Month: August 2019

The Perks of Hiring a Taxi for Your Road Trip

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I just came back after a fabulous road trip from Fort Kochi. This road trip wasn’t my first time but it was definitely my first relaxed road trip. We are hard-core travel enthusiasts who pre-plan our trips month before we embark on one. We just don’t want to take chances when it comes to travelling. Days before the trip we clean our cars and see to it that it is in perfect condition. We usually drive to our destination. But unlike the previous times, this time we hired a cab from Dreamscabs a popular taxi service render in Kochi. And I have come to realize that hiring a cab for your trip is much better than self-drives. Come to think of it, you just sit back and relax while you give your own vehicle some rest! That’s not all there are some perks when you hire a cab.

You Can Dodge the Fuss of Car Servicing

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I and my backpacker friends used to get in touch with the car service centre every time before we took our road trip. We would personally take our car to the service centre though we were asked not to take the trouble (the staff would offer to come and drive our car to the centre). This is because we wanted to give the service providers a detailed description of the route we were to take. We would ask them to take special care of our car and of course, provide some tips to keep our car in perfect condition even during the trips. We would double-check and strike off the checkboxes (which involved air pressure, tyre’s conditions, etc.) one by one after the car is brought back from servicing. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. It demanded a good portion of our precious time. Hiring a cab not only saved us the trouble of servicing our car but also from the tedious double-checking procedures as well!

Save Your Vehicle from Wearing Away

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Your car will succumb to wear and tear during the trip and you simply can’t stop that from happening. So, however, your trip might be, your vehicle may have to go through some hard times. The ‘wear and tear’ that takes place then can lead to some serious deterioration later. Your vehicle not only loses the sheen of its outer body but also its ability and you might not get a satisfactory resale value too. I know this as we have had the same experience. In fact, that is one of the main reasons why we decided to add this ‘twist’ of hiring a taxi to Kochi.  Kochi’s roads did have a lot of potholes and were in bad conditions due to the constant downpours. This was indeed one of our best decisions as we did not have to worry about our car hitting potholes, or even about an engine-breakdown. We just sat back and listened to the melodious Malayalam music while we gazed at the impeccable beauty of Kerala.

Time Complies with Your Ways

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Driving seems to be simple but one needs to be super careful agile doing the same. You need to make sure that you are fresh. You can’t nod off even for a second while driving. It can lead to accidents. So, you need to have adequate sleep before you set out for a long drive. This eats up your time. You will have to adjust your work time or do various other adjustments for this. But you don’t have to worry about any of the aforesaid if you have hired a cab for the trip. In our case, we got some extra hours to enjoy our trip. We set out for the tour right after work and slept in the cab while our efficient driver drove us to our destination. This way we saved us some time. Hiring a cab makes your trip much flexible. You can decide when and where to start your trip. You have the upper hand here.

Select Your Favourite Car

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Now, this is the most tempting part. We own a hatchback and love taking it for trips. Since we had hired a cab this time we were doubtful of travelling in one. But fortunately, our cab service provider sent us a long list of cars and promised to provide any of the given cars for the trip. We selected a Celerio from the wide range of options that included SUVs, Sedans and Hatchbacks. Later, I came to know that almost every cab service provides this provision to its customers. I did not know that before! This is indeed a wonderful perk that cab services offer to their customers. This way we can travel to our favourite destination in our favourite vehicle. How cool is that!

A Driver cum Guide for Your Trip

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Did I say that being able to select your favourite car was the most tempting part? Well, then, I will have to make a slight change. It is one of the best parts. The service of an efficient driver is another great advantage of hiring a cab. Ours was not only an excellent driver but a fabulous guide too. He knew every nook and corner of Kochi. He knew the routes very well which is why we literally had no interruptions during our ride. And we did get a bonus point too! Our driver took us to some offbeat tourist spots on the way to our destination. He also knew of the local shops where we could get quality stuff at cheap rates. Thanks to him we bought quite a few souvenirs at unbelievable prices! This road trip was simply the best!

Some of the Best Popular and Not-so-popular Tourist Spots of Kerala

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People often wonder how they can go on a fulfilling tour without having to spend too much. Travelling is in fact a need as taking occasional short brakes is a way of recharging oneself. But many times, the cost of travel become a problem and when finally people succeed in finding a less expensive place to go, it may not be actually worth going. From my experience of travelling, the best answer in such cases is to tour Kerala. A Kerala tour package generally, comes with a budget price and will present you with an unforgettable experience. When I say Kerala I am sure the first picture that comes to your mind would be that of a multitude of coconut trees. It’s indeed true but Kerala is much more than that. Kerala has so many well-known tourist places and a wealth of unknown and untouched spots too.

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The most popular tourist spots in Kerala are the hill station of Munnar, Kovalam and Varkala beach, backwaters of Alleppey and Ashtamudi and Chembra peak of Wayanad. The hill station of Munnar is so beautiful with its green velvety hills resulting in lovely valleys and meadows, fresh streams and rich wildlife. Tata tea museum is another tourist attraction of Munnar where the process of making tea is explained by its staff in detail. It’s a very interactive place so that you can clarify your doubts about tea making too. In addition, there are Tata tea’s outlets available in the tea museum where you can buy various types of tea such as white tea, rose tea, masala tea etc. Kovalam and Varkala are two major beach destinations in Kerala. You may find it a bit touristy but yet exciting. These beaches are so pleasing to the eyes with sparkling silver waters fringed with lush green coconut trees and are great for surfing and swimming. The moderate climate of Kerala also makes it a great place to visit. There are a lot of sunbeds and beach umbrellas available where you can leisurely lie down and get sun-kissed. Chembra peak in Wayanad is a wonder itself as nobody knows how nature was able to carve a perfectly heart-shaped pond in its valley. The pond is cloud studded with crystal clear water where you can catch a glimpse of you just as in a mirror. Wayanad however, is not only famous for its Chembra peak. There are also a few other tourist attractions in Wayanad. Pookot lake in Wayanad is a natural freshwater lake where self-paddling boating facility is available. Banasura Sagar Dam is the biggest earth dam in India and the second biggest in Asia. Undisturbed and housed among the mighty mountains, the view is an ultimate thing of beauty to the eye. Either you can walk all the way up or take the jeep service to reach the top of it. Muthanga wildlife sanctuary is yet another tourist spot in Wayanad which is very close to the Karnataka border and if you are lucky you will spot some wild animals.

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I think it would be a great idea to explore some of the not-so-popular scenic places too. Some tour operators like Dream Holidays allows you to customize your tour package according to your requirements. Coupling your tour package with some of the less popular spots will unquestionably enable you to enjoy a unique experience. I will list down some of the secluded and untouched mind-blowing tourist spots and you can choose among them which are the ones you would like to pay a visit :

Vagamon Hills

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Vagamon is a hill station in Kerala which is just 100 km from Kochi. Pine forest of Vagamon is a famous picnic spot where you can sit beneath the pine trees with your family or friends and enjoy some home-cooked food. Thangalpara is also very famous in Vagamon and it would be very exciting to climb it following the yellow arrows given en route. However, when you reach its top, the satisfaction you experience would be beyond words. Maramala waterfall is also a precious asset of Vagamon which cascades from a height of 60 meters amid dense rubber plantations. Nevertheless, Vagamon is also suitable for the adrenaline junkies who look forward to indulging in some adventure activities such as ballooning and paragliding.

Ramakalmedu 

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Ramakalmedu is a beautiful state in Kerala, very close to Munnar. It is a very secluded place that you get to enjoy some time in the lap of nature. The giant stone statue of a man and woman is the highlight of the place. Nearby that exists a mandapam made of granite too. However, nobody knows who built it and for what purpose and this mystery adds a distinct charm to it. However, the strong winds that blow through the hills are what makes it the most desirable. You could also spot some windmills over the hills.

Ponmudi

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Ponmudi is a hill station of the Western Ghats which is roughly 60 km from Thiruvananthapuram. It’s to be noted that the most famous beach of Kerala, Kovalam beach and Ponmudi are close to the city of Thiruvananthapuram and hence you can visit one after the other. However, before writing about Ponmudi, I will describe Kallar, which is a spectacular place en route Ponmudi. There are two major must-visit spots here and they are the Golden valley and Meenmutty waterfalls. It is also a great place for bird watchers.

On reaching Ponmudi, you will definitely appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. The thick vegetation, chirping of birds, enthusiastically flowing streams – all together, make the day of any travel bug. Tea gardens of Ponmudi are not functional today, but they do represents that bygone era and oozes out that historical charm.

Valiyaparamba

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Valiyaparamba is already nicknamed as the unexplored backwaters of Kerala. Valiyaparamba is actually an island with backwaters on one side and beach on the other. It would be an awesome experience to see and experience the two wonders of nature at the same time. Also, the place is very sparsely populated and therefore it presents you with a charming solitude. Valiyaparamba is in fact, the best place to enjoy some quiet time with nature.

 Silent valley 

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Silent valley is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala. It’s actually a national park and the evergreen forest is absolutely beautiful. The dense forest will undoubtedly make you awestruck. The climate is also cool and crisp and allows you to spend as much time there without getting tired. The national park is also home to some of the endangered species like Lion-tailed macaque and Nilgiri langurs.

In fact, it’s observed recently that most of the Kerala tour packages are booked from Delhi. This is because Delhi is the capital city of India and number of flights operate between Delhi and all the other states of India and other countries of the world. Once you reach Delhi, Kerala is only a matter of three hours via air. So, starting your tour from Delhi will be a convenient option for you especially if you are coming from a distant state or country.

A Quick Glance into the Tourist Attractions of Andaman and the Nicobar Islands

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a group of about three hundred Islands located in the Bay of Bengal is not just a string of Islands for India. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have played a major role in molding India in its current form and in fact, continues to play but as a major tourist destination of the country. Every year a remarkable amount of tourists come to behold the beautiful vistas of the rich flora and fauna and pure white-sanded turquoise beaches. Andamans has all the potential to keep tourists on their toes. No wonder, Andaman and Nicobar tourism has proved to be an asset for the Indian economy. However, the best way to make the most out of these lovely Islands is by booking a tour package with a well experienced and efficient tour operator. It is because the Andamans are secluded Islands where even 2G internet has not been launched yet. Therefore it is necessary to have a perfect itinerary planned and arranged by people who are well versed with the Andamans. Also, the Andamans is home to various sorts of tribes such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese, the Shompen and Nicobarese and it is certainly not a good idea to get lost in their territories. There are many a tour agencies operating on Andaman travel packages. however, the Andaman Tour Travel have proved to be the best in their service. Neverthless, it would be useful for you to have a little research from your side about the tourist attractions in the Andamans before talking to your tour operator about formulating your package. In this way, you can add or delete the tourist spots from the standard Andaman tour packages of the tour operators according to your likes and dislikes. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss some of the most popular tourist attractions available in the Andamans. I will also discuss some of the less popular places, in case, if secluded and peaceful spots are your thing.

Generally,  Port Blair and Havelock are the two most common names that you will come by when you research on Andaman. However, Andaman is much more than that and there are so many more beautiful Islands in the Andaman. But anyway I will go along with the usual pattern of starting with Port Blair and Havelock. Port Blair is the capital city of Andaman and probably the first place you reach while on your Andaman tour. The most prominent spot to explore in Port Blair is the cellular jail, the standing testimony of the struggles which our forefathers went through for adorning India with independence.

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The cellular jail is, in fact, architecturally very interesting as it takes the shape of a bicycle spoke. The interior looks quite scary as the tiny cells have only got a small opening to place the plates of food for the prisoners and windows are perched high above on its walls that barely see the blue clouds and lush greenery outside. There are also lifelike installations in its compound indicating how hectic the prisoner’s lives were in the hands of the British. It’s indeed an eye-watering moment and when you walk out of the cellular jail your heart will be filled with gratitude.

Aberdeen bazar is another tourist-friendly spot in the Andamans where you can buy gorgeous souvenirs and alluring ancient artifacts. You can certainly spend a few hours here and invest in some goodies to take home which you can either keep with you as a memory or gift your near and dear ones as a token of love.

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Chidiya Tapu is another famous landmark in the Port Blair. It is, undoubtedly a paradise for bird watchers. You can spot regional as well as many a migrating bird flying across the sky or playing on the large trees. The happy chirping of the birds itself will make your day awesome.

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Moving on to Havelock Island, it has some of the best beaches which are very popular among the tourists. Radhanagar beach is the most famous as it’s got snowy white sand and crystal clear waters. The crimson sunset on this beach presents a unique beauty that will make you go speechless.

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Elephant beach and kalapathar beach are other famous beaches in Havelock. Elephant beach is good for diving, kayaking, snorkeling, and glass-bottom boat rides. Kalapathar beach as the name suggests is lined by some back rough rocks but yet serene and pristine. It is pretty much far away from the main town but for the same reason it makes up for a great spot where you can enjoy the peacefulness. It’s an ideal place to come for picnics with your family with some home-cooked food.

Apart from the breathtakingly beautiful beaches, nature has blessed Andaman with some amazing limestone caves as well. The Baratang Island houses the amazing limestone formations that happened billions of years ago and what is more interesting is that both the stalactites and stalagmites are present inside the caves and you can almost spend half a day here admiring the beautiful creation of nature.

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Cinque Island, an Island not so common in travel itineraries, is indeed a great place to explore. It is located towards the north of Port Blair, lying between the passage and the Duncan Island and is divided into north and south Cinque Island. It is as far as more than 20 km from the Port Blair city. The Island is not inhabited but it offers a lot of adventure activities for tourists such as snorkeling, sea walking, diving, etc. and the marine life is so rich here that it has given rise to the formation of beautiful corals in different shapes, sizes, and colors all around the Island. Camping on this Island is allowed and it would be a great experience to sleep under the stars listening to the roaring sea nearby. Regular ferry service is provided from the Chidiya Tapu to reach Cinque Island.

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The Little Andaman Island, home to the onge tribe, is still an unknown heaven among most of the globe trotters. The best thing about Little Andaman is that most of the tourist attractions here does not require an entry fee. Butler bay beach on a little Island is great for surfing. There are also some awesome waterfalls on the Island such as white surf waterfalls and whisper wave waterfalls. If you love rainbows, white surf waterfalls are your cup of tea, because when the mist in the air comes in contact with sun rays, rainbows are often formed. Whisper wave waterfalls are as lovely as white surf waterfalls but are prone to crocodile attacks. Therefore, do take care to take the crocodile warning signs seriously.

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Red palm oil plantation is one unique spot the tourists are immensely attracted to. It does not require an entry fee and you can see and understand the various processes going on there. You can even take some time to interact with the workers here to obtain a clearer understanding of the whole processes going on or even clarify your doubts. However, you require a special permit to visit this Island and also camping is not allowed here. Food courts are available in hut bay but they offer only basic items. So if you are planning to do cooking on the Island, don’t forget to bring the cookware and the required raw materials. You can reach the Little Andaman Island either through sea or via air. There are government-issued ferries from Port Blair to hut bay which takes around 6 to 8 hours depending on the condition of the sea. Private helicopter rides are the alternate option, obviously expensive, but takes only 1 hour to reach. However, the seats are limited and also you will be only able to take limited luggage with you.

 

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All the aforesaid tourist attractions of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands make it a tempting holiday spot not only for the international vacationers but also for the domestic ones. Especially the people of Gujarat find Andaman and Nicobar Islands very interesting that the demand for Andaman and Nicobar tour packages from Ahmedabad are so high. This is due to the simple psychology of people that they always find the things they don’t own as desirable. The beige sanded blue beachess of Gujarat are so much in contrast to the snowy white sanded turquoise blue beaches of Andamans and thus, makes it damn appealing for them. Also, Andamans are blessed with a much more pleasant climate to enjoy the beaches than the rather dry climate of Gujarat.

Our First Trip as Couples to the Alluring land of Kerala

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We had a dreamy wedding after our planning that took like 5 years. I and Riya met during our college days. Even though we were coming from different states and were enrolled in different departments, we met and became good friends. It took us no time to know that we are best for each other and thus our love story began. I flew to London for my job after studies and Riya got placed during campus selection at Pune, her native place. We had a grand wedding ceremony in Delhi with our close relatives and friends, we were planning to make our honeymoon another grand period of our life. We wanted to visit an exotic location in India and after much thoughts, we finalised that it would be Kerala. I had to fly back to work in a month and Riya had only 3 weeks leave, so we had the best place in India itself for our honeymoon.

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The wedding preparations itself were done after a lot of juggling. It was at that time that I told my friend Rajat that we have plans to select Kerala as our honeymoon spot. He suggested me to avail the help of a travel operator to plan out the trip in advance and even suggested Dream Holidays. We checked their tour packages from Delhi and both of us were quite impressed with the packages and services they were providing. The booking was done and on July 14 we set out for our trip at 6 in the morning and it took us only 3 hours to reach the Cochin International Airport. From there, they picked us at the right time and took us to the No. 18 Hotel at Fort Kochi which took more than one hour to reach because of the traffic. We had asked them specifically for this place because we have heard quite a lot about this place and it was easy to travel around the popular streets at Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

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Riya is a great lover of art and always used to talk about the art exhibitions happening in these areas. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale was something she missed as could not take some days off from her work because of the project she was supervising. We were lucky as other painting and sculpture exhibitions were happening at Kochi. The Kashi Art Gallery had some brilliant photography exhibition going on. We had some great food at the patio of the Kashi Cafe. At night we went to the Farmers Cafe at Fort Kochi itself and had the best organic food in the colonial setting.

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Our favourite locations at Kochi include the Fort Kochi Beach, Cherai Beach, Hill Palace, Bastion Bungalow, St. Francis CSI Church, Mattancherry Palace, Jew Town, Dutch Palace, and many more. The list can go on because it is such a great place with great ambience. The colonial architecture of the buildings and even its streets tells the story of Kochi’s history. Our guide had great knowledge of the places and I was more than happy to see Riya getting lost in conversations about the city’s history with him.

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We then went to Alleppey and we loved the view of the palm-fringed shores more than the view of the Chinese fishing nets that we saw from Fort Kochi beach. At Alleppey, we were taken for a houseboat cruise in the backwaters which had furnished bedrooms with AC and a clean attached bathroom. It was when we reached here that we could see the continuous set of coconut groves – the usual image that we get when the place Kerala is mentioned. We had taken only the local ferry when we were in Kochi and that was a fascinating ride. At here, the Alleppey backwaters charmed us with its beauty and the serene and clear backwaters. The houseboat voyage and dinner at Farmers Cafe are our favourite honeymoon memories. Our guide said that a trip to Alleppey is not complete without visiting Kuttanad. Kuttanad surprised us with the farming that is done below sea level. A village tour in this rustic village listening to nature’s voices far from the noise of the cities filled us with happiness. We even tried canoeing from Kuttanad. Punnamada Lake is now one of our all-time favourite places. The seafood varieties served at Alleppey region is totally a trump card to lure more visitors to Kerala. We had some toddy (a kind of wine made from coconut) and the guide also took us to a place from where studied a bit about toddy tapping. We also visited Pathiramanal, Krishnapuram Palace, Alleppey Lighthouse and Marari Beach at Alleppey.

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Riya always wanted to try trekking and paragliding and we were excited when we reached Munnar to try both of these. This popular hill station in Kerala has got many tea and coffee plantations which added the beauty of this lush green area. We had a trainer who helped us with the adventures. For trekking, the best spots are the Kannan Devan Hills, Chokramudi and Chummar. We could see the mighty landscapes of Munnar while soaring high during paragliding and the view was all about greenery – from the bird’s eye view as it is popularly known. The misty light breeze added the soothing effect that Munnar gave. The next time we are coming to Munnar to get an ayurvedic therapy as we could know that this place has a great record of perfect ayurvedic therapies done at its spas and resorts. We also visited Anamudi Peak, Mattupetty Dam, Eravikulam National Park, Echo Point, Pothamedu View Point, and so on. On our last day at Munnar, we took long strolls through the tea gardens where some of the scenes from my favourite movie Life of Pie was shot.

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We headed back to Delhi after our ten days trip in Kerala with a lot of photos and many memories that will always top the best memories we had after our marriage. I think all of the newly-weds should take a trip like us and have a hassle-free trip with your loved one by availing the benefits of honeymoon packages to Kerala.