Kerala Trip--Day 3

View of the central courtyard at the Old Courtyard Restaurant in Cochin where we ate lunch.


Day 3
River Retreat, Thrissur to Birds Lagoon Village Resort near Thattekkad, via Cochin

26th December: It's my dear hubby's birthday today!

* Early morning walk in the grounds of River Retreat Ayurveda resort and the roads outside along the river.

* What lovely houses and gardens I see, lush greenery and vibrant paints. I wish the light was better, so I could take some photos!

* Morning tea by the swimming pool....completely unplanned, but somehow 10 of 11 of us congregate there! This is the best part of a family vacation, spending these little moments together, drinking tea on a hammock :-)

* Drama at breakfast: Round 1 people get to eat (me included). Round 2, breakfast is over, completely eaten by a bus load of tourists. The staff is completely confused and not even able to figure out what to do. Eventually, they go out to buy basics...sambar, idli etc.

* A nice place, but managed so badly. I would not recommend going to River Retreat.

* Everyone finally gets to eat and we depart for Cochin 2 hours late....I prefer the old names of the cities!

* We head straight to Fort Cochin and do a quick round of sightseeing....Jew Town, spice market, synagogue, St. Francis' Church, Chinese fishing nets....and then look for a place for a late lunch. We find the Old Courtyard, a charming place where the seafood was superb.

* We set off for Birds Lagoon Village Resort outside of Thattekkad, and close to the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary. The manager of the resort gives us such precise directions that we have no trouble finding it, even in the dark....they had lots of signs up on the roads as well.

* As we turn off for the resort, we can see we're right next to the water. Can't wait for the morning to explore the area.

* Even in the wilderness, we can't miss out on a cake and champagne for my hubby's birthday! The staff at Birds Lagoon have baked a simple chocolate cake for him, along with the fantastic pastries we bought in Fort Cochin.

* A day well spent, a day that will be remembered forever!