A Christmas Souvenir
A travelogue is not what I am planning to put down under. This is only a narration of a refreshing experience. Essentially not in sequence.
Duronto Express safely landed us in Ernakulam on 19th December 2011. Pemkumar, Pinchoo and Namita came to receive us at the Ernakulam Junction. After communications with Thomas Francis
[1]and tea we set out for the unfinished flat at Kakanad. No, the day did n’t end with that, in between ,we made a side trip up to ‘Jayalakshmi’ from where Swap picked up some silk and cotton sarees and Baby emptied my valet for two maxis. That evening was superb with French Brandy and Vat69 Super-cop treat, to the yummy l Talassery delicacy Star Aappam and fish Moily. A wonderful evening indeed.
Leaving Chakku and family to the pleasure of his grandpa & grandma (Achachan and Achamma) and his Gorgeous, EverGreen Great- Grandpa, the next morning, we headed for Destination next, we boarded a train to Varkala, a small coastal town, now a world famous tourist attraction, midway Kollam and Trivandrum. The environment in a train in Kerala is quite enviable, particularly, if you happened to travel in the North. The journey was a joy, despite our ongoing arguments on silly matters quite normal between us. I had a temptation to get down at Kottayam once the train reached Ettumanoor. My Kudamaloor is an arm’s-length from Kumaranallur. But, for the first time in forty one years I suppressed my temptation and passed by my home town without embarking there. Notably it was also my first train journey down South of Kottayam.
We had no idea about the place and the facilities awaiting us there. Nitin’s friend Rajesh, who is the General Manager of ‘Krishna Theeram’ came personally at the Varkala Railway Station to receive us. But on landing, not even for a moment, we felt out of place. Nitin had arranged accommodation in “Krishna Theeram”, a resort with clusters of moderately furnished huts spread across a sprawling land. Facing the sea, our one room hut opened to the horizon of the blue seas. On seeing the vast sea in front of us we all immediately transformed ourselves in to the Richard Brandson mode. There are ‘hammocks’ tied to Coconut Palms to hang on and swing. The absence of a TV in the room scarcely perturbed our moments. The very first evening itself we took time out to ascend the cliff top through the un-tarred, neatly laid walk- way where make shift shops of tourist attractions on one side and the vast Arabian sea waves break and splinter on the rocks down the bottom of the cliff. As sun set in the west, Diwali like illuminations appeared in the western horizon, which we learnt is that of numerous fishing boats out in the sea for their catch. The ‘Dhabas’ run by North Easterners offered variety of fresh fish displayed for tourists to get it cooked to order. We had a portion of salmon, four squids, four tiger prawns and six silver prawns got roasted with a bottle of beer each. That was the third evening.
The mornings of 21st and 22nd were spent at Ayurvedic clinic for a refreshing oil massage . Swapna was found lost in the mornings and evenings playing with and between the waves. Baby and me too joined her one evening to get beaten and wet by the waves. We also went upto the fisher men’ s cove close to the beach in the morning where silvery fishes still fluttering were being plucked out of the net. The two beaches, one a private one for tourists near “Krishna Theeram” and the wider “Papanasam” beach, both had big crowds of the global community floating, merry making in the loud splashing waves of Arabian Sea, come what time of the day. The white men and women flocked to the shores to get wet in the salty water and lie almost bare from top to bottom in the sand in order to get a sun bath. Though very challenging moments were before me to keep my eyes out of the robe-less women from far away countries, it was commendable on the part of these people who bare and dare the waves of The Arabian sea and immerse into it as if they are on a game of football back home. Children also joined them swimming, floating and cutting through the waves and none of them ever seen with an iota of shyness in appearing in the outfit they felt comfortable with. This attitude may perhaps, be the reason that they are ahead of us in many areas.
After a refurbishing three nights and four days in the shores of Varka, we left for Punalur. We had the lavish Christmas lunch and dinner a day in advance. In the evening, we went out to the Punalur town to have a glimpse of the stunning - Punalur Hanging bridge –(thookkupalam in local dialet). I took a few snaps of the engineering marvel. Swap was uncomfortable of the glances shot from the Punalur locals for whom any one differently dressed is a curiosity. I got a nice dressing which swirled away with buff curry and fish in the brandy the evening.
24th morning we headed to Kottayam, Chakku and family had already landed in Punalur by late night on 23rd. At Changanassery, there was a diversion for a by-pass to Kottayam, but finding the by-pass not very smooth, took a short cut to reach the MC road again and at Kodimatha we halted for lunch at Windsor Castle, a new luxury hotel built on the Kodimathat Chira, They offered Buffet lunch with duck mappas, meen karri, buff and pork, kappa, appam, rice and other veg items at a price of four hundred chips per person. Then, there was a halt see Mother. My mother and Mother Mary at Kudamaloor Church. Chakku and all of us had a few snaps with Ammachi (available in face book).
Back to Ernakulam, we rested at YMCA- a dry place. On the morning of Christmas we had a Buffet B/F from Abad, then set out for the Vallarpadam shrine of Mother Mary, a long time cherish accomplished. Then we headed to see the Dutch Palace, now ITDC’s ‘Bolghaty Palace’ where we had coffee, courtesy Nitin’s friend Aneesh. Aneesh arranged a speed boat in which we made a voyage in the back waters of Kochi. An hour sailing in the Vembanad Kayal, till the mouth of the sea, we had glimpses of Ernakulam Town, Kochi, Wellington Island, Vypin Island, an Entering Ship, another ship offloading at the Port. No matter, the trip was a really brilliant idea and paid off well. (Snaps were taken, available in face book.)
Evening, we checked out of YMCA and boarded a train to Trichur for attending the Baptism of Thomas Francis. We were put in the “Regency Club” where “Pranchiyettan” the famous Mammootty film was shot. That evening with Royal stag, pork and chicken we concluded Christmas of 2011 in Poolside of Regency.
26th was the Baptism. At the ‘ Nadathara’ St. Mary’s Church Thomas Francis was sacramented to enter the Holy sea, the Kingdom of the Roman Catholic Church. Priest in his sermon, pronounced, Thomas Francis having undergone three sacraments, knowing well of Baptism, but unclear of the other two, though vaguely heard – Confirmation – a sacrament, normally applies after Communion and Confession, unheard till then, tradition may have changed, we kept on wondering and arguing about the additional two sacraments. Anyways our confusion vanished with the lovely lunch rich with Pork, Buff, Chicken fry, fish curry and variety of other veg items and ice-creams.
After lunch Baby and me checked out of ‘Regency’ for Ernakulam for another stint with the YMCA and the next day of 27th to fly back to Delhi by Jetlite. Our 26th December dinner at the famous ‘Grant’ was not so grant. Chakku & Co arrived by Air India Maharaja, carelessly losing a packet of carefully packed ‘Palaharams’ somewhere en-route, arrived late in the night. Soon it was New year with a bang!
[1] Thomas Francis, a Australian National, would be getting Baptised on 26th December at his Ammachi’s abode .
