Explore Famous Destinations in South India
Joanne was smiling to herself; after all she was thrilled with the thought of visiting the Exotic South india Tour for which she had worked hard throughout the summer to pay for her much deserved holiday. Her parents did try hard to dissuade her as they were worried about her safety and security but after she got them in touch with Erco Travels they too were relaxed when they realised how organised and renowned the travel operators were and now Joanne was on the verge of embarking on a journey of her lifetime.
‘We will meet you at the Chennai International airport” is what Erco Travel representative had informed her over phone and yes, here they were standing with her name on the placard.
After a relaxing night in the comfortable and fairly reasonable hotel Joanne set out in the morning to view it all in a day from museums to the Indo-Saracenic architect; the Erco tour guide had packed in a lot as she had just one more day in the city. He also informed her that Chennai, previously known as Madras, was the capital of Tamil Nadu and in 1639 it was also the site of the first settlement of the British East India Company.
Second day was utilised in an all day excursion to Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram. Joanne also got to visit Kalakshetra, a cultural institute started in 1936 for the preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially dance and music.
Third day she shifted from Chennai to Mysore and what an experience that was! Erco guide informed her that Mysore was once the political and cultural capital of the south India when the Wodeyar Kings ruled the place. But knowing it verbally was much different from actually visiting the magnificent reminiscent. Mysore Palace was a breathtaking site for her, which was followed by a drive outside the city.
Next day she was driven from Mysore to Coorg and on the way was also shown the Tibetian settlement. The tranquil beauty of Coorg was breathtaking. It was a small hill station which has given some of the most heroic army officers to the country.
A visit to Coorg was always accompanied by Nagarhole where if you reach in time you can be lucky enough to spot the teeming Wildlife Tours is famous for. So when Joanne was taken from Nagarhole to Calicut the journey was extremely picturesque through jungles and countryside.
Calicut, the Erco guide stated was also known as Kozhikode and is a busy coastal city to the north of Kerala. It was soon quite evident to Joanne that the beauty of each state of Southern India was distinct and yet so very similar as everywhere it was entwined with the simplicity of people, garnished with abundant natural beauty.
From Calicut to Kochi was a long drive with two halts- one at an elephant orphanage and the other at the temple at Gooruvayur enroute. Kochi, Joanne came to know was previously known as Cochin and is also referred to as the gateway of South India. In Kochi there was lot to see-the ancient palace, the old Portuguese churches, as well as Jewish synagogue, the indicators of the diverse cultural heritage of the city.
From Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram earlier known as Trivandrum was where the journey came to an end. Misty eyed Joanne bid goodbye to Erco guide and thanked him profusely for all the help and making her tour of South India memorable.
