A FIAT Love Story Day-1
Day – 1 (20th December 2008 – Saturday)
Sector – 1 Coimbatore
Start: Coimbatore Tamil Nadu
Reach: Calicut (Kozhicode) Kerala
Starting Kilometer reading at Coimbatore
Total Distance Covered Coimbatore to Calicut
Route taken: Coimbatore - Palakkad - Mannarkad - Peruthalmanna - Malappuram - Ramanattukara – Calicut (Kozhikode) Avg: 4 -5 hours drive
We started from Coimbatore on 20th December 2008 early in the morning at 4.30 AM from home remembering the golden rule of travel – Start early, drive carefully & reach Safely.
We offered our prayers at 5 AM in a Karya Siddhi Vinayaka Temple near our house and a Hanuman Temple
Finally we touched the L&T Toll gate exit to Coimbatore
My wife had a good look at the inside of the car before we started as a final check to ensure that I had put my 2 little ones inside.
My little princess Shri Meenakshi picked my purse which I had kept in my driver side door paper holder and was checking if I had sufficient money for the trip along with my son giving me a peep from the rear.
I took snaps of these 2. We were all set & ready to roll.
I started the preparation for this tour almost 1 month mentally preparing in advance by way to collecting information from internet and various travel sites regarding important places to visit, route to take, conditions of roads etc
I formed a word document where in I outlined the tour plan and broke it up into various sectors. I drew the route map by naming the cities & towns that I need to drive through and very important places we needed to visit.
Having 2 very small children I optimized on the number of visits to various places we visited as 2 to 3 maximum per day so as to not to strain them.
It is always better to leave some places behind so that you can catch up with them next time.
I prepared a detailed check list on things to carry in the car & things to do before we left town. I also purchased Maps of Karnataka & All India just to get an idea of places & their location distances etc. I never had any GPS.
We stopped at Palakkad at Hotel Aryas for break fast and found my son fast asleep. I had made a nice set up for the kids in the back by putting duffle bag luggage in the gap of the front & rear seats and put a small baby bed & Rajai blanket and put 2 pillows.
We stopped at Palakkad at Hotel Aryas for break fast and found my son fast asleep. I had made a nice set up for the kids in the back by putting duffle bag luggage in the gap of the front & rear seats and put a small baby bed & Rajai blanket and put 2 pillows.
It was great set up for my son living king size occupying the rear 3 seats all by himself throughout the journey.
See him how we found him sleeping like a baby. But the poor kid was feeling lonely at back too.
En-route beyond Palakkad some where near Mannarkad we saw 2 elephants inside a huge temple and stopped to take snaps & video.
Children were thrilled to see the elephants. We also took pictures of so many colorful houses with so many different colors and took snaps of a beautiful church & a mosque too.
We stayed for 2 days on 20th & 21st (Saturday & Sunday) at Sea Queen Hotel on
I definitely recommend if any one wants to stay in
We started the first day with the visit to the Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary by afternoon.
Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary & Backwaters: Kadalundi bird sanctuary is around 19 km from Kozhikode on the Feroke route & is home to more than a hundred varieties of native birds and over 60 species of migratory birds flock here in large numbers.
Feroke is the cradle of the tile industry in Kerala and you can see a picture of tile manufacturing plant I took.
2 local boys asked if we would be interested in taking a boat ride and we agreed after ensuring these guys were decent as there were 2 local ladies at the shore who advised us that we can go safely & come back with the boys as company.
The boat was being rowed using a long wooden pole. It was a great ride through the bird sanctuary.
We were able to see many of the birds close-up and saw fishes flying out of the river. It was fun to take a rove boat with local help & go around this lake.
The sanctuary is also known for a wide variety of Fish, Mussels and Crabs. Birds like Terns, Gulls, Herons, Sandpipers, Whimbrels, and other migratory birds flock the place from the month of November and return only by the end of April.
The sanctuary, which is spread over a cluster of islands, covers an area of 3 kms in a scenic area surrounded by hillocks.
A hillock, which is 200 m above sea level, provides a splendid view of the river mouth and the sea.
The sanctuary, which is spread over a cluster of islands, covers an area of 3 kms in a scenic area surrounded by hillocks.
A hillock, which is 200 m above sea level, provides a splendid view of the river mouth and the sea.
The number of birds in the approximately 2 sq.km area is quite astonishing.
The variety is also excellent with terns, gulls, egrets, herons, sandpipers, brahmini kites and cormorants among others.
You will also find lot of crows’ kites & eagles – crows seem to be almost everywhere.
The variety is also excellent with terns, gulls, egrets, herons, sandpipers, brahmini kites and cormorants among others.
You will also find lot of crows’ kites & eagles – crows seem to be almost everywhere.
The best time to see this sanctuary in all its glory is from November to April. Due to its location along the coast, the climate is excellent through most of the year.
Avoid any visits during the months of May to July as the area receives torrential rainfall during that time.
Avoid any visits during the months of May to July as the area receives torrential rainfall during that time.
The sanctuary seemed to be a favourite location for the wealthier families of the area as we saw an endless row of extremely impressive bungalows bordering it.
Kadalundi town itself seemed like a small quiet place very typical of towns in this part of the country. I have taken pictures of some big houses & a railway bridge we went under this railway bridge in the boat.
Kadalundi town itself seemed like a small quiet place very typical of towns in this part of the country. I have taken pictures of some big houses & a railway bridge we went under this railway bridge in the boat.
Carry lots of drinking water & some snacks with you as you will feel thirsty & hungry. You will not find near by eating places. Kadalundi railway station is nearby.
We returned back to Sea Queen Hotel at Beach Road in Calicut by night 8 PM and had a good sleep.
This is a very good hotel with clean rooms and we had a good stay for 1 day. The hotel gives an excellent view of the beach from the alcony.
Day-2 we had planned to visit some interesting places in & around Calicut.
Please click on the link below to read blog of Day-2
http://mn-fiatlovestory.blogspot.com/2011/10/fiat-love-story-day-2-calicut-kerala.html
This is a very good hotel with clean rooms and we had a good stay for 1 day. The hotel gives an excellent view of the beach from the alcony.
Day-2 we had planned to visit some interesting places in & around Calicut.
Please click on the link below to read blog of Day-2
http://mn-fiatlovestory.blogspot.com/2011/10/fiat-love-story-day-2-calicut-kerala.html
