Friday’s Place is here for you to relax , and at least whilst you are here, forget the pressures of work and a frenetic lifestyle five thousand miles away. It’s a place to read that book, paint that water colour you always wanted to try your hand at, master that instrument, or just take in a completely different outlook whether scenically or culturally.
A different pace of life is here on the backwater and in the palm garden....it is inextricably linked to the slow progress of a punted country boat or the pace of an ox cart. It is a real mission just to go into town! We may not have a swimming pool, but when the water is up our canals and the river make for far safer swimming than the sea. With no rips or breakers that can dump you, the river, with sensible supervision, is safe for children too. The jetty is great for diving off, and at sundown provides a peaceful platform for fishing. Our local boatman is on hand to punt you around the maze of backwater canals and his keen local knowledge will identify the varied flora and fauna in surprisingly good English!
Away from Poovar up the coast is the ‘famed’ Kovalam beach, for lively swimming, beachfront boutiques selling Kashmiri and Lamani handicraft, and plenty of restaurants with tasty but dubious food. Fusion, German Bakery and Beatles have a very good track record and kitchens which are up to standard. Take care in the sea as the rips are strong....always best to stay near other Europeans as generally Indians are not strong swimmers. Haggle for handicraft!
A drive out into the villages can be really interesting to witness rubber tapping, an oil mill, or even a cashew nut factory. The local fruit, vegetable, and fish market, is a riot of colour with sareed ladies looking for the best buys. A journey on into the foothills takes you away from palm garden and into banana and rubber plantations with the amazing backdrop of the high Western Ghats. This is where most of the hydro electric dam sites are and the Neyyar Dam is the biggest near us. It is also the location of the Sivananda Ashram, famed for its style of Yoga throughout India and the west.
For a full day out, a drive down to Kanyakumari , where the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea meet, can also take in the famous Travancore Palace which is entirely constructed of exotic hardwood. Beautifully carved and inscribed, it is a well preserved testament to the skill and aesthetic of carpenters three hundred years ago.
Trivandrum city, the capital of Kerala, is a bustling, hot and polluted place. Nevertheless the architecture within the old fort area is certainly worth a look and the Padmaswamy Temple is the best example of Dravidian architecture outside the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. The city museum, zoo, and palace gardens are all of great interest and shopping for textiles is certainly a must for the ladies. Parthas has the biggest and best selection of silk and cotton textiles together with fine sarees and shalwar kameez. They even stock a very acceptable range of menswear. Taxis from Poovar to Trivandrum are always on hand and the drivers usually negotiate a waiting time rate. For short journeys auto rickshaws are great fun. Generally the driving in India is unlike anything you will have seen before. If you are brave enough we have our Bullet motorcycle and Scuti car for your use as well as a hired Scorpio landcruiser for air conditioned comfort.
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