Kovalam Beach, Kerala

Kovalam Beach

Kovalam is one of the famous beaches of Kerala and almost everyone in the country has heard or know about this famous beach. A lot of people hold it as a cherished dream to atleast once visit this famous spot. Even though we reside in Delhi for the most part of the year, because we are keralites, we get to travel to Kerala couple of times in a year and have been able to make it possible to visit this beach more than once.

We have visited many beaches in Kerala but this beach is different. It is a small and compact one and one of the most important things that stand out in my mind is that it has black sand.

Kovalam is a beach town in Trivandrum. It is a crescent like beach lined with coconut palm trees.

Kovalam Beach, Kerala

Beaches are always fun. Looking at the waves coming with such force and might gives a little thrill going down the spine. The foam and the froth that hits us as we stand on the beach waiting for these waves is exhilarating.

The sands from beneath our foot gets washed away and we feel like floating without actually floating. It is scary and yet very exciting. Children have fun but the gaurds at this beach are very strict and vigilant and don’t let people go far away from the beach. There is a red and white striped lighthouse to the left of the beach that keeps a watch over the sea .

 

 

 

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is the southern tip of India.  It has been a cherished dream of ours as a family to visit this place whenever we were in Kerala.  So, about two years back when we were in Kerala, we finally decided to do a road trip from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari.    It was a fun ride.  It took us about 3-4 hours via NH 66 that passed through Nagercoil.   We were not sure of the way and therefore, had to continuously check with people on the road if we are on the right track.   The weather was good.   There was an overcast of clouds and so we were pretty sure it would rain.  We wanted to reach Kanyakumari before sunset to see and enjoy the sun going down the horizon..
 

 

The view from the car was very scenic.  There were coconut trees and mountains lined on both the sides.  There were fruit and juice vendors on the sides of the road to quench your thirst otherwise the places were very dry.
We reached Kanyakumari by about 5 pm and went straight to the beach to catch the sunset.  But to our utter disappointment, rain came pouring down as soon as we hit the beach.  It was a cloudy day and now that it began to pour so badly, we had to forego our desires and be content with enjoying the rain while we were on the beach.  We went back in search of a good hotel to stay during the night and settled in one of those hotels that was close to the beach.  We wanted to catch the sunrise even if we lost out on the sunset.  We settled into a comfortable place near the beach and went out for dinner.
We were told we should be at the beach early morning by atleast 4.30 / 5.00 if we were really interested in seeing the sunrise.  So, we set up our alarms and went off to sleep.
Early morning, it was a task to get all of us ready (we were with our children aged 11 and 12) and head back to the beach.  But the efforts did not go in vain.
It was there, first as just a hint of golden and orange colour intermingled with each other and turning to red at some places in the far horizon.  There were hundreds of people on the shore all waiting anxiously, not taking their eyes off for that first glimpse.  We kept waiting and slowly it did emerge from the depths like a burning fire and then slowly forming itself into a circular white.
We stayed on at the beach enjoying the waves and the waters for a long time.  There were rocks on which people tried to climb and experience the waves.

We took a ferry to reach Vivekananda Rock which has a temple dedicated to Devi Kanya Kumari and also a large statue of Thiruvalluvar.

   

It is believed that Vivekananda once came to this site under the instructions of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

 

The popular belief is that this place being the tip of the India, is the meeting point of 3 seas but geographically there is only one.  We could however, see three different colours of water out in the sea when we stood watching from this place.  So, God only knows!
Candolim Beach, Goa

Candolim Beach, Goa

When we were planning a family trip to Goa last year, we kept searching for the right place to stay and finally we arrived at a decision to stay at the Santana Beach Resort at the Candolim Beach looking at the reviews and ratings in Trip Advisor.

I have to say that we were not disappointed.  We did have a fantastic time!  The resort was right on the beach and we could just stroll down to the beach after our lunch and spend as much time, strolling and lazing around at the beach, picking up shells and just being in the water and enjoying the waves to our hearts content.  It gave us an opportunity to really enjoy and feel the essence of being in Goa!

    

The service was decent, the breakfast was varied and had a good spread of continental and Indian. We had Goan fish curry at lunch which tasted good.  The rooms were clean and bathrooms tidy with clean towels when we checked in.  We were lucky to get a room with a kitchen attached, though we did not use it as we were out most of the time.  It has a separate swimming pool for adults and children with beautiful lawns, properly trimmed and maintained with lots of coconut trees and other plants.   It looked beautiful even at night.

Another thing that we really liked about this place was that it was really close to Fort Aguada and we could take a tour of the Fort by taking a short walk through the beach.  We saw people indulge in para sailing and other evening sports at this beach.  It has a great beach shack too.  This place is also very close to the famous Kingfisher villa and  Vivantaby Taj – Fort Aguada.

The price is very decent for the facilities that are on offer.  We would definitely like to go back and stay there once more if we get a chance!!

How to get there

We can take a taxi either from the Goa airport located at Dabolim which is 46 km from Fort Aguada or any of the two Railway Stations – Margao and Vasco Da Gama.

Santana Beach Resort on Google Maps

Bekal Fort, Kerala

Bekal Fort in Kerala

Bekal Fort is one of the lesser known forts located in the northern part of Kerala.  It is one of the oldest and largest forts of Kerala.  It is part of the Kasargod district of Kerala.

We made a day trip to Bekal Fort from our home in Pathanamthitta District by taking an overnight train that left us at the Bekal Fort Station early morning.  The station was right beside the Beach.  It was very convenient for us to get to the beach and to the fort walking down from the station.  However, since we were on an overnight train, we did not have anything to eat in the morning and therefore went out in search of Breakfast.   This, being a very small town did not have too many options.   There were roadside restaurants that served all Kerala dishes but it was off season.  We went during the monsoon season and therefore the place was less crowded.  We were told that this place is usually flocked till May end when the school kids in Kerala are on vacation!

 
Bekal fort is a protected monument.   It is a key like structure.  The fort was the citadel of the Kolathiri Raja’s of Kerala which finally fell into the hands of Vijayanagiri empire.  It was then taken over by Tipu Sultan and the security features around the fort gives us the impression that it was built to keep an eye on the enemies coming in from the sea side as well as land.
After our Breakfast in the town, we took an auto to the main entrance of the fort.  Inside the fort, there was an observation tower in the center of the fort with a ramp going up and down.   The walls  that surround the fort went on and on across the length and breadth of the fort.
  
The walls were approx 12 ft in height and were very strong built.  We could see the holes that would have been used to keep guns and ammunition by the fort guards.   There was a wider opening that was used to keep tanks.  As we peeked in through these holes and the gaps, we could see the entire stretch of the sea around.
  
  
The fort is surrounded by sea on the west side.  There was a lane that would take you down to the sea and beaches.  The beach on the fort side was rocky. The waves lashed on them with so much fury that it was exhilaratig to look at the lather foaming up as they hit the big rocks.

 

  
The beach near the fort was beautiful and crescent shaped.   It could be accessed by just walking down the fort.  The view of the beach from the fort was also very nice.  We had the whole beach to ourselves and we enjoyed the afternoon sun in the waters.  There were coconut trees lined and a garden adjacent to the beach which also had interesting things for kids.

 

Kovalam Beach, Kerala

Kovalam Beach, Kerala

 

Kovalam is one of the famous beaches of Kerala and almost everyone in the country has heard or know about this famous beach.  A lot of people hold it as a cherished dream to atleast once visit this famous spot.   Even though we reside in Delhi for the most part of the year, because we are keralites, we get to travel to Kerala couple of times in a year and have been able to make it possible to visit this beach more than once.

We have visited many beaches in Kerala but this beach is different.   It is a small and compact one and one of the most important things that stand out in my mind is that it has black sand.

Kovalam is a beach town in Trivandrum.  It is a crescent like beach lined with coconut palm trees.

Beaches are always fun.   Looking at the waves coming with such force and might gives a little thrill going down the spine.   The foam and the froth that hits us as we stand on the beach waiting for these waves is exhilarating.
The sands from beneath our foot gets washed away and we feel like floating without actually floating. It is scary and yet very exciting.  Children have fun but the gaurds at this beach are very strict and vigilant and don’t let people go far away from the beach.
There is a red and white striped lighthouse to the left of the beach that keeps a watch over the sea .