Kerala ? Holiday in Gods Own Country
Kerala ? Holiday in Gods Own Country
Touted as one of the world's fifty destinations of a lifetime by the National Geographic, Kerala has certainly earned its position on the holiday travel bandwagon.Located on the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula, Kerala has a lot going for it in terms of its potential as a holiday destination? not the least its bounteous natural wealth. Its name meaning "land of coconuts", Kerala's luxuriant fronds provide the state with welcome shade from the tropical sun. And blessed with ample rainfall, Kerala's equable climate and fertile soil have clothed this state in the finest of iridescent greens ? all ingredients for a perfect tropical holiday.Kerala's lush plantations have remained an irresistible temptation for visitors from foreign lands since times immemorial. For earlier it was traders rather than holidaymakers who flocked to Kerala, lured by her spices. Today, visits to plantations growing cardamom, pepper and other exotic spices are on the holiday itineraries of most packages to Kerala.Which brings us to Kerala's culinary enticements. Kerala has its own unique delectable cooking, quite distinct even amongst South Indian cuisine. Drawing largely on the local produce: rice, coconuts, bananas, fish and a range of spices, the culinary achievement of Kerala lies in the variations that attend the packaging of these staple ingredients to create an endless range of dishes for the gastronomically adventurous tourist: pulaos and biryanis, appams, pootu - rice dough and grated coconut steamed in hollow bamboo, thoran - chopped vegetables, avial ? stew topped with payasam ? the delicious sweet milk desert.Kerala's extensive 900 km long coastline also means that it has some of the best beaches in India. Known for their gentle surf and clear blue waters, Kerala's tranquil beaches are eagerly sought out by holiday tourists, Indian and foreign. Kovalam, Varkala, Shankhumugam, Vizhinjam, Kappad and Bekal are some of the famous beaches of Kerala.However, the cream of a Kerala holiday package, for most tourists, would undoubtedly be the backwaters. Tranquil and laid-back, these backwaters are a relic of Kerala's ancient network of floating highways. Indispensable in the past for trade and commerce, Kerala's backwaters continue to rake in revenue from the leisure holiday industry in return for the inimitable experience of a lazy boat cruise, as Kerala unplugged floats languidly by. Kuttanad, Alappuzha, Kottavam and Kochi are the most interesting for the perfect Kerala backwaters holidays.And then there are the hills. The Western Ghats, extending from Maharashtra southwards, terminate in Kerala with the gently rolling hills and valleys that are home to the unique shola forests and tea, coffee and spice plantations - yet another holiday attraction in Kerala. Distinct in appeal from either the beaches or the backwaters, Kerala's hill stations with their mist filled valleys and cloud covered mountains offer perfect holiday bliss in the form of the invigorating mountain air, laden with the aroma of freshly picked spices. Nelliyampathy, Munnar, Devikulam, Peermade, and Malampuzha are some of the hill stations on the Kerala holiday circuit.Kerala's hilly regions are also home to lush forests and streams, making them home to some of the most spectacular wildlife reserves in India. Besides the elephant, gaur, deer, leopard and tiger, Kerala is home to rare wildlife including Nilgiri tahr and lion tailed macaque, and most holiday packages to Kerala offer a date with this raw, untamed face of Kerala. Eranakulam, Silent Valley, Parambikulam, Peppara, Nagarhole and Periyar are especially famous for wildlife holidays in Kerala.Besides, Kerala literally brims over with history and culture, amply visible all over during a holiday here, whether in its fantastic ancient temples, its unique art forms including Kathakali and Kalaripattu and festivals such as Pooram and Onam.Blessed with a wealth of beauty and natural resources, it is not surprising that Kerala is home to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian Science of Health. Supported by a salubrious climate, Kerala is home to a number of health spas and Wellness centres where tourists experience a rejuvenating holiday in God's own country.Kerala truly is a holiday paradise in IndiaRoozbegh Gazdar
Content Writer
http://www.traveljini.com
seo@traveljini.com
Transform Your Home with Decorative Country Lighting – Home-Improvement
Transform Your Home with Decorative Country Lighting
As we become more of a home-based society, many more of us are pouring money into our houses with DIY renovations.Do it yourself home improvement projects are both rewarding and usually will give you a good return on investment should you decide to sell or refinance your home. But you won't need to tear down walls, add closets or buy all new furniture to upgrade or change the decor in your house. Often it's the little things that count. Small changes in lighting alone can alter the look and feel of your home or even just one room with minimal financial investment and time.Consider going country with your lighting!Listen, unless you're ready to spend a lot of money on renovations (in which case you'll be changing light fixtures anyway), you can get a lot of bang for your buck with carefully selected decorative lighting. And if a more comfortable, home-y feel is what you're after, there's no better way to achieve your goal than to look to the current trend of country decorating!The reason why this style of decorating is so popular these days is because garden or farmhouse inspired rooms ground us in old world values. A space where our organic bodies feel 'in touch', our psyches feel 'safe', and stress levels drop. After all, what is more peaceful than spending a few hours in the garden, a weekend at the country home, or a week at the summer cottage?Bring country decorating home to the city with country inspired lighting!You could drive around for hours looking for antique lighting, shop ebay for other's used lighting, or you could buy new lights from many lighting stores that will give you the same rustic, relaxed, retreat.Think punched tin, replications of candle chandeliers, small lamps that depict a cowboy or horse scene. You get the idea. Be as tacky, playful or downright country as you like.And, for under $200 and 20 minutes of replacement installation, you'll find that you've just transformed a city-worn room into your own personal country haven.Ten years ago, Martha Stewart brought pendant lighting back into style using upturned garden cloches hung from chains over bare bulbs. That can take some real hunting in the antique shops!Thankfully pendant lighting is now available in many shapes and sizes. And, you don't have to stick to dull or boring. Pendants are available to look much like the old, color-glass, hand-blown garden cloches or as punched tin - both are very 'country' looks.This article on country lighting is provided by GoodByeCityLife.com
For more rustic and country lighting tips visit us online in at http://goodbyecitylife.com/country-home/lighting.htm