Dec 02 2008
KOVALAM
As I said earlier I would try to go one by one through each of the districts in Kerala telling you about the various places which you can visit in these places .Beginning from the south we will first find Trivandrum or Thiruvanathapuram which is the capitol of the state .
TRIVANDRUM
Trivandrum or Thiruvanathapuram is the southern most district and the capitol of the Kerala state and just like a capitol would be it consist mainly people who are government servants or their descendents . It would be very easy to find a guide here( i.e’s if you want one)especially if you have already reached one of those tourist places or you can reach one of those KTDC hotels run by the government where you will find government approved guides .
There are a lots of places to visit here to begin with lets start from the most famous place of all the kovalam beach.
Kovalam
Kovalam beach is situated at around 7 kms from the center of the city (i.e’s the place you will reach if you come by train). If you come by a plane you can find a lots of pre paid taxis on the airport (avoid catching taxis from outside) which will take you to kovalam . Once you reach there you can find that there are many hotels there if you want a five star hotel you have the hotel by leela(Asoka in olden days)group (If have already booked a room there they will come and pick you up from airport if you want) .you will also find a number of smaller hotels and home stays.
The best time to visit the place would be between Novembers to February but then this is the season time and you would be better off if you can book a place for your stay also this time of the year has also the difficulty of hotel keeping exorbitant rates. You will also find many small shops selling useless trinkets for big money. So take my advice if you want to buy some souvenirs come to city and buy.
Now some things about the beach….
Kovalam beach is one of the largest beaches in India(this is one place you wil find a lot of info on net it is mainly divided into three regions. The southern most beach, and the most popular, is the LighthouseBeach. Further south on the beach one can have a spectacular view of the Vizhinzam mosque.The middle beach is called Hawah. The northern most beach, Samudra .Surfing and boating facilities are also available but I wouldn’t say it as a very good place to surf. The hotels there can arrange for kathakali or some other regional art if you are interested (And can pay the price). All these facilities are available regardless of the place you stay so all you guys go there and enjoy.

