adventure of a different kind in kerala, southern india with #keralablogexpress – day 8

Sunday March 8th

Making friends. Hunting tigers. Escaping monkeys. Boat ride in a tiger reservoir. Indian dance show. Today’s been a relatively calm day. I think what made the difference was that we got to stay in the same hotel for two days and relax a bit more rather that packing our bags again at dawn the next day…So my travelling tip of the day is to have every now and then at least two days in same location!

We kicked the day off with an early morning hike in the Periyat Tiger Reserve. That walk was lovely, although we didn’t see too many animals at the time – and certainly not a tiger. I think it’s good to keep in mind that spotting a tiger is about as likely as winning the jackpot in lottery, or finding that proverbial needle in a haystack: it’s most likely not going to happen.

I’d been asking where all the monkeys are, and after spotting about two of them in the park, they started popping all over the resort, town streets, you name it…even in the fellow blogger’s room! As we are staying in an eco resort, we get to hear the monkeys and other animal all night long through the netted, open windows!

Since we have local guides it’s also easier to get to know more about people around us: families, babies, performers. And then this lovely old gentleman who irons things for the people outside on the streets. I was curious to see how the iron would stay warm, so he opened it and showed the interior filled with hot coals. Haven’t seen one like that before!

What I love about larger hotels and resorts is that they have cultural programs pretty much every day. In the evening we got to enjoy yet another dance performance along with some traditional drumming and sitar music. Soothing and fascinating!

Disclosure: This trip was sponsored and part of the Kerala Tourism #KeralaBlogExpress 2 -initiative. All opinion expressed here are my own and are based on my personal experiences in Kerala.