Exploring India: Palakkad, Forest area of Kerala

Hi dear Hive community,

From wonderful Thanjavur we decided to visit Kochin again, where Tamara got sick and caught Dengue fever. It was challenging with very high fever and body pain. Doctors were excited that we visited and we left home with a full bag of different medicines. Luckily, all was well in a week and soon we were able to move on.

We traveled forward to Palakkad where our next friends Rahul, Lekshmi and 6 month old baby named Shivathnika, were already waiting for us. They were happy that we visit them, and together we spent wonderful a week.

Area around Palakkad was very interesting and had plenty to offer with cultural programmes, rich vegetation, etc. We took many fruits, flowers and plants to cook with them or make tasty Hibiscus tea.

Everyday we prepared something different and delicious to eat. We tried many curry's like drumstick curry or even crab curry. The most tasty meal was fish which we marinated and grilled on a fire wrapped in banana leaves, which gave extra taste. It was really fun and we got equipped with lots of new cooking knowledge.

One day we decided to go to the nearby river and spend sunny, hot day there.
On the way, we stopped in a local hidden toddi shop (typical alcohol shop) which offers special local drink called toddi or kale. It's a fermented coconut water or with other words coconut beer. The smell was horrible and the taste was quiet strong. The drink makes you hot and sweat a lot, therefore you can recognize usual toddi drinkers by specific smell already from far away.

We enjoyed the nature and the place. Spontaneously, we came to the idea to visit Thrissur where famous Guruvaju temple is located and as well a big Elephant sanctuary Annakota. More about this experience in the next post.