Bekal - Playing tag with the Waves

Stepping onto the beach, my feet sink into lush golden sand. Not just sand, it is something more, something soft and delicate, yet robust and sturdy. On closer inspection, I see translucent amber coloured granules, cool and soft to touch, blending in with the sand like gems; making it a rich, heady mixture, heaven for my feet.

Welcome to Kappil beach, at Bekal on the Malabar coast of Kerala.

Playing tag with the waves at Kappil beach

Translucent amber coloured granules and shells  

Relax, refresh, indulge – that’s what I wanted at my next travel destination. The idea was to laze around while exploring a little and indulging a lot! Indulge in coconuts, South Indian cuisine, be a water baby all day long, Bekal was my perfect get away.

About Bekal

Browsing through the Malabar Coast of south India, you will see a tiny little destination called Bekal at the northern tip of Kerala. It is lush with coconut tree plantations and fishing villages, When you are in Bekal you are literally snug in an embrace between the backwaters, the western Ghats in the east and the Arabian sea in the west.  

Getting There

Mumbai - Bajpe Airport Mangalore, followed by a drive about 60 kms to Bekal (the route I took)

Mumbai - Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode, about 200 km from Kasaragod town onwards to.

Kappil beach forms the perfect border to the few luxury properties in the area.
I for one stayed at Vivanta by Taj, a property by India Hotels. "Why does the Elephant God at the entrance look so fierce?" I asked in a bewildered voice, my first in many questions to our host Aditi for the evening. With a charming smile she explained, "The statue you see is not an Indian version of the Elephant God. Design elements in the property have been inspired by Balinese culture, you will see symbols of which throughout the property." 

I can tell you the statue is probably the only intimidating presence at Taj Bekal, the rest of it spells pure indulgence, I was in heaven.

A golf cart ride around the property helped me set my agenda for the next few days: short walk to the beach, followed by an indulgent appam and coconut veggie stew at the restaurant, snooze, repeat. My ears heard the guide talking about kayaking along the backwaters, a fully equipped gym, some target practice along the way, etc. but my mind chose to ignore any reference to activity. When he used the word - spa, I woke up and made a beeline for it. 

That done, we were escorted to our rooms, wait call them luxury havens! With a plunge pool just as you step out of your room, a majestic swing to lounge on with a book, without a care in the world. Ahh!

Being the water baby I am, it is safe to say I spent many an evening simply indulging here. 

Cuisine
Food, yes that came next. Did I mention I am crazy about South Indian cuisine? Especially appam, rasam, gun powder, banana chips, I can go on! So you can imagine my glee when we were invited to a special feast the next day. Kerala's harvest festival Onam is celebrated with Sadya, literally meaning a banquet in Malayalam. It is traditionally a vegetarian meal served on a banana leaf. About 24 to 28 dishes are served on the leaf in a single course and eaten with hands without using any cutlery. 

   I have to share with you the detailed symbolism and significance of eating with your hands, shared with us by the team at Taj. The Vedas say, "Eating food with your hands feeds not only the body but also the mind and spirit. Our hands and feed are said to be the conduits of the five elements. Each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. The thumb is Agni (fire) the fore finger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether), the ring finger is prithvi (earth) and the little finger is jal (water). While you eat with your hands, they all come together thereby stimulating all the five senses. This improves your digestion and making you more attuned to the textures and smells of the food being eaten."

I still remember every flavour of that meal. All I wanted to do post this feast was curl up with my book on that oh so awesome swing and rock my self to sleep. It wasn't a dream, I did exactly that.

Of course I explored around, what kind of a traveller would it make be had I not! So I trailed my footsteps back to the beach this time exploring the sand bars that connect to the backwaters and estuary.

Backwaters merging into the Arabian sea on the other side

To my left was a calm river winding its way through coconut groves and to my left lay the excited Arabian sea. Needless to say the pictures don't speak for the magic I experienced.

Top Picks:

Foot massage at Jiva Spa

Coconut cream Panna cotta at the restaurant Latitude

Around the Area:

If you are in the mood to explore, visit Bekal fort and head out for a trek amidst coconut plantations near by. I was not impressed by temples I visited a few kilometers away, one of which had a 'Hindus Only' notice at the entrance. 

Also I noticed some communial tension around the area in Kasargod town. Our last night turned quite adventurous as a leader from the opposing political party had been murdered. We received a call at 2 am with the news and were told about roads being sealed off for a curfew.We were to head to Mangalore at 10.30 the next morning but took a call to check out immediately. It was quite a hush hush, rush rush affair with the Taj team escorting us to their Mangalore property. I was looking forward to the sun rise the next morning at that magical beach, but for the time being will have to do with my memory of the southern sun set. 

Last rays of sunlight, Kappil beach

Sun set at Kappil beach

   

Chadar in the Press

For the entire story: Click Here
For an audio recording of this story: Click Here 

Frequent Flier Via Germany

Do you travel to a destination often with work? If yes, do you make time out from meetings and conferences to explore? Here’s a story about Germany, shared with me by Priyo Patra, an entrepreneur and avid traveller who manages to make time for the sights and sounds he is travelling to on his work trips.

Around the World

Having travelled to 200 towns and cities within 30 countries, Priyo tells me about his first independent international trip to Germany. "In 2005 I was interning at the German Parliament. After the internship, I met up with friends and went on a month long Eurail, one of the best memories of my life." He recently revisited those memories on a road trip across the country having clocked 10,000 kms along a route that took him from Munich, Stuttgart, Bonn, Cologn, Leipzig, Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg and back to Munich.

Priyo’s work in the air cargo industry has taken him to the blackforest country quite often and it is practically second home to him. “I had an issue conversing with locals in English on my first trip. Germans by nature are not very patient, especially with a few Indians not knowing the difference between tap water and still. This is why it was a very different place to travel to. I saw barely two or three Indians in the four months that I spent there.” 

Road Trip Through Germany 

Over the years though, the country’s perception of India has changed thanks to travellers like Priyo, “You are not like the Indians we know from earlier years,” is a line he gets quite often after befriending locals. “Germans have adapted, when they meet well spoken, well informed Indians they become more friendly and tolerant. The face of the Indian traveller is changing.”

Business Travel

When asked about the pleasures and pains of business travel he says, “When you travel with work you don’t get time to see the place around. I try to extend my trip by a day, and I go on one of the city tours, which is a quick and easy way to explore the city’s sights and sounds. But you cannot soak in the culture, after a while it all looks the same. It is the people I meet that make all the difference. I have made some of my best pals travelling there over the years."

When you travel with work, you know more about it than the average tourist. You don't just want to do touristy things. Another interesting way to explore is through a concept called 'Open Hours,' which is where a person working in a company in Germany invites his friends to work and shows them around. "I was invited to an air conditioning factory where all the guests where shown around the facility, we got to see the insider bits about the industry as well as enjoy a party after! I wonder why we don’t have this in India," he says. 

Top Picks

Berlin: Artists, singers, history, modern history.

Munich: Okoberfest, place where Hitler started his career, Hoffbrau's Pub, HB Beer 

Stuttgart: haven for car enthusiasts, micro breweries, Euro trash music, old disco music. Mills converted to party destinations.

Pilot in making

Travel Mantra

“If in the middle of the night I want to go to Goa, I just go. Today, with the kind of technology and information we have access to, it is only your mind that is stopping you from going where you want to go.”

As if his work travels were not enough, Priyo is just a few levels away from securing a private pilot license. Priyo has his bag full with travel plans to last him a while. With Australia, New Zealand and Japan still on his bucket list, I am sure he will use the license to good measure! 

Countries Priyo has travelled to

(Images courtesy Priyo Patra)

Across a Frozen River

 "How about walking across frozen rivers, exploring the Zanskar valley?" I thought one morning; the idea taking off from a yearning to see Ladakh in winters, with white carpets of snow draping its scapes. The green terraced fields, colourful prayer flags and cheerful lamas take me to Leh often enough, yet the thought of being there in winters meant a whole new thrill. 

Browsing through old mountain memories brought alive a sense of adventure, backed by a need to escape from manic work, a Nat Geo photo cover of Leh, a knowing look from my sister - that's all we needed. There’s not much to do in Leh city during winters as most of the passes are shut due to heavy snow fall. However the wilderness of the Zanskar valley is wide open during this time, something you cannot explore on foot in summers. What better way than to explore this magical kingdom than to walk across its frozen rivers! That’s when we zeroed in on the Chadar trek.

Chadar is the term used for the layer(s) of ice that forms over rivers in winters. While the river flows and temperatures begin to drop, the edges of the river begin freezing, slowly gaining ground and ultimately covering the complete river with sheets of plexiglass like layers of ice. Unlike a glacier, the river does not freeze into a solid mass as water continues to flow under this Chadar. That’s what makes walking this trek a crazy, thrilling adventure!

Fact File:
Route: Drive from Leh – begin trek from Chilling – Tilat – Dib Yogma – Nyeraks. Leave the Chadar for a detour proceeding to a heaven like village called  Lingshed. Head back –Nyeraks – Dib Yogma – Tilat – Chilling

Region: Zanskar, ladakh

Altitude: 3850Mtrs/ 12,632Ft

Temperature Range: Day temperatures can be as low as - 10°C and night can reach -26°C

Dates: 27^th January – 7^th February

Rivers Traversed: Zanskar, Indus and their tributaries

We were to begin our trek from Chilling i.e a point where the road ends. Getting on to the river from this point means descending a good 10-20 meters to the level of the frozen river. Chilling was literally chilling to the bone, you just have to keep moving, the only way to keep you warm no matter how many layers you wear!

Imagine a ice rink with a gymnast gracefully gliding from one end to the other.

That’s exactly what this was not!

My first step on that uneven rock solid surface in gum boots, a pair of shoes that I was wearing after playschool; I was anything but graceful! Step2, and Step 3 – CRASH!

Crashes I had and many, you can’t keep a count! But gradually as I understood the undulations of the frozen water, places where to step and those to avoid become a little easier to recognise if not entirely. Overall you pass through water in various forms of snow, trudge through cool blue slush, stomp through beds of brittle ice, glide over surfaces as smooth as polished marble, feather walk over sheets as think as wafers; you can see vivid bubbles of water through it!  Oh, did I mention parts where you crevasse cross over the ice with a wild river flowing below!    

Enroute, we met a German gent, who claimed to have walked across the Chadar 20 times over the past 12 years! A simple man, with no guide, he lived in caves along the path. “You are never safe on the Chadar until you finally reach your home-stay back in Leh city,” he said when asked about the mysterious nature of this journey.

Overwhelming feeling as I took my last few steps on the Chadar, this mad thing to do, for no purpose, just the thrill of adventure! For the Zanskaris it is a way of life, a life line connecting Leh to their homes up in the mountains, but for me it was a sense of putting myself in a unfamiliar environmental,

We pass through narrow gorges overwhelmed by the thought of the raging river below, valleys, hot water springs, floating ice formations across a seemingly calm river, some magnificent frozen waterfalls, and unchartered river banks with magical mint blue waters!

Pancakes on a trek like this! Can you believe it! We had the yummiest food ever on this trek a sure shot mood lifter after getting all black and blue from each fall!  

I cannot begin to cover the sights and sounds, the magical experiences, the million stars, the vivid blues, sheer happiness of the locals just to meet new people! This is one among many journeys that must be experienced to be believed; a rare trek indeed!

This trek would not have been possible without Angchuk and Jigmit, our fellow travellers and guides on this beautiful journey
You can Hear my story at http://f.cl.ly/items/0c273b240Z0t390j2P0z/DiiptiFinal.mp3
See Here (youtube): My experiences during this trek @Bar Camp, VJTI 

(Technical information courtesy Jayesh Morvankar from www.odati.com, picture courtesy Yuktie Jhangiani)

Scuba diving in the Maldives

My article in the DNA newspaper  

For the complete story see my journey from learning the basics of scuba diving in Mumbai to becoming a certified Open Water Diver in Maldives. 

Touristy in London

London Bridge 2012 Olympics 

In the summer of 2012, just as the Olympics were drawing to a close I set off for a backpacking trip to the United Kingdom. With London, Lake District and Ireland on the itinerary I was on to quite an eclectic adventure.

I have always had a fascination for London, its double decked buses and phone booths firmly etched in my mind through countless encounters via cinema and various art forms. In contrast to this while browsing through the map, the northern most parts of Britain seemed like unexplored territory which attracted the vagabond in me. That’s why I chose the Lake District, changing three trains in all a day long journey but totally worth it. 

A part of me played the perfect tourist i.e bringing back a bag full of sightseeing brochures, catalogs and superbly random photographs of what a normal Londoner would call mundane city life, oh but that's the fun of playing touristy!

Getting There:

We chose Turkish Airlines due to its decent fares and a variety of early morning arrivals so as to save a day. 

So here's what I recommend you must do when visiting London for the very first time.

After landing at Gatwick Airport we proceeded to London city center (where the hostel was located) via a quick ride on the tube, accessible directly from the airport.   

Hostel Recommendations

I enjoyed my stay at Travel Joy Hostel Chelsea the most. This was largely because I met my first London crush - Sven, a tall, blue eyed German gentleman (who happened to be sleeping on the bunk bed above mine (innocent pleasures)! Don't think further, I assure you nothing happened! Just some fabulous conversations in double decked buses, a few laughs shared in the hostel lobby, but amazing memories non the less!

Of course the hostel was nice, not as cramped as some of the others I have stayed in. A friendly staff not to mention great location. We had a balcony with a gorgeous view of the river too.  On day one after sharing a few drinks, we set off on a tourist trail around the city.

I took at least a dozen of these back home, memories!

Tourist Trail

I am not much of a tourist trail-er, but I have to give it to them for the organised nature of these routes. I started with the Original London Sight Seeing Tour, one of London's many Hop on hop off options. You name a spot and it has that on its many blue, yellow, red, green routes! It is just like a local bus with set stops across the city, the colour representing the route it takes, the only difference was the hilariously funny guide extolling the virtues (or not) of every spot we passed by. How I wish we could introduce this concept in Bombay, my home city! 

From Hyde Park to Piccadilly, from Oxford Street to Trafalgar Square, with Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, Baker Street, Camden market and more, it was like a joy ride I was on! If you are in London for a 48 hours and have a tourist checklist, the Hop on Hop off ride is your first stop.

Wander

Once done with ticking off the checklist, I decided to wander around the streets of London just taking in the vibe of the city with no set route, plan or itinerary for the day. Why you ask? Well that's because I feel my feet will take me to fascinating parts of the city, all I have to do is look! So I set out.

The first thing I noticed - men and women on their bikes or in their running gear  peddling away at 7 am. When I ask ask around I am told it is a common practice to run or ride a bike to work. I find that fascinating. Also work begins at 8 am and ends at 4.30 or 5 pm post which I saw quite a few runners and bicycle riders on the street once again. What a healthy way to live whereby you have a social life post work hours instead of slogging it out late in the evening like most people I know. No wonder Great Britian took 7 Olympic medals at the cycling event alone that summer!

London Eye as seen from the Thames Cruise

London Eye

Yes its a part of the tourist trail. But I chose to visit London Eye separately. That's because I could spend the entire day there and not tire! No I dint do that, but I sure would have loved to. 

There is just so much to absorb in an eclectic city like London, I just had to pause for a moment and take it all in. So I sat by a cafe near the eye and browsed through my memories. 

http://www.mylondonmap.com/