Drive to Kannur

Post weighing the options innumerable times, I embarked on my first solo trip. The destination was Kannur a beach town in Kerala. Having stayed in Bangalore for such a long time, since i got to know about Kannur I had always wondered what kept us from going to this destination earlier as a family together.

On a Sunday morning - I started the drive accompanied by my favorite playlists we like as a family on every drive. The drive to Mysore was quick and covered within 2 hours on the expressway. \240I stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant and had benne dose plus coffee. It wasn’t great but was adequate.

From there on, I drove all the way to the destination encouraged by a comment from a colleague (Roshan) who had extensively and very kindly provided me with details about Kannur.

The drive passed through Coorg and then the reserve forest at Nagarhole. The entire landscape was verdant and immersed in various shades of green. As the coffee and spice plantations rolled by, I could see a plethora of monkeys by the roadside waiting probably for the zipping cars to offer them titbits and some easy meals instead of having to forage in the forest. Frequently I passed through lush green and velvety landscapes of rice fields and farmers toiling in the fields under the hot sun whilst i zipped through comfortably in my air conditioned vehicle. As I moved through the jungle area, there were several twists and turns in the road and each nook brought a new surprise - many times I spotted large blue and white monarch butterflies flapping away and several small orange, yellow and black butterflies flying away randomly mostly in pairs. I wondered whether they were together, enjoying the bountiful nature to its most in the incredibly short life they had on this earth. There were tiny streams of water gushing by and eventually a large river into which all the streams had merged. The border crossing into Kerala had a bridge over a river flowing by and this was a very picturesque scene. My destination was getting nearer and I was getting excited with the anticipation of seeing the beach !

The roads in Kerala were fabulous all the way to Kannur and my destination was getting nearer. Before going to the beach house, I decided to have lunch at a burger joint called Westburg recommended by Roshan. The place was neat and the burger was great. They had plenty of choices and I settled for a chicken burger and a milk shake. After lunch I moved towards my destination.

Nothing could have prepared for the jaw dropping approach road to the destination. It was just amazing. Check in was easy. I met Nasir and Rosie who quickly offers some tea and chips and I went to my room to freshen up. The rooms were sparse and adequate. I had everything I needed for a comfortable stay by myself. The property was part of an old house and they had 5 rooms but I was the sole occupant during the 3 nights I stayed. So literally I was a house guest at Rosie and Nasir. The view from the room was awesome overlooking the estuary and directly to the sea. I could hear the waves crashing on the sand and I couldn’t wait to get to the beach…

Evening was spent on the beach which is almost an unspoilt stretch of sand - sprinkled with broken seashells and a very firm ground upto 30 meters into the sea. Waves are firm and non lethal, and not very gentle either. The sunsets are magnificent which I had the pleasure of viewing for 3 consecutive days - but I didn’t carry the camera on subsequent days to enjoy it by just soaking myself into it without any distractions whatsoever.

Next morning - after the morning beach walk - had a sumptuous breakfast. Breakfast at 9 and dinner at 7 was organised by the hosts and we ate together all meals accompanied by varied conversation. Nasir and Rosie were excellent hosts having been running this set up for 20 years now. They have a large repeat clientele and a lot of foreign visitors and groups conducting yoga and art classes from the Uk and France. It is not a very big surprise they find this theraupetic as the place is a great mixture of unstated and simple luxury.

On the next two days I visited some local places, Fort Angelo and the famous drive in beach which is really unique and maintained spectacularly. Also visited some recommended food joints and an ice cream parlour. I also visited a ayurvedic massage centre and had a relaxing hour long massage.

Evenings were spent in the water at the beach and i really enjoyed it to the hilt - with each wave brining a thrill I cannot express in words. There are trails abound for walking and cycling high I explored to a minimised extent. A lot of my time I spent cavorting in the water, talking to the hosts as well as reading the book I had carried and colouring some pages.

Soon it was time to leave on Wednesday morning. I had a good breakfast again full of local options cooked on site. The drive back was 7 hours and the roads were excellent. I was back home by 5, having started at 9 in the morning.

Though initially I felt I will spend more of my time reading and reflecting - I spent most of my time at the beach either in the water or taking walks. I also could not stop myself roaming around the town watching a bustling town and its landmarks and the people going about their lives. I felt relaxed and happy and I was able to also get some downtime for my brain.

I shall return for sure ! Probably soon.

Till then

Take care