Safety Tips in State of Kerala

Its not that bad as else where but when it rains it attracts mosquitoes..so dont forget mosquito repellent creams.
Have some pills for stomach upsets or acidity as you will be trying different cuisines.
Taxi is expensive so bargain.
The gift shop at the resort, please bargain. You can get it very cheap even though the price quoted at first might seem cheap.

Do you like elephants???
Good.
But take care while touching it or feeding yourself alone....without the 'Paappan' ( the usual master of the elephant ).
Usually the elephants wont do any harm to you.
But sometimes it will be dangerous if you try to touch it or even trying to feed it yourself

So take care.

- People belongs to Non-Hindu religion are not allowed in most of the Kshethrams ( Temples). In some Kshethrams entry is allowed into the ground but not inside. But some allows every one to go inside. So, you must enquire if entry is permitted to you please follow the following points
>> enquire if you can take a photo or capture movie
>> don't take the photo of the 'Vigraham' (idol)
>> remove your foot-wears strictly
>> men must remove their shirts and vests
>> smoking and alcohols are not permited
>> enquire about the rules of each particular Kshethram you visit
>> In some Kshethrams Pants or Churidars are not allowed. In that circumstances, men have to wear 'MUND' ( white traditional dress ) and ladies have to wear Sari.

Kerala is probably the only Indian state, where the cow is not sacred.

While travelling from Kovalam to Periyar we passed a few cow herds with their Tamil owners, walking along the road .
We learnt that these men walk for 6 to 8 days from Tamil Nadu, sell their cattle in Kerala, then set back on foot to their homes.

En route we passed through a few villages and small towns. On the doorstep of the butchers shops, the decapitated heads of the cattle, in a pool of blood are displayed, to prove that the meat sold there is beef!

Our tour guide did give us warnings to look away if we were squeamish, as we approached these shops, but I did sneak a peek.

Just be aware that if you are nice to the kids selling stuff on the beach, they will be with you for the rest of your time there. They were very good company at times however it got quite exhausting, hence our regular trips to the Ashok Hotel.

The roads are terrible! This makes for a very rough ride. During the monsoon, it becomes a very rough and messy ride. If you are driving, please drive very carefully, as the drivers on these particular roads are known to be very very fast and rash.

Since u will be travelling to the remotest villages and town, its a rarity that you will find a fixed fone line, so make sure u carry a mobile along with you. In case you get lost in the jungle, have to stay on top of a tree since the tiger is waiting for you if you come down, or simply to keep in touch with folks back home.

Here, however, u see my freind Dr. Zaheer is misusing the facility provided by the mobile fone service by talking to his girlfriends and keeping the only mode of communication busy. since it is the only connection we have with life on land, it can prove to be costly. Nevertheless, this Doc does not give a damn.