Surya Samudra Private Retreats

Away from the beaches ...

by suvanki

I enjoyed just wandering around the pathways away from the beach..plenty of local life to see. Met quite a few local children and women, who were happy to chat or just smile and said hello.

I wandered up the road that leads from Hawa beach and came across a book shop. I bought a Keralan recipe book, (the owner is quite happy to find and order any books you might want) , a cd shop, where I purchased a couple of local recordings, again the owner was interested in the sort of music I was looking for, and said he could get anything that I wanted.

Ended up at Sumadra Beach, in time to hear the call to prayer from the mosque, which is near to a Hindu temple.

Nearby is a coconut grove, where I spent nearly an hour watching a man shimmying up the trees only aided by thin strips of ?leaves, to collect the coconuts. These were then gathered up by 2 other men, and moved to another area where another 2 men were employed in stripping the nut from the husk - done by forcing the coconut onto a blade buried in the ground, then by a series of twists and turns separating the 2!

I eventually plucked up courage to ask if I could take a photo - ok, but they demanded a tip.

Got a tuk tuk back to my hotel. There was a transport strike that day, but some drivers were still working. Aain, I saw a different view of Kovalam as we winded up and down narrow roads...a great day out!

The Sunglasses Man!

by suvanki

You'll probably hear this man before you see him, with his distinctive 'sing - song' call "Sunglasses!" He walks up and down the beach with his selection of sunglasses festooned around his body!
He also does a side line in coconut oil.

It's not certain as to whether he's actually sold a pair of sunglasses yet, but whenever I saw him he was smiling! He is legendary for his friendly nature, always ready for a chat, but he's not a pushy salesman!

This man is a legend in Kovalam, he's featured in holiday brochures ( for many years), and travel articles/ sunday supplements etc. plus, the group - Geezers of Nazareths' single "Sunglasses" is about this man!

Afraid my photo of Sammy didn't come out :-(

Kerala's big beach resort

by BlueLlama

I spent three nights in Kovalam at the start and end of a tour around the state of Kerala. The natural surroundings are very beautiful indeed, but I have mixed feelings about this place: it's become a centre for package holidaymakers with all that that entails.

The best time to experience the town is to go for a walk in the early morning before the shopkeepers are lined up ready to drag you into their shops and before all the other visitors wake up. Then, Kovalam is perfectly calm and quiet and you can see fishing boats and local people trading.

The centre of Kovalam revolves around the main beach and the strip of shops, restaurants and hotels behind it. Expect a lot of hassle as you walk past!

Also expect attention if you choose to sit on the beach, though this was mostly friendly. I had an attempt to convert me from a local Christian and a group of local girls who thought it was very funny to try and get me to practice Malayalam!

My experience was that people here - as everywhere else I went in Kerala - love to meet foreigners and chat with them.

Sunsets in Kovalam

by earthflyer

India

Agra --- Belur --- Goa --- Gwalior --- Halebid --- Kumbakonam --- Lachen
Lachung --- Panipat --- Satna --- Bodhgaya --- Gaya --- McLeod Ganj --- Hampi
Mysore --- Kochi --- State of Kerala --- Kovalam --- Munnar --- Quilon (Kollam)
Khajuraho --- Orchha --- Sanchi --- Ellora Caves --- Mumbai --- Gangtok
State of Orissa --- Chennai --- Kanchipuram --- Kanyakumari --- Madurai
Mamallpuram --- Vellore --- Jhansi --- Sarnath --- Varanasi
Kolkata --- Chandigrah --- Delhi

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