Sunday 23 September 2018

An Ode To the ‘God’s Own Country’

After our marriage, I and my husband decided to visit Kerala for our honeymoon. We wanted to spend our time in the lap of Nature embraced by the serenity and for us, no other place complies with this other than Kerala. We (especially I ) had always wanted to visit Kerala. I remember browsing through zillions of beautiful pictures on the internet. Nature has blessed this land in abundance. The greenery, the waterfalls, the beaches, the hill ranges, the backwaters, everything about Kerala captivates me. My husband has two main reasons for loving Kerala. The first reason is definitely the natural beauty of the small state and the second one is quite funny. We are Hyderabadis and my husband finds it very convenient that Kerala is somewhat close to Hyderabad( which means lesser travelling hours and fatigue). Moreover, he also found a tour package to Kerala which was made for travelers from Hyderabad. This tour package was offered at really low prices by the travel planners named Lelagoon Holidays. This particular fact made my husband, even more, happier that he instantly fell in love with the idea of travelling to 'God's own Country'. He asked me to pack the bags as he had booked the package and was even going to book the flight which was set to leave for Kerala in two days. I did back my bags and we did leave for Kerala and we had the time of our lives in the small southern state. Wherever you go for a trip, there is just one prayer in your mind that the trip should go as planned. Well, guess what, my trip was way beyond my expectations. Kerala was way more beautiful than the pictures that I saw. Be it the places, the food or people, Kerala is beautifully unique and considerate. The love that the Keralites have for one another is so uplifting. There is no religious or any sort of barriers separating these people from calling one another brother. You can see Muslim children walking hand in hand with Hindu and Christian children. If you want to witness such beautiful sights, you need to come to Kerala. Where else can you see such a wonderful atmosphere?! Well, it isn’t called ‘God’s own Country’ for nothing. Kerala has a huge influence in my life and it has helped me become a better person too. Kerala has become so close to my heart now, that I have started considering it as my second home. I could go on and on about 'God's own Country'. In this blog, I am going to ramble about my most favorite places in Kerala. Those places which took us to another world of tranquility and peace, making our simple honeymoon a beautiful time to cherish for an entire lifetime. Of all the places that we visited in Kerala, we found the Athirapilly Waterfalls and Ezhattumugham to be completely mesmerizing. We all know that travelling is just not about gazing at places. It is also about learning new things, discovering yourself and finding peace and detaching yourself from the worldly concerns. For all this to take place, you need to feel emotionally connected to the destination that you are in. Athirapilly had the same effect on us which is unforgettable. We literally found out the meaning of true bliss on that day.
Athirapilly Waterfalls, the cascading falls of Elixir
Athirapilly is located in Thrissur district of Kerala. These humongous cascading falls are considered to be one of the biggest waterfalls in India. It is advisable to hire a cab to Athirapilly, as there are fewer buses( both private and public) to the place. But if you are planning to take the bus whatsoever, you must first get down at Chalakudy from where you can board a bus straight to Athirapilly. As for us, our travel planners in Kerala had already hired a cab to Athirapilly as part of our honeymoon package. I still remember it like yesterday. The drive to Athirapilly was wonderful. The winding route cuts through dense forests. I couldn’t take my eyes off the window for it was adorned by the scenic beauty outside. It felt as though the thick canopy of trees were painting the azure sky with splashes of green. I was already beginning to love the place. And after half an hour’s drive, we reached Athirapilly. But that was not all, we had to travel almost an entire km to reach the humongous waterfalls. To be frank, I actually enjoyed every step that I took. It was like trekking through the beautiful land that Nature has provided. As it is said, the fruits of patience are sweeter and true to every word, it was.  I was bowled over by the magnificence that was gushing out in front of me. The milky falls cascaded with such force that they seemed to be touching the sky. I stood transfixed. I couldn’t feel the world that was bustling around me. All I could hear was the majestic roar of the Athirapilly falls and the water bubbling as it nears the cool pool of water. That is when I felt something nibbling my dress and I looked down to find a baby monkey. That brought me out of my trance in a jiffy, because I believe no one in this world is as scared as me when it came to monkeys. I ran away to find a ‘monkey-free’ spot just to find out that there wasn’t such a single spot free of monkeys! But to my surprise, I found out that they are harmless unless you have a bag of food. Luckily, neither I nor my husband had one and so I went on to enjoy my trip without a single worry in mind! One of the best parts of my Athirapilly trip was sitting by the pool of water created by the falls to gaze at the children playing and splashing water all around and their amusement as the water flowed bubbling its way through their little feet. As I watched them I wondered whether Life would ever give me a chance to be as happy as those innocent lives.

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