Friday, July 24, 2009

Kovalam Beach Photos

Kovalam, the beautiful beach of Kerala attracts tourists from all parts of the world.

It used to be dominated by foreign tourists. It still does in the months October to February. Now it is time for the local tourists to enjoy the beauty of Kovalam beach, which attracts people from far away.

Here are a few pictures from Kovalam beaches - Eve's Beach and Adam's Beach, which is also known as Light House Beach. The Light House beach is a changed lot. The beach used to be the venue for several hundreds of white-skinned people to take a sunbath and to tan their skins. Now, the sea (Arabian Ocean) has eaten most of the beach.


A group of youngsters from Thirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, enjoying the evening at Eve's Beach Kovalam.
  Young men enjoying the sun and the waters.
  Majority of local visitors prefer staying back at the shore and enjoy the sporting activities of people who don't mind some salt water in their mouths.
  A little sporty of act, without which, life can get boring.
Every sunset is different. Here, I enjoyed the silhouette.
Sun saying goodbye to another day. Maybe, just going to lighten up other parts of the earth. My camera got this sunset at Kovalam beach on Friday.
The lighthouse beach, Kovalam. Mostly deserted.  
Another silhouette, but the sun has already left.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Thenmala Tour Pictures

A few pictures from Thenmala and from the road to the destination. Thenmala Ecotourism Project built around Thenmala Dam is an experience for the nature lovers.

butterfly safari at Thenmala, Kerala
Travel Tips:

The road is lonely. You will not find many shops on the route. At the destination too, there are few shops that accept credit/debit cards. There aren't any ATMs either.So take enough cash with you.

Butterfly Watching: The butterfly safari park is a great location to watch rare butterflies. The best time to watch variety of butterflies is pre-monsoon - before the monsoon lashes Kerala.

The best time to watch abundance of butterflies is September-October. Only two or three dozen variety, but an abundance of them waits for you. I prefer abundance to rarity and variety - at least in butterflies' case.

The road is long and lonely. It may be better to take your own vehicle - preferably an SUV. Stock enough snacks and drinks, as it will come handy.

It is a plastic-free zone. So don't take plastic to this place. Paper carrier bags preferred.









How to reach Thenmala:

Thenmala is near Punalur in Kollam dist.
From Trivandrum (76km): KSRTC buses are available once every hour from Trivandrum Central bus station (buses are Thenkasi, Aryankavu and Thenmala).

Visitors from northern parts of Kerala can reach via Punalur.

Visitors from Tamil Nadu can reach via Thenkasi.