Periyar National Park

Welcome to Periyar

Our second day took us from the sleepy coastal town of Cochin to well a more touristy spot- Periyar National Reserve in Allepy. Well, we weren’t sure what to expect from the accommodation. I had booked this tour package online and well that in itself was a risk. Well, if you ever go to Allepy, there is no lake by Hotel Lake Mass Queen. Your view is most likely to be a parking lot instead. I couldn’t complain much about the accommodation. As long as i have a comfy bed, I am good to go. But for raj who had just returned from Vegas, it was a bit of a shock. But, i was proud of my big brother for being a trooper. Except for the fact that he kept asking for a hair dryer to fix his hair! (sorry but you know thats just wierd when its 30 degrees outside)u

Two glorius days in Allepy. I only wish we could have stayed longer. Our first night in, we ended up experiencing our first taste of Kerala Culture. Well, this basically meant a Kathakali show. You cannot miss this. Its amazing. This classical Indian dance is only performed by men (which i conveniently forgot) and involves the actor putting on make up in front of the audience. Well, its the most elaborate make up i have seen and is make up mostly of vegetables and ayurvedic products. Kathkali is a tradititonal south Indian dance which basically focuses on great epics such as Ramayana and Mahabaratha. The sole focus of the dance is on the facial gestures to convey the meaning to the audience. I absolutely loved it. Having learned Indian classical dance, this new form was spectacular. The story of how a demon princess falls in love with a god and then ends up trying to kill him when he refuses to marry him was amazing to watch in action.

What was even funnier was when the audience had an opportunity to meet the actors in their costumes. Well, i wanted a photo and raj was nice enough to play photographer. The funny moment occurred when i took 4 steps back when i heard a masculine voice say “You’re welcome” when i said my thank you.

I wasn’t too fond with my second experience of Kerala culture- Ayurvedic massages. Okay, to most people who have never had a woman tell you to get naked (first for me) cover you from head to toe in oil and then proceed to rub it in...awkward! the bizarre fact was that i was asked to sit in a heating unit and sweat all the oils out to improve circulation (i think). Well never doing that again!





Luckily, i was able to forget the memory of the massage soon enough. Raj and I found our spot. Everywhere we go, we manage to find the best spot in all of Allepy which gives you a spectacular view of the Nature Reserve. We enjoyed our cups of cardamom flavoured coffee and were able to sit outside and just enjoy the moment. We talked for hours about silly things growing up and where our future lies. I wish I had more moments like that. Makes me a bit homesick now come to think of it.