rail engine wheel of the Kundaly Valley Light Railway, that transported men and material between Munnar and Top Station during the early part of the last century, before then everything was carried by humans or livestock.

Then at the Nullatanni tea processing plant we were walked through the process of harvesting and processing the leaves until the final stage where they are sorted into three levels of quality. Interesting tour and of course I bought some White Tea which I look forward to trying when I get home.

From what I could see education is highly regarded in Kerala, apparently having one of the highest rates of literacy in the country. Large schools, often resembling hotels are government run, church run and private and are frequent sights even out in the countryside, resulting in a 93.9% literacy rate.

Three nights at Arbour Resort Srihari and I say goodbye to Munnar and venture on our way to Thekaddy a town about two hours by car.

Puerto Escondido 2023

Puerto Escondido a beautiful place!

I have been coming here for nearly a decade almost on an annual basis and I have used it as my jumping off point for other destinations both within and without Mexican borders. The natural beauty in Puerto is unparalleled with tropical plants, aromatic scents wafting in the night air and an ocean breeze that lifts the oppression of the heat. Spirit quenching sunsets and cliff top ocean views or beachside restaurants magically conclude every day. These are the things that drew me to Puerto and kept me coming back.

But….and there is a but. Puerto has been “discovered” and the number of people crowding into this area is phenomenal. Unprecedented building and development on top of already overburdened infrastructure and public facilities means crowded beaches, plane loads of tourists from as far away as the Netherlands, (KLM now books to Puerto through Mexico City), giving rise to the usual controversy for the locals. Is development good, bad or indifferent? Opinions vary but one thing is clear some will benefit and others will not.

Puerto has been amazing over the years and some of my highlights have included excursions and day trips up and down the Coast highway that takes you to a variety of beaches, towns, lagoons, wild-life sanctuaries and mangroves, all with a backdrop of the Sierra de Sur mountains. Over the years I have visited the spectacular mangroves and lagoons of Chacahua National Park to the north of Puerto. To the south I have made trips to Mazunte, a hip kind of beach town, Zipolite a town known for it’s nude/gay friendliness, and further south to Hualtulco, a resort town popular with tourists due to daily direct flights from places like Vancouver. Also in that area I have stayed in and visited the town of Tonemeca where I have friends.

Not day trips, I have ventured up into the Sierra del Sur Mountains to visit the capital of the state of Oaxaca, Oaxaca City and also to the alpine town of San Jose del Pacifico home of alpine adventures, such as drop zones, zip lines and cliff top swings!

In Puerto itself there are several beaches, starting at the southern most part of town, there is the surfer beach La Punta with restaurants, bars and night life. Hard to swim if you’re not a strong swimmer but easier and safer than Zicatela beach which is north toward the center of town and a great place to sit in the sand or in a restaurant to enjoy the sunset, but not a swimming beach with wild waves and rip tides. The next beach is the main beach and toward the southern end it is swimmable and well used by locals for both swimming and anchoring fish boats. Around the point there is Manzanillo and Puerto Angelito beaches, favourites with locals as they are safe, swimmable and can be accessed easily, whereas the next beach, Carazillo has a ferocious set of stairs which going down at the beginning of the day are far less daunting than climbing them at the end of the day. And rounding the corner the final beach in Puerto, Bacocha, is truly beautiful but again the rough surf makes swimming difficult but an interesting site on the beach is the sea turtle sanctuary with a release program once the eggs hatch and the turtles are ready to take to the seas.

On this particular winter respite in Mexico I have paid more for my apartment, with granted, a lovely garden and pool which blessedly is rarely used by anyone but myself, than I have ever paid anywhere in Mexico. Is Mexico becoming too expensive for me? Will I need to look elsewhere for new places to discover and wander? Is it that a place too frequently visited does not remain frozen in time and is subject to the same changes that are rolling across the landscapes of this post-modern world. Not sure when I will return, as I have other plans for next year, I dedicate this post in the memory of my friend Rangel Cruz Valencia, and I leave you with my favourite photos from 2023 Puerto!

Christmas in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Christmas in the Oaxaca Sun

Returning to Puerto has become one of my routines in Mexico. As in Progreso, I have made good friends there and am always excited to return and catch up with their lives. In years past I have stayed at Casa Rosada, but this year I booked a place on the fourth floor of an apartment building in Rinconada, a trendy restaurant filled area close to several great beaches. I was really pleased with my apartment and the view was stunning. A bonus was that Inti, my landlord was super.. helpful, responsive and friendly too! Cielito Lindo is the name and they have studio and one bedroom suits.

Stunning View & Great Sunsets from Patio

With Covid in the picture I wasn’t too keen on sight seeing and exploring, but fortunately I have done a lot of that on earlier visits so going to various beaches, open air restaurants and sitting by pools had to do. I know…poor me. If you’re interested in knowing more about what you can do in and around Puerto here is a link to my previous posts on the area.https://wanderwithstella.com/2016/03/31/oaxaca-coast/ or scroll through the posts to see others including Oaxaca City.

For many people, Puerto is all about the beaches of which there are many and one can easily spend a whole day at the beach under a palapa umbrella with the odd chelada (cold beer and lime juice on ice) to quench one’s thirst. People watching is a great pastime at the beach and even in covid locals and visitors enjoyed swimming and playing in the waves. Mexican families are generally large and they tend to travel in multi-generational groups, making for lots of antics and noisy fun.

Playa La Punta – Javier & Gabriela, Surfer Beach like Zicatela Has Big Surf

Playa Principal – Popular with Local and Families

Watch Out for Pool Sharks Like Gabriela on Zicatela

Food in Oaxaca is among the best in Mexico and some of the worlds top chefs have made the State home, opening great restaurants in the capital, Oaxaca City, and other smaller locales. I have some personal favourite dishes: tacos pastor, pozole (soup) and tlayudas.

Mid-way through December, Christmas vacation brought large numbers of people to Puerto, which in a normal year would add to the fun. But given the crowds that began to cluster on the beaches I refrained from going every day unless it was to Bacocha Beach where there is plenty of room to social distance they have the most incredible sunsets…so again no real hardship. There are two beach clubs at Bacocha and for a fee you can eat, drink, use the pool and beach chairs for the entire day and the costs come out of you fee.

San Jose del Pacifico – A road trip from Puerto

Lucky for me, my friends Javier and Gabriela were game to rent a car and make the drive up the long and winding road to San Jose del Pacifico in the Sierra del Sur. A small town in the mountains, it is a place for adventure seekers, hikers and climbers to visit. It is truly beautiful and charming and due to its location in the middle of pine forests, the building practices incorporate more wood than is common in Mexico, giving the place a definite flavour of mountain retreats. The clima also reflects the altitude and out came the jackets, pants and socks from the bottom of the suitcase when the temperature dropped to 6 Celsius when the sun set over the mountains.

The highway between Puerto Escondido and the turn-off to San Jose is greatly improved since my last visit and and a by-pass road before Pachutla meant that we missed the traffic of this busy commercial centre. As you leave the coast and head up into the Sierra the road becomes narrow, with hair pin curves and even some “logging” trucks. The road as you would expect was lots of fun to drive and Javier and I took turns, and much to his dismay Gabriela favoured my driving to his!

Stunning Scenery Makes the Trek Up Worthwhile

We stayed in a very nice hotel overlooking a valley, built with lots of pine wood the cabins were post and beam with timbered rafters. There weren’t many people at this newish hotel and we generally had the dining room to ourselves. I can see where the visitors will come once covid is over and the word is out. From this same road that takes you to the top of the Sierras you can take a turn a little further down the mountain and take the original road from the coast to the city of Oaxaca. Javier recalled driving his entire family, most of it in the back of a pick-up from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido when he was just a teenager. Some of the folks in the back lacked an appreciation for his enthusiasm for the road as car sickness overtook them.

We hired a local guide who showed us the sights, taking us to all of the spots of interest for visitors. Our first stop was a combination resort, restaurant, fish hatchery and zip line, with of course Javier and I had to try out.

Guide Held This Interesting Insect for the Photo

Following our hike and zip-line adventure our guide took us to a local home where the owners have suspended a wooden swing close to the edge of a cliff and so you swing out over thin air, belted in you are relatively safe and again the views were spectacular.

This was the first of our human launch experiences and I must admit the next one did take my breath away.

San Jose del Pacifico is all about tourism and forestry including furniture making. There are many attractions for visitors whether you want to jump off the edge of things or stay firmly on the ground like Gabriela, there is something for everyone.

Christmas in Puerto Escondido

Back in Puerto, after our weekend in San Jose del Pacifico, it was clear that Christmas Vacay was really ramping up and the night market on the Adoquin in Centro was packed with people and possible regalos. Decorations sprung up all over town and Javier and Gabriela invited me to join them for their Christmas Eve dinner.

Lots of Christmas spirit in Puerto with lights, decorations and fireworks to celebrate the many special days in the Christmas season.

Javier and Gabriela invited me to their family Christmas Eve dinner which is the main event in Mexico. Javier picked me up at 8 PM and we drove to their home. They had set up a table in a neighbour’s yard under an almond tree strung with Christmas lights and along with four of their neighbours, Javier, Gabriela, their two sons and I enjoyed the typical Christmas feast of fish and pork. Both dishes took two days to prepare and the neighbours contributed a few dishes of their own including a sweet crepe desert with honey drizzled on top.

And now with Christmas done, I will say goodbye for now and set my mind to my next adventure….Guatemala.

Koh Pha Ngan A Thai Island

Beautiful sandy beaches…

Koh Panang is one of dozens of islands in Thailand, located along the east coast in the Andaman Sea and off the west coast in the Gulf of Thailand. Like most of them, Koh (meaning island) Pha-Ngan is a holiday destination for flocks of beach goers from all corners of the globe. Popular with backpackers, families, solo travellers, snowbirds and the like, the islands are accustomed to foreign visitors and have really smooth operations that get you from airports to ports, on to ferries, and finally out to the islands.

From my limited knowledge I would think that Koh Panang is fairly typical. White sandy beaches, lots of excursions and activities and plenty of partying, especially notable as we were there for New Years. As evidence of some free spirited behaviour we same many bandaged people on the beaches following the celebrations.

The main transport around the island are rented scooters and motos, which accounted for many of the bandaged limbs and heads we spotted after New Years.

After the heat and hard work negotiating our way through Cambodia it was nice to have a few days of sun, sand and delicious Thai food.Heather had a friend from the UK on Koh Pha-Ngan and she was there with friends from New Zealand. They were a lively bunch of family and friends and were so much fun. The usual FB friends invites transpired and hopefully our paths will cross again. They come to Koh Panang yearly, for several months at a time, and I think this is true of many of the island visitors.

We stayed at the See Through Boutique Hotel which did not live up to the photos on Hotels.com. It was OK but not great in terms of the rooms themselves, in definite need of some upgrades and paint. But you couldn’t beat the location and for a small fee we moved from a standard hotel type room to a bungalow which had a veranda with hammock, a fridge and air conditioning. Right on the beach it was a short walk to their beach front restaurant which served a decent breakfast but not so great after that. Massage of course is a main event and at about $15.00CAD I enjoyed a couple of sessions.

And now on to the real job of traveling and seeing the historic and cultural sites of SE Asia. With Cambodia done my next stop is Yangon, Myanmar, formerly Rangoon, Burma.

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