The cab ride from Munnar to Kochi was sheer pleasure…this time round we were passing the tea gardens in the day time. You could literally sing with joy… the greenest of green colour all around, for miles and miles and miles everywhere, unpolluted and pure. We passed groups of tea pickers dressed in their local attire, complete with their cane baskets, bent over and diligently picking away, concentrating yet carefree, blending into their surroundings so harmoniously, blissfully unaware of any other world or of any other life.
The hills were alive with bright sunshine. The sound of gurgling waterfalls, the chirping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves, all seemed like music to the ears. What a sharp contrast to the constant cacophony of traffic horns, the numbingly unbearable pollution levels and the painfully dizzying crowds, all so typical of our urban Indian cities. Well, this was India too.. grand, beautiful, graceful, unspoilt, inviting and peaceful!
As we left the hills behind, slowly the terrain changed. We crossed small and large villages and gradually, urbanization unfolded along the highway…we reached Kochi city. The old town, as we discovered later, had several spectacular sights and an amazing history. Crossing the bridge separating the new and the old town, we reached our destination, the Taj Malabar Hotel…and bliss!!!
The charm of history is something I can’t resist, but when you add beauty to history, the combination is simply intoxicating for me. The Taj Malabar Hotel was an experience in itself. The location, for one, was simply unbeatable. It’s built in the Wellingdon Island, which used to be the Kochi Naval Base. There are no residential or commercial accommodations for at least a couple of square miles. The only other buildings nearby are the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Office of Cochin Port Trust and the Customs Office. Calm, dignified and classy. The property itself is set on the tip of the island, with its three sides overlooking and touching the sea. The original heritage building was built in 1935. Expansion and remodelling includes a newer wing, but the traditional architectural elements dominate the overall style. Travancore style wooden balconies have been covered to create comfortable lounging areas with slanting ceilings in the guest rooms of the old wing. The cane-blade fans, the hand-painted knobs on the wardrobes and the carved wooden panels on the mirrors lend an old-world charm to these guest rooms. Corridors are decorated with traditional Travancore antiquities like chests, tables, wall hangings, door panels, paintings and even old wooden staircases that actually creak when you walk down!!
The 24 hour coffee shop has enormous glass windows or rather ‘glass walls’, that overlook the Arabian sea, giving you the feeling of actually being ‘at sea’. A huge wooden ship structure lies propped on the hotel lawns, lending even more authenticity to the ambience. The food was awesome, to say the least. We had Malabar parathas nearly in every meal…they were too just good to resist!
Strolling in the lawns during the evening, we gazed, mesmerized, at the sunset, following every millimetre of its descent, afraid to even blink, lest we lose any of the magic, capturing its every stage in our cameras, till all that was left of it was a rosy haze, and it was only when the skies turned an inky blue, that we finally gave up the chase. Every sunset, every sunset, I can never get tired of watching a sunset. The calming waves of the sea, coupled with the gently fading light of the sky…it’s a scene like no other and the effect it has is unbelievably relaxing, but only if you completely let go of yourself and immerse yourself in the experience!
The next day was truly inspiring. We spent the day at the old town marvelling at the strange Chinese fishing nets, docked up casually along the shores, as if all set to sail the next day; and the Fort area with its aristocratic French and Dutch style houses, colonial white facades and neat tree lined streets. We visited the Travancore Palace museum, admired its varied treasures and traced the lineage of the royalty. The museum building itself was a work or art, authentic wooden floors, massive bay windows with original cast iron grills, intricately carved pillars and doorways…it was like stepping back in time! Nearly every house in the neighbouring residential areas was adorned with carved wooden balconies that are so typical to this region. The old Jewish area is famous amongst tourists for the dozens of shops filled with local artefacts, both antique and replicas. I didn’t stop until I had rummaged through almost every shop’s wares…until I found something I couldn’t resist… some old fashioned, hand-painted knob heads and wardrobe hooks…what a perfect find!!
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