[Seeker108]

A trip to Kerala is always exciting. We were having apprehensions after the recent Wayanad disaster. After some research, google mapping and talking to the resort folks, we decided to make the road trip. It was to be a 2-night, 3-day road trip in our Audi A4. We were looking forward to the promising weekend.

After the customary fuel top up and last-minute weather checks, we left home at 6-15 am on Friday, 9th August 2024. We stopped for Breakfast at Paakashala near Krishnagiri. Several eateries offer plenty of choices in this stretch to Salem. A2B commands the highest market share, I would presume.

There were several new speed breakers installed, all along the route. The roads were awesome. The climate was genuinely nice too.

We stopped for lunch at Temple City, Madurai. Decent place. Car parking was easily available. Restrooms were decent. Menu was clearly over-priced. Standard rice- oriented meals were available immediately. Any customization here clearly will take time. We tasted Srivilliputhur Halwa also. It was very sugary.

Following directions, after about six hundred kms, at the intersection where one can drive down to Kanyakumari or take the Right large U turn into Trivandrum, we took the turn / exit towards Trivandrum. This is the road leading into Kerala from Tamil Nadu Nagercoil. On the right side is a large wind farm owned by Ramco. It was a lovely sight to see the giant fans against the blue skies. We stopped to have freshly roasted sweet corn which was amazing. The next twenty kms were exceptionally smooth in a four-lane road. Nagercoil to Poovar distance is about fifty kms which will set you back at least by 1.5 hours. Though the roads are smooth, it is a two-lane crowded road. Evening office rush also contributed to the bumper-to-bumper traffic.

We reached Poovar resort around 8 pm and checked in. This is the nearest backwater option near Trivandrum. We rested the night.


On Sat, 10th Aug 2024, we drove from Poovar to Kovalam beach. Roads at Poovar are motorable, but narrow. One must be careful. Pedestrians share the street with vehicles. Kovalam is about sixteen kms and we covered the same in sub 30 minutes. I would recommend all to use the NH toll road and avoid the internal Kerala roads. Most locals refuse to speak any other language apart from Malayalam. Most auto riders assume that they own the roads and our number plate announcing KA registration certainly will not help win any arguments.

Kovalam beach is about two kms detour off the NH. The beach was quiet in the morning with the fishermen cleaning their large nets for the next big catch. Dedicated parking slots are available. We walked to the beach and spent a few minutes at the beach. We then retraced our way to the NH and drove towards Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Trivandrum. We reached the West Nada (Entrance) of the temple. Several small eateries serve vegetarian food near the temple. The car parking space is limited at the temple premises and only VIP vehicles are allowed till near the entrance. Other pilgrims can use the paid parking services nearby. Enquire with the security personnel who can help. Alternatively, there is a large ground next to SP Fort Hospital, four hundred meters from West Nada (West entrance) of the temple where you can park for free. You must then walk to the temple. Strict dress code is followed at the temple. There is a cloak room where you must deposit your remote car keys and other belongings that you may have carried after walking the distance from the car parking slot to the entrance of the temple. No mobile phones are allowed inside the temple. You will be issued a receipt and the number of items you have deposited for a small fee. Security wielding weapons are to be seen all around and inside the temple too. They were extremely strict at this temple.

We bought the Rs.50/- special seva ticket which helped us have a blessed darshan quickly. Aravana payasam is sold in the temple and you can purchase it after your darshan. There is Annadanam seva at the temple (I think every day) starting at 11.30 am and most devotees formed the serpentine line for the prasadam. We had a leisurely darshan and opted to have lunch outside the temple.

We then drove around Trivandrum and drove past Mahaganapathi Temple, East Fort after purchasing some more banana chips at Trivandrum. We later met some family and friends at Trivandrum. In the evening, we drove out to Poovar on the NH and rested the night at the resort.

Do not miss purchasing authentic Kerala banana chips and nendran bananas. These are our all-time favorites, and we took our time sampling and purchasing the different varieties of chips and bananas available only in Kerala. At Poovar, we bought spices, authentic coconut oil and banana chips at Kerala Spices. Vendor has a live banana chips stall too.

Poovar is quite alive and kicking in the morning. Fresh fish were being sold on the pavements and veggies were being unloaded in mini trucks to the wholesalers. With aplenty eye warming greenery, coconut trees, great landscapes, water, colorful boats, simple people doing their daily chores, it was truly Gods Own Country!

We left Poovar after breakfast at Annapoorna Veg on 11th Aug Sunday morning at 8 am. I will not recommend this hotel. It was quite average.
Traffic was quite thin given that it was a Sunday morning. We drove to Marthandam and after crossing the bridge, took the detour to visit Sree Adi Keshava Perumal temple at Thiruvattaru. The roads were much better than I had anticipated. Roads were narrow but drivable. Most importantly, there was a good motorable road till the temple. We had a blessed darshan at the ancient enormous sized Divya Desam and joined the road towards Bangalore. The temple was not crowded.

We stopped at Gowri Shankar hotel for a break. The ambience is not great. Serves the purpose, though. The Tirunelveli Halwa is not great, which we quite ruefully realized after the purchase and during the return journey. For the vegetarians, there are three pure Veg restaurants on that stretch at Chunkan Kadai, Nagercoil. Udupi Restaurant, Gowri Shankar and Sai Café.

Climbing up the Toppur Range proved to be a miserable experience, as always. Cars weaved in and out at high speeds, overtaking the heavy lorries and trucks who were all over the highway. I was inevitably forced to follow suit and we had to weave in and out chasing other cars for their discovered gaps amongst the giant lorry carriers. If you are to stick to one lane, you may be stuck behind one of the heavy-laden lorries for hours.

For dinner we stopped at Sai Sangeet (185 kms) from Bengaluru, after the Toppur range. Dosas were tasty, but oily.

It started to drizzle and rain near Hosur. Roads were clogged with traffic with all returning after the weekend from their trips. The long queues welcomed us back to Karnataka. The queue at electronic city flyover reminded us that we reached Bangalore!

We logged 1525 kms in this short but sweet trip. The roads to Trivandrum are excellent. You will take about 13 to 14 hours to reach from Bangalore depending on your breaks in between.

The Audi A4 car performed superbly, as always. The ability of the car to navigate, spurt and find its hidden gear after 80K on the odometer continues to amaze me every time.

[DicKy]

Glad to see that you had a good time.

The distance is a bit longer to the north, but Varkala would be a good visit. Kovalam has become kinda saturated and a shadow of its former self.

Originally Posted by Seeker108

Most auto riders assume that they own the roads and our number plate announcing KA registration certainly will not help win any arguments.

Rest assured they don't care about KL registration vehicles too. They only fear the apex predator- KSRTC buses.

Originally Posted by Seeker108

For the vegetarians, there are three pure Veg restaurants on that stretch at Chunkan Kadai, Nagercoil. Udupi Restaurant, Gowri Shankar and Sai Café.

Udupi is better than Gowri Shankar IMO. Gowri Sankar has become super complacent now and there is something wrong with their cooking oil during weekdays. Sai Cafe is relatively new and we had only stopped their for tea breaks, not sure about meals. Yep, the food options enroute from Kaliyakkavilai to Nagercoil has become an extension of food options in Kerala. Fast food and what they claim to be Arabic food restaurants.

Originally Posted by Seeker108

Do not miss purchasing authentic Kerala banana chips and nendran bananas. These are our all-time favorites, and we took our time sampling and purchasing the different varieties of chips and bananas available only in Kerala. .

The variety of bananas and availability are something that we take for granted. Just across the border to Tamilnadu and the variety of bananas available come down. Even inside Kerala, each district has their favourite type. Imagine my horror when most didn't know what red banana is in districts north of Kollam and it was super hard to get.

Originally Posted by Seeker108

took the detour to visit Sree Adi Keshava Perumal temple at Thiruvattaru. The roads were much better than I had anticipated. Roads were narrow but drivable. Most importantly, there was a good motorable road till the temple. We had a blessed darshan at the ancient enormous sized Divya Desam and joined the road towards Bangalore. The temple was not crowded.

The Adi Keshava Perumal temple is older than the Padmanabhaswamy temple and both are closely related to each other. Both idols are placed in such a way that they look at each other. Adi Keshava temple was renovated about 10 year ago, and before that it was a sorry state to see. Rumours also strong that priests and temple authorities worked hand in hand to steal a good amount of gold before the issue came to light.