Celebrating one year - in God's Own country Kerela

Has it been a year already???

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Yup, a year has gone by of our marriage. 😅

Moving away from home wasn’t easy and I hadn’t adjusted to my life here just yet. We are still struggling with our different habits and lifestyle, he is a realist. I am a dreamer. He likes to be organized. I am more chaotic. He loves a nice relaxing holiday. I love hiking or anything adventurous. We have very little things in common.

But traveling especially roads trips are something we both enjoy, so we planned a road trip on our first anniversary, we couldn't take off for a lot of days so we kept it short, just a few days to celebrate our year together.

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We had recently done a 7-day bike trip on the hills, and so this time we decided to go to a beach and just relax. We also didn't want the place to be too crowded so after some research, we decided to go to the Bekal.

Kappil Beach at Bekal

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BEKAL-one of the well-kept secret In the God’s own country Kerela, India

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It was an overnight drive from Bangalore to Bekal with excellent road conditions and the weather was just perfect for the road trip. We both love driving so it was an easy journey for us

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Distance: Around 400 Kilometers from Bangalore Drive time: Around 9 hours

The plan was to start at midnight when the roads are empty and reach by 11 am the next morning for the check-in.

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Stay was at one of the best properties there – Vivanta by Taj (Well, Husband's idea, I would have rather picked a decent and cheap place and saved a little for my next trip 😉🤩)

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The property had a private beach, gorgeous views, backwater where one can go boating, and many day activities, it took us 3 hours exploring the place. The Kappil river runs through this resort and it has some of most amazing views.! one can see the beach and the backwaters together!

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We had no agenda, no pressure to be anywhere, we just wanted to enjoy the city at our own pace.

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Received a complimentary cake ;)

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I was surprised and of course on top of the moon when husband made plans for a private dinner by the pool.

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A well designed and spacious property with a private pool, what else could we have asked for?

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We spent our entire time relaxing by the pool, swimming or heading to the beach for sunset or for just a walk.

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AT THE BEACH

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I Ate Pretty Much All The Food they had in their menu ..🤤

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My special three-cheese toast and pancakes for mornings

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Local food from Kerela

It is a dish named Dosa normally served with a curry - Sambhar and Chutney.Dosa is like pancake or crepe made from fermented batter of rice and black gram.

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Ela Ada: The Kerala Special Dessert that is prepared using rice, coconut, and jaggery and steamed in banana leaf. along with it are aubergine and banana pakoras and tea served for evening snacks.

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And before we knew it… it was time to leave.

It was one of those luxurious trips where you just eat and relax and it was amazing to have a weekend of doing nothing.

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A quick visit to Namdroling Monastery on our way back- also knows as Tibetan Golden Temple of Coorg

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Since it was on our way back and we were already late due to rains, we couldn't spend much time to understand about this place. But I was really fascinated about it, because of its location, a Tibetan camp in South India.. So after Coming back did some research.. And here is what I found :

Located at a distance of around 6 km from Kushalnagar, on the way to Mysore, Tibetan Monastery is one of the main attractions of Coorg. It is the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet that is placed in Baylkuppe. This Tibetan monastery is home to around 7000 students and monks. After Tibet was taken over by China, refugees from Tibet settled in Baylkuppe and re-founded the Buddhist monastery in the year 1972.
Today, this monastery is not only an educational center and a religious site but is also a major tourist attraction that attracts a large number of tourists from all over.
At the Tibetan Golden Temple, you can spot several monks chanting their prayers inside the prayer hall. A 4-feet tall golden-colored Buddha statue along with statues of Padmasambhava and Amitayus are the main highlights. The walls of the monastery have been decorated with colorful paintings and the altar has candles, flowers and incense sticks.
Source

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Huge Statues of Buddha in the prayer hall and delicate unique paintings across the walls adorn the monastery and are a treat to the eyes.

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I hope you enjoyed reading my post and I am grateful for every Upvote, Resteem, and Comment. Until next time! 😍

All photos by itravelarts

Love. Swati ❤️

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