Most Inspirational Moment
- Seeing a wild bull elephant at a local village and the journey by jeep to reach it, the atmosphere was electric. - The trek up hill from the tea plantations, surrounding scenery and the magical dragonflies in their hundreds. - The cycle rickshaw ride weaving its way through the crowded streets towards an imposing and beautiful temple at Madurai. - Enjoying “a time that once was” on the backwaters and relaxing on a comfortable houseboat. - Tantalising the taste buds with delectable vegetarian curries and delicious sea food. My friend noted the early morning cultural excursion at Madurai was excellent and I an sorry to have missed it!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sam is a friendly guy who is helpful and tries to provide extra when individuals have specialist requests to see something specific i.e. cultural excursion, Although, he doesn’t appear as interested in nature (as I am!). Sam perhaps left plan updates a little late in the day for our group members, however we was knowledgeable and we felt always felt safe with him around.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Leave room in your case if you would like to buy gifts. This part of India is great for material, silk and cotton garments, textiles, wood carvings, metal and wooden ornaments and spices. Loose breathable fabrics as it can be very hot and humid. Pack an brolly/rain coat and a camera to capture the many splendours. A walking pole is useful when hiking if only to prevent slipping on muddy descents. Bring Snacks if you have a high metabolic rate and burn up calories fast as you might get hungry on the longer journeys. We experienced a few bites but nothing significant so cover up to avoid or use a little deet. Mainly bring with you a sense of humour and do all the activities on offer (although, note some suggested optional excursions in our case were not available. Also take sufficient cash or even better a card, Sam was great at ensuring ATM’s we’re regularly visited but if like me you take cash get plenty exchanged before you go on the one night stays as I had to borrow money off Sam our guide which was very kind of him but I did not ask for too much as I quickly realised others in my group had done the same and this meant I did not have my usual independence to spend as much as I wanted too! My friend and I did not get any sickness or diarrhoea but we ate where Sam recommended, I did not really eat meat but loved the fish. I consumed little in the way of diary although milk is said to be pasteurised and the water was filtered at the places we visited so take a water bottle and fill up on the bus. Have a massage when staying up in the hills at Periyar locality, a number of our group enjoyed them, you will get the same gender and it is worth every penny. Cover shoulders, chest and knees at temples. My friend and I would also recommend you do this in Kovalam too when walking to the harbour as to reduce undue male attention as men here can intensively stare! which can feel unnerving / unsafe at times, keep to tourist areas here too particularly if alone female and do not wander off the beaten track. There is a lot of rubbish outside and some unpleasant odours. The tourist bay itself has some great shops and restaurants. Wonderful sunsets can be seen here and the beach is pleasant but the sea can be a little choppy. The shop owners are friendly in the lovely tourist bay and there is access to tailors for those wanting clothes made up.