The Temple, a Manor and the deserted lake

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I seem to have an affinity toward temples in Kerala. After guruvayoor, the 8th century padmanabhaswamy temple left an impression on me. Be it the mystery surrounding it  or the wonderful Tamil Nadu/ Kerala architecture, all of it makes you stop and ponder for a minute. But it was the principal deity Vishnu enshrined in the "Anantha Shayana" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adi Shesha that mesmerized me. The walk across the three doors to see the deity flanked by Kerala mural painting is a push pull experience literally and figuratively.

Do note the dress code and strict no electronics including head phones policy !

After the morning visit to temple, it was time to try the highly rated restaurant Villa Maya heritage restaurant. I don't think i have written about any restaurants on this blog. But this had to done. The  18th century dutch manor architecture just blows the mind away , the interior so tastefully done and fcrowned  by an gastronomical experience. My family members who do eat proteins loved the seafood. Surprisingly the vegetarian fare was amazing as well. A mouth watering experience and then I read about the history of this place and that made the whole experience unforgettable enough, not to take a single picture out there. 

The famous Arumana Ammaveedu was one of four ammaveedus to rise to prominence towards the end of the 18th century. Ammaveedus were the residences of the consorts of the Maharajahs of Travancore in Trivandrum. 

As it says on the website , after a theater of senses we proceeded to Kollam/ Paravur. Our destination was fragrant nature resort. A serene place that was constantly disturbed with loud religious music. The long resort made it difficult for aged and the food was okay. So overall an okay experience. we had planned to take house boat ride on Ashtamudi lake and that we thought would be our saving grace. Kerala is god's country and it is also the land of strikes. So on the day we had booked the house boat ride was the day of a strike.But we decided to take a risk and drove to the docks of Ashtamudi lake. The major advantage was that roads were empty and we were one of the very few house boats on the lake. The house boat was uninspiring  and unclean, food unpalatable and which was followed by some loud words from our side to the operator palm tree houseboat.

This unpleasant experience was offset by a a nature show put up by a bunch of small egrets and a little tern. They followed us for most part of our journey and kept us enthralled. The uninterrupted views that the lake offered which would not have been possible on a normal day was relaxing and peaceful.













Kerala has always given me very memorable moments. This holiday was no exception but for the fact it had some good and some bad experiences. As they say,that is life.

July  2017
Kollam, Kerala

The Travel Connection:  Experience a destination on day of quiet.
Tip: Trip advisor can be wrong!
Location: Kollam, Kerala, India

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