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Our holiday in India began with visiting cosmopolitan Bombay, then, we went to heavenly Goa and finally ended in an idyllic state of Kerala. We set off in March in a group of three friends for 14 days of holidays and almost all the tour was arranged by very reliable and professional Paylesstoursindia (http://www.paylesstoursindia.com) travel agency that was recommended to us by our friend who had used their services and was extremely satisfied.
Bombay
In Bombay, Paylesstoursindia driver was waiting for us with a smile and a name board, greeted us warmly hanging flowers around our necks, then we went to a hotel located in Powai, which is a nice district of Bombay, where our flat was booked in one of the Bombay skyscrapers on the 16th floor - called Suncity apartments. The view of the city was stunning, both of the sea and the lake. The room was inexpensive (about 3000 rsp with breakfast), clean, tidy and quite close to the airport. The next day, we set off to explore the city by car with a driver provided by Paylesstoursindia whose name was Mithun. The driver knew the city and nearby attractions very well and went out of his way to show us the city in the best possible way. His driving skills on the chaotic roads of Mumbai were impressive, and it was really exciting to be able to observe the heavy traffic of Mumbai passing different districts and historical properties. Our sightseeing started with the classics, i.e. the Flora Fountain, the Courthouse, the India Gate (built for the visit of King George of England and his wife Mary) and the stunning Victoria Station - a Gothic style colonial railway station, which is very well-preserved and beautiful, especially the sunset, when the station is beautifully lit. Then, we had lunch in one of the Indian restaurants with good Bombay food and went to see famous Bombay laundries called Dobi ghat, where you can see kilograms of hanging clothes washed by men. The washers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. The phrase dhobi ghat is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present.Then we went to a rather controversial place - the Dharavi slums (a place from the movie Slumdog). Dharavi’s history goes back to 1884, the time when the city saw huge migration of people from the rural areas to the urban Mumbai. This was the city’s pocket where the maximum number of economically challenged population found residence. As the number of industries grew, so did the size of the slum area. We entered the slums, where, in addition to very modest "houses", we had an opportunity to see local factories. In the slums, people not only live , but also work. According to the Lonely Planet guide, the slums in Bombay - Dharavi generate income of about 665 million dollars per year, providing employment to many residents of the city. People live there quite normally in slums, they work, children attend schools, most houses have access to water and electricity. Among the slum residents, you can notice not only poor manual workers working in local factories, but also white-collar workers. After a day full of excitement, we went to have dinner – lentils (dal) with nan bread and mango lassi. Our stomachs felt quite good :), spices were not a problem because, after our culinary experiences in Thailand and Malaysia we got to like spicy food. The next day, before the flight to Goa, we got up quite early and went to see the famous "Elephanta" – the rock temples on UNESCO list. In order to get there, we had to go there by boat. On the island there are Hindu temples, but also Buddhist ones, built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The view is interesting, and I think it is worth a round boat trip that takes one hour. We wandered around for about an hour taking photos of the rock complexes, but also of Indians who were happy to pose for photos. After sightseeing of Elephanta, we only had time for a quick fast food – Indian samosa (vegetables in pastry), and went to the airport to catch a flight to the next destination, Goa.
Goa
I remember the flight to Goa very fondly, without any major delays. Spicejet Airlines proved to be 100% reliable. In Goa, we stayed at the Royal Palms resort on one of the popular beaches in the southern part of Goa – Benaulium. Goa had been a Portuguese colony (400 years of rule), so everywhere you can see ubiquitous churches, monasteries with interesting architecture. The climate of Goa hit with high humidity and quite high temperature. We spent the first day hanging around at nearby beaches – Benaulim and Colva beach, which are wide, fairly clean and full of small atmospheric restaurants serving delicious and inexpensive seafood dishes. On the beach, you can also see very nice stray dogs and bulls with humps walking with their owners after the sunset. Before the sunset, which looks very romantic in Goa, we went for a swim in the warm and quite rough Arabian Sea. Then, as usual, dinner - Goan fish masala - a local specialty with Kingfisher beer. During our four-day stay in Goa, we decided to visit the capital of Goa, Panjim. We went there by local bus from Benaulium - first to the town of Margao, and then at the station we caught a bus directly to the capital. The bus was quite old, with a loud engine, but the journey was an attraction for us. The tickets for the ride were ridiculously cheap, about 70 rsp (2 buses), and the journey time is about 1.5 h. We went sightseeing by tuk-tuk. First, we went towards Miramar beach, from where we sailed on a sightseeing boat to see dolphins, Fort Aguada (Portuguese remains), where the largest prison in Goa is now located, and an impressive pink mansion of an Indian business person. We only managed to see dolphin fins :), but the view of the fort from the boat and the city is very nice and worth taking pictures of. After the tour, which was sold to us on the beach, we went to see a beautiful Portuguese church from the 16th century and the Fontainhas district of houses. The architecture of both the church and the houses is fascinating. It is worth hanging around there and taking photos of interesting houses, drinking coffee in a nearby café. In order to watch the sunset, we went towards the promenade, where you can admire huge casino ships. Due to the lack of cash, we gave up on this pleasure :) We returned home by taxi arranged by Paylesstoursindia quite tired but full of nice memories. We spent the next few days in Goa relaxing; we also did shopping at the local market. On the last day, Paylesstoursindia driver took us on a trip to see the Dudhsagar waterfall. The waterfall itself takes about an hour to get to by jeep after arrival, then a short walk to the waterfall, where you can not only take photos, feed the monkeys, but also take a refreshing cool bath in the waters of the waterfall. While bathing, we saw a train passing right above the waterfall!, which was a certain attraction, especially for those taking pictures.
Kerala
It was time for Kerala and a trip by the second class train to Kochi. We chose the train, because there is no direct flight connection from Goa and we wanted to experience an adventure. Indian trains are quite, good, just a shame they're a bit late... in total we waited at the station for over an hour, but eventually the train arrived and we were able to sit down and start our journey in a sleeping car with a well-working air conditioning. We were given pillows, bedsheets and blankets. We put our bags under the bunk beds and travelled – until the morning - about 12 hours. On the train you can buy all kinds of Indian refreshments, coffee, Indian chai etc. When we arrived in Kochi late, we called our driver arranged by Paylesstoursindia and went to a lovely guesthouse in the centre of Kochi called Bethany home stay, where we were kindly welcomed by an Indian family. Later on, we booked a Kathakali show for the evening and went to explore the town. Kathakali show – is a play based on the movements of facial expressions and hands, which signify words and phrases. The actors have very impressive make up and wear extraordinary outfit. It is worth coming a bit early for the make-up show. Before the show we went to visit the famous church of St. Francis, the first European church in India with the tomb of Vasco da Gamma. Then we went towards Chinese nets, where we were invited by fishermen to lift them up. After that, we went to walk through the streets of Fort Kochi to admire the street art on the walls of the houses and the architecture which is a mixture of many influences (Dutch, Portuguese). There was time for lunch in one of the charming seafood restaurants, but we ordered a classic Thali - vegetables with sauces with a bowl of rice. Additionally, we visited a Jewish district full of shops, where the prices are a bit higherand visited the Dutch Palace built by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century, it is a museum with a rich collection of paintings and different displays.
The next day we went to the tea field town called Munnar. The road to Munnar is extremely winding, but on the way the driver stopped to show us the beautiful nature of Kerala. On the way we saw rubber trees, pineapple plantations, banana trees, impressive tapioca fields (a type of potato), we also stopped at cashew trees. The town of Munnar made an incredible impression on us, as the tea fields are almost everywhere and look like vast lush green carpets. In Munnar we visited the Tata tea museum, where you can watch a film showing the history of the factory/town and tour the tea factory. After the museum we drove towards the Mattupetty dam, which is picturesquely situated among the hills, it is a good place for a pleasant walk. Not far from this charming place there is a market where we bought products typical of the region such as home-made chocolate (average in taste), home-made wine and some local souvenirs. In Munnar we stayed overnight in a guesthouse located in the View valley homestay. Around the gardens, beautiful view of nature, and in the morning, we could hear bird singing. The owner of the guesthouse prepared a home-cooked dinner for us (fish with a choice of sauces, rice), and the next day a delicious breakfast in the regional style (idli and masala dosa). We went to Thekkady (a region of Kerala near the border of Tamil Nadu) to see the famous nature reserve on Lake Periyar. On the way we stopped at a spice plantation to learn more about Indian spices and passed vast cardamom plantations. The main attraction of the boat safari is the view of wild birds, herds of wild elephants and other animals like sambar deer, Gaur buffalo. After the cruise, we went for a relaxing Ayurvedic massage in one of the beauty salons and in the evening to see a show of southern Kalaripayattu martial arts - a tradition that is 5,000 years old and is related to Ayurvedic medicine and massages. I will honestly say that martial arts show was a very good choice. The whole show lasted an hour, but it was dynamic and at the end there was a fascinating demonstration of fights with various types of weapons - batons, swords, sticks, knives. It was nice to watch the agility and precision of the warriors. The aim of the fights is to maintain, above all, spiritual and mental harmony. We returned to the hotel located by the nature reserve. After Thekkady, it was time for the most awaited point of the trip - a heavenly boat cruise on Kerala backwaters arranged by Paylesstoursindia. Is it really so heavenly? I will honestly say that the cruise is extremely relaxing and unique. We can say without hesitation that we felt like we were in paradise. After a few days of intensive sightseeing, the cruise on a wonderful boat with all the amenities was a great attraction for us. The boats are made exclusively of natural materials - coconut, rattan and bamboo. We were surprised by the equipment of the boat (air-conditioned, neatly furnished rooms with bathrooms) and charmed by the wonderful service. We were welcomed with coconut water and then invited for delicious lunch. Throughout the day of the cruise, we admired extraordinary views of greenery, local people and the beautiful nature that amazed us with its beauty. Time on the lazy boat passed very quickly. The sunset over the backwaters of Kerala was one of the most beautiful we had seen so far. Dinner prepared by the cook was also delicious and wonderfully seasoned. The next day after breakfast we unfortunately had to leave Kerala and went to the airport in Kochi, where we had a plane to Bombay and then back to our country.
I think that each place we saw had its own specific atmosphere and character. Bombay - a city of contrasts, crowds and wonderful architecture, Goa - the Portuguese atmosphere of the region with exceptional beaches and a charming capital of casinos, Kerala - a region undoubtedly for nature lovers with an interesting history, wonderful views and an unforgettable idyllic cruise on backwaters. Everywhere we met nice and friendly people, tried really good cuisine and spent our time dynamically with impressions and emotions. Finally, we would like to highly recommend and thank the travel agency Paylesstoursindia (www.paylesstoursindia.com) for helping us organize such a wonderful individual trip, providing awsome drivers and booking accommodation.
