Kumily

Kumily is a little town in the mountains about 6 hours east of Cochin. There are three places here all together – Kumily, where most of the home stays and restaurants are, Periyar National Park which is over 700 sq. kms. of nature reserve, and Thekkady where the entrance to the park is and where there are elephant centres. It is a very beautiful and peaceful place. We are staying at the Rainbow Cottage which is Home Stay painted in gaudy rainbow colours, quite luxurious really, with a big nice bed, private bath with hot shower, satellite TV, with a “Homely Cooking” café that provides food, coffee and so on, and an Internet Café. Cost per night – 500 Rupees (around $12). We can sit on the roof and watch the sunset and the nightly migration of thousands of fruit bats, coming from the forest and heading who knows where. We can see the bustle of activity around the village, while sitting in a very peaceful spot. The air is clear and not humid, it is cool at night, and really pleasant.

That being said, there are several things about this place that are a little annoying. It is kind of a tourist trap. You can go for an elephant ride for 300 Rupees for a half hour and have your photo taken riding the elephant (see below), or for 750 Rupees you can also help bathe the elephants. It seems a little contrived, and it’s hard to really relate to these huge, beautiful animals. I felt a little ripped off.

Today we went on an early morning three hour trek into the park to see animals. It was difficult, lots of heavy climbing, and we were exhausted by the end of it. We saw some black monkeys in the trees, lots of birds and insects, and piles of elephant shit and black bear shit. No other animals though. Cost – 900 Rupees for two people. Again, I felt a little ripped off. Still it was a beautiful jungle walk, and a gorgeous spot, especially at the top of the mountain (see below). Both Amy and I feel the vibes here are a little less honest and sincere than Cochin for example.

So we will spend the day relaxing, maybe an outing to tea and spice plantations, then tomorrow head out to Kottayam for the backwater cruise. Stay tuned!