Palakkad country side and more

Palakkad country side is pretty with paddy fields and thick greenery in the backdrop of bluish black mountains.

The dense growth of trees are impressive, in some areas - 

 Agriculture is a big part of life here.

 It is not just paddy and coconuts. Here is a pine apple farm-

 The house in the picture certainly have a very green backyard -

In this photo is a U.P school (till year 7) at the foot step of the mountain.

Needless to the say, the mountains look so imposing, humbling everything else, let them be paddy fields, farms or buildings.

 Here is a small dam on the country side.

There are small streams here and there. Many are essential for paddy crops to survive during dry months.

One of the larger streams -

These women workers are separating rice from hay. You may be surprised to see they do it by banging it on a rock.

Your surprise may increase if you see they are doing it in the road.

You also will see several beautiful shrines. Here is a church we saw while driving from Kunnamkulam to Palakkad.

If you happen to visit Palakkad town, there is an old fort, right in town.

Malampuzha dam is one of the major tourist spots in Palakkad. Here are a couple of pictures from the dam garden.

 

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Kannur - beaches and more

Kannur in North Kerala has great beaches and unique cultural spots. Kannur is not a hyped tourism destination. So if are not from Kerala, no surprise if you haven't heard about Kannur.

Kannur is a great place to include with Wayanad hill station visit. That way you can get the best of two worlds - beaches and hill stations.

Payyambalam beach is convenient to get to since it is the city beach. Here it is-

Kannur fort is another tourist spot right in the city. The old fort stands on a cliff near the sea.

Muzhappilangad beach is one of the popular destinations. The beach is as good as a road. People come here from even far away for beach driving.

Muzhappilangad is a 7 kms long beach. The above two pictures are from from the Southern end.

Here is a picture of the Northern end-

Dharmadam Island, just across Muzhappilangad beach, is another tourist spot. During low tides, the water is only knee deep or even less. So people cross the small patch of ocean by walking and reach the island!

Muthappan Madappura (temple) at Parassinikkadavu is one of the famous pilgrim places in Kerala. Here is the temple -

 The temple is by the side of Valapattanam river.

 Another place to visit is the Snake Park, just a couple of kms from Parassinikkadavu Temple.

 Meenkunnu is a fishing hamlet. Here are a few pictures from the beach -

 
 Here is one of the leafy entrances to Meenkunnu beach.

 Meenkunnu beach joins Chala beach. The sculpture at the small beach side garden -

 Thottada beach is well liked by tourists, who opt to stay in one of the beach side home stays.

It is also the place where backwater meets the sea.

Thottada beach is small and pretty. The corner near the cliffs, where harsh waves smash the rocks, is a must avoid place.

 Thottada village, a typical waterfront Kerala village -

Ezhara beach is one of the best beaches in Kerala but very few people know about it. 

The sandy spread just north of Ezhara is Kizhunna beach. A few pictures of this idyllic location -

 This is a stream along Kannur - Manathavady road.

 The road side cascade has a shrine built next to it.

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Thommankuthu in Idukki - waterfalls, caves and viewpoints

Thommankuthu is a popular waterfall destination in Idukki. This is a standout destination to explore. There are several waterfalls, caves and viewpoints, over the hills and deep into the woods.

The waterfalls-

Viewpoints-

Caves-

The entrance-

Refreshingly beautiful, that is what Thommankuthu is.

The pods- quite big to capture attention.

Entry to the stream is restricted at certain places.

 There are other areas where you could step into the stream.

 Plenty of large rocks-

 The cascade-

 There are several more waterfalls up the hills. If you are not ready to climb, still there is plenty to enjoy since the sights are just awesome.

 There are places to stay as well.

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