Christmas In Kerala

A candid travelogue by the globetrotting author of her unique experience while travelling in Kerala during 2018 Christmas season.

Sarah Keep

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Alex and I flew from Colombo (Sri Lanka) directly to Trivandrum in India, the capital city of Kerala. When we booked the flight, it said it would take something like 1 hour 10 minutes, but it actually took about 40 minutes. It was so quick that the cabin crew were struggling to clear our breakfast trays before we landed!
I’ve told you about Indian Standard Time before – meaning everything takes at least an hour longer than you expect it to, so naturally getting through the airport took two hours from getting off the plane to getting into a taxi. Even getting a taxi was a challenge!

We’d decided to splurge and stay at the same hotel my mum and dad were staying at so we could knock on their room and surprise them. It was super luxurious – we haven’t stayed anywhere so nice since Singapore!

It took us a while to track them down, after knocking on their door to no avail and then searching around the pool and lobby area, but we eventually found them having a late breakfast. It was so emotional when we saw them, and I cried happy tears as we all hugged each other. We ate breakfast together and then spent the day by the huge pool catching up on gossip.

Powered by Plants..That's yours truly!

"The benefit of hiring a shikara rather than a houseboat is that they are much smaller than the large houseboats, so they are able to actually sail down the winding backwaters rather than just visiting the large rivers and lakes. "

The next day we headed to Thekkady, near Periyar National Park. Alex and I were staying in a lovely hostel owned by the kind Nazeer, who helped us to plan our 3 nights there and decide what activities to do. It had a really funky rooftop that was great to chill out on, and he also really welcomed my parents even though they were staying at a different resort.

We decided to do a jungle trek and a cooking class, which we booked for the following day. The jungle trek started off brilliantly, as we had a knowledgeable guide who pointed out various trees and shrubs, and even helped us to spot a male elephant bathing in a lake. Later on, our guides unfortunately swapped and the subsequent guide was horribly rude and unhelpful! It was a shame as there were about 15 of us with 4 guides, so it was hard to hear any information at the front and was also difficult to keep up the pace. It would have been better if they’d split us into 4 smaller groups, and unfortunately you weren’t allowed to book private group tours either. This is definitely something that can be improved, Periyar National Park if you’re reading!

Clockwise from L to R: We all having a good time in Shikkara, Kerala Cuisine Christmas lunch, at Taj Vivanta & the family beside the Thekkady lake.

We loved the hustle and bustle of Thekkady, and even tasted the best onion bhajjis of our lives from a small street stall on the main road (and believe me, between us we’ve tried a lot!)

We then headed south to Alleppey, famous for its backwater boat cruises. We decided to hire a shikara boat and driver between the four of us, which was beautifully relaxing and peaceful. It was fascinating to watch the locals wash their clothes and dishes in of the river as their children swam around them.

The benefit of hiring a shikara rather than a houseboat is that they are much smaller than the large houseboats, so they are able to actually sail down the winding backwaters rather than just visiting the large rivers and lakes.

We were surprised that Alleppey wasn’t very touristy, and there were only 3 bars by the beach that served alcohol. We’d expected it to be more developed, but it was really more aimed at Indian tourists, which was fine as we loved getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the markets!

Next we travelled by train to Trivandrum, and got a taxi from there to Kovalam. We’d read online that Kovalam was the ‘place to be’ in Kerala at Christmas, so we’d booked a beautiful villa for the Christmas period.

It didn’t feel like Christmas at all – it was 33 degrees, and compared to England there were hardly any Christmas decorations or celebrations happening. Instead of the usual turkey dinner, we all enjoyed our own individual curries, and instead of a nap on the sofa, we snoozed on sunloungers in our swimwear! It was such a different experience and we had to keep reminding each other it was Christmas!

Fort Kochi getting ready for the new year.

After Mum and Dad left, Alex and I headed to Cochin for new year. We stayed in the touristy area of Fort Kochi, which was nice for a few days, but as it’s a really popular place to spend new year it was horribly busy. There were scooters weaving through tiny gaps everywhere, and I still don’t know how we both have all our toes!
After Kochi, we’re spending 5 weeks apart as I take part in a Yoga Teacher Training Course in Varkala, Kerala. I’m taking the 200 hour course to learn all about yoga (you might not know that it’s way more than just an exercise class – it’s actually a way of life with a lot of philosophy behind it!)
I started practising at the Nottingham Buddhist Centre in 2017 when I was off work with depression, and it was an integral part of my recovery. I’ve been keen to learn more about it for a while, and what better way than to learn how to teach it! At the moment I don’t have any plans to become an actual teacher and run classes – I really just want to immerse myself in the yogic way of life and be able to practise confidently on my own to keep the black dog at bay!

It was super emotional to say goodbye to each other for a month after being together every day for the last 4 months, but I am a big believer in the old saying ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, and if there’s anything the last year has taught me it’s that it’s absolutely vital to be independent and do what makes YOU happy, rather than putting everyone else first.

Wishing you all a very happy new year and thank you so much for following my blog in 2018!
Here are some quick reminders of what the last year blessed me with and I hope I can continue to entertain you throughout 2019 and beyond!
Please share my blog with your friends & family and don’t forget to tune in to my monthly radio feature!
With love & light,
Sarah
x
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Sarah Keep
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2019-01-23
2221 days ago

About the Author

After a lifelong battle with depression & anxiety, Sarah Keep decided to leave behind her life of luxury (German whips) for a simple life of travel, adventure & exploration (bus trips) on a journey to find true happiness. Through her blogs, German whips to bus trips, she have chosen to share her backpacking diaries, stories about her journey towards mental health recovery & (vegan) travel guides to various destinations around the world. She inspires us to travel more, believe in ourselves and gives us hope for the future, regardless of the struggles we may be facing right now. You can reach her through her Instagram handle – germanwhipstobustrips or email id - germanwhipstobustrips@gmail.com. For a wholesome read, here’s the link to her travel blogs – www.lnk.bio/rnif

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