The Surroundings:
From northeast to southeast mountains up to 2600 meter high, the Western Ghats, are stretching for nearly 2000km from near Bombay to the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula. They are between 40 to 100 km afar from our place, instantly rising from the plains to their full height, so that every uphill and downhill drive will present overwhelming views. It will take 3 – 6 hours drive to reach their top.
Full of rivulets and torrents, waterfalls and dams. Big plantations cultivating teak, rubber, tea, coffee, cacao, cardamom. Considerable cooler.
Different rainforest zones, jungle, mixed deciduous forest. Sanctuaries rich in flora and fauna, the Ghats are one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. Monkeys, antelopes, gaurs, elephants, leopards, tigers, manifolds of reptiles and birds. Rare plants and trees. Different Tribes.
You can find touristically developed places (=overcrowded) and rather unknown destinations in this mountain region, which belongs as well to Kerala as also to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The eastwards bordering Tamil Nadu on the plains after the Ghats present a quite different appearance; different landscape, different people, different architecture, different sceneries. More dry, more wide and open, less populated, the people rather small, dark, reserved, serious. A poorer, not yet so "developed" state, "backward", bound in tradition (and sometimes superstition). The feudal system seems still to be in place.
Westwards the sea, shortest distance 40 km. Traditional fisher folk, mostly Muslims. Palm trees, wind, sand, waves. Swimming not advisable because the beach is the toilet of the locals and such an exotic performance of whiteskins undressing and venturing into the sea will immediately procure huge audiences. Single beach resorts with private beaches exist.
Northwards is the Malabar region with the towns of Calicut (Kozhikode) and Cannanore (Kannur), southwards are the towns of Cochin, Alleppey (Allapuzha) and lastly Trivandrum (Thiruvandanapuram), the capital of Kerala.
All these destinations can of course be reached by car and jeep (taxis), but also easily by train or, a bit more adventurous, by bus.
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