Thekkady’s main road is a tourist catch-all lined with hotels and restaurants offering no privacy, no personality, and little break from the noise. Opposite all this commotion is Chrissie’s located among the treetops of Bypass Road. From the roadside, Chrissie’s narrow two car wide building front is deceptively small looking. Immediately after stepping past the brightly lit lobby, just how spacious the newer, tastefully decorated hotel of Kerala truly is becomes clear.

The main building houses the lobby, second floor restaurant, staff quarters and cozy sitting room. Guests are free to play games, read a book, lounge or take in a snack in this main level area. Move up a short flight of stairs into the open air restaurant where you’ll find high ceilings lined with large glass panes allowing a flood of nature light inside. Unexpected treats such as gnocchi and brushetta are available alongside muesli and a few other popular Indian food staples. Guests retreat to one of the 16 rooms among the four story addition perched above the main building. A quaint, stone path enveloped in natural and landscaped greenery provides a comfortable walk to the rooms all featuring a balcony facing undisturbed jungle growth. Travelers with trouble climbing stairs or walking long distances are fairly warned there is no lift, however, luggage service to and from the room is provided by the staff.

Simple guest rooms decorated in bright coastal cool colors reflect the relaxed atmosphere of Chrissie’s. Step outside onto a generously sized balcony for hours of reading pleasure or to watch the monkeys frolic in the sun soaked treetops (Guests are warned to keep all doors and windows closed when not in the room to avoid any monkey non-sense). Neat and clean ensuite bathrooms provide everything needed: shower with full time running water, hot water geyser, western toilet and sink.

There are no phones, no TV’s and no internet. In their place is a fourth floor large yoga room with space for up to 30 people. Throw open the doors for a yoga class in the clouds you’ll never forget. Scheduled classes are posted next to the lobby in addition to the myriad of other sightseeing options nearby.

You’ll find Chrissie’s is a popular choice among foreign travelers staying in Thekkady. The mixed-age crowd staying here is interested in finding more of what India has to offer. And Chrissie’s is serving it up with a hint of Britain, a pinch of Kerala, and a whole lot of hospitality.

Up the steps to the second level offices, guests are quickly asked to leave their shoes outside. An instant plus. Once inside the reception area, gorgeous wall colors mixed with dark woods, plants and a multitude of pictures present a very welcoming feeling. Foreign travelers crowded the chairs as they waited like herded cattle for the next available masseuse. There was an opening later in that afternoon, the price was right. I agreed to come back.

The process repeated itself; up the stairs, remove the shoes, sit and wait. Still humming with activity, Arya was alive with tourists exchanging money with the cashier like water through a sieve. Fortunately my masseur was ready for our preset appointment. With the door closed I was told to strip everything off. No mood lighting, no music. In fact, the walls were 3/4 high leaving a large gap between them and the ceiling. Black painted cement walls, harsh fleurescent lighting mixed with high pitched conversation between two South Indian women had me rethinking this decision. A thin white paper strip reminiscent of a diaper, meant for sanitary reasons, was tied around my waist. My sixty minutes had started. The reception hall swooped me in but now I felt as if I was behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. This is where the sausage was made and I was the main ingredient.

Arya sits right along the busy outer rim road linking tourist buses, cabs, tuk tuks, cars and pedestrians from the hotels and cafes on one side of town, to the main bazaar and/or highway access leading out of town. Noise pervades every corner of the building as the construction is nothing more than high walled cubicles inside a cement shell. One benefit is the circulation of fresh air however that isn’t enough to quell the incessant conversation yelled between rooms. Employees at Arya apparently passed the ayurveda training course, albeit the shortest one possible given the amateurish techniques used, while failing at the crash course on courtesy. Let me rephrase that. The employees are experts at schmoozing the customer up front until they agree to services. How is one supposed to relax as your masseuse or masseur carries on a full length conversation in a foreign language as they grind your body through the motions of a full body massage? Instead of wishing the hour would pass slowly I found myself screaming at the clock to move faster. Am I missing the boat on massage in India?

My travel companion didn’t accompany me this time exclaiming she felt a bad vibe upon the initial visit.  Next time I’ll listen to her while saving Rs 1200 and an hour of time.

Tourists are greeted quickly upon entering the front door by way of a small reception desk. The lobby is quite small leaving any friends or family waiting for a client no choice but to sit outside. Immediately off the lobby are the massage rooms. Visual privacy comes from a closed door but that certainly does not block out the street noise and definitely not the general office noise coming from just a few feet away. Women with body issues, claustrophobia or an aversion to light and sound during massage will not find this location comfortable.

Men, however, are shuttled across the street to a separate office space where several massage rooms are clustered. Admittedly my suspicions were high as I was led across the street. A friendly South Indian man greeted me with a smile and handshake before motioning for me to strip. A thin white paper covering was tied around my waist barely covering my front and back areas. This covering is meant more as a sanitary statement rather than providing any functional benefits. Any male with body issues can request to keep their undergarments on.

For the next 60 minutes my masseur and I chatted about South India, his family, his job, his commute and his general well being all while I mentally noted his technique. Different from the previous two masseurs, he was thorough and respectful. A level of calm was afforded by way of the separate massage rooms away from the street. And with no other clients being attending to, there was no competing conversation blasting back and forth across the uninsulated walls. The florescent lighting doesn’t create much of a soothing environment. And don’t expect any candles or incense to waft through. For the male clients it’s all business in the no-frills, cement walled massage rooms.

A quick steam bath, wipe down and redress finished off my time at Mathura before walking back to the main office. Payment for services is handled here but tips are better left at the room to ensure proper receipt.

Overall: The best service to date. An efficient, personable staff put out a professional tone during my appointment. Unlike the other locations, the staff was dressed in uniforms and there appeared to be a consistent process for each client. The walk to a separate location may initially raise red flags due to a break from the usual. In the end, the quiet confines away from the street front and other clients is a much welcomed retreat.

Cost: Rs 1150 (Tip included) for 90 minutes

Massage: #1 Hassan | #2 Ooty | #4 Thekkady

Abraham’s is nestled, right off the main road, into the hillside foliage. Visitors walk a narrow dirt path to the starting point by the main office building. First you must pay the Rs 200 entrance fee, steep but ultimately worth the price. Guides then walk along the paths criss-crossing past various trees, plants, shrubs and other growth pointing out flowers, seeds and fruits. Cooks or foodies will delight in seeing first hand not only the source, but picking, smells and taste of fresh spices.

Visitors are shown a wide range of common cooking spices from pepper to vanilla in this short period of time. During the 45 minutes spent here, I tasted the small curry leaf, fresh cardamom, and cinnamon. When my travel partner spit out her sample of cardamom, she was sternly scolded by our guide who boldly explained how expensive the spice was. “If you did not want it, then why did you take it?” he asked. She was not amused but I found great delight in it. As much as I wanted to snap pics of the colorful tour, the pace was too rapid to both follow along and stop for photos.

Abraham’s needs only an hour maximum. Our guide kept us on topic no matter how much we tried to sway him from his normal routine. Fresh spices as well as seeds are available for sale.

Total cost: Rs 200 Entrance fee, Rs 200 Tip (To make up for the cardamom scolding)

Cameras are allowed at no charge.

Beautiful setting among the tea plantations on Kerala

In hindsight my mistake was not asking the driver if there was a charge. For more than 30 minutes my trav bud and I wandered around the property (me snapping pics, her touching and smelling the various plants and flowers). It wasn’t until we reached the steps to leave that we were asked to pay for the “tour”.  My blood began to boil over the fact I had fallen for a trap, a driver trick. I hand over Rs 100 per person then walk to the car while he acts as though he is thanking the owners. In reality? He is collecting his commission for bringing us, the unknowing tourists, to the bait. This “nursery” is set up exclusively for tourists. The owners make their living by maintaining the property strictly for “tours”.

Visit the nursery, stretch your legs, take pics and heck, buy some of the seeds available for the outrageous price of Rs 50 per packet. But be warned that there is no free lunch here and your driver is looking to make some side money. You’ll notice that this entry is filed under SEE rather than SKIP/AVOID. In the end, I realized how enjoyable the scenery was, how many good pics came from it, and that I would be able to give you all a heads up for the future.

To make the most of your visit to Periyar/Thekkady, skip the elephant rides and boat tours of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Instead, contact Clouds Walk for a guided trek up the mountains. Cloud Walks has been open since 2006, founded and operated by the local tribal villagers who have a passion for the protection and preservation of this area. The main information office in town can provide contact numbers as well as most hotels/homestays/accommodations. Our host at Chrissie’s Inn called ahead to arrange a morning slot tour starting at the hotel at 7:30 AM.

From Clouds Walk: The programme is a long guided trek for approximately 3-4 hours starting from Gandhi Park at Kolathupalam, passes through the Kurisumala view point, gets down to Tribal Heritage Museum located at Mannakudy Tribal Settlement and concludes at Anavachal.

By participating in the programme you are protecting a fragile habitat, conserving a watershed and ensuring livelihood to the fringe area people. You can have a feel of the lifestyle and land-use of tribal and non-tribal communities in the fringe areas of PTR. From the vantage point, you can have a look at grasslands, evergreen, deciduous and riverine forests and the expanses of irrigated arid land across the border where the nectar from Periyar provides the breath of life. Visitors can see the exuberance of Cumbam Valley, the dizzying heights of Mangaladevi, Kumarikulam and other escarpments of the fort of Periyar and glory of Palni hills farther away from the view point. Possiblity of sighting some habitat specialist birds and butterfiles including endemics like Nilgiri pipit, broadtailed grass bird, tree nymph, etc. You can visit the rich cultural heritage of the Mannan Tribe from the yesteryears that have been preserved in the form of the artifacts, metaphors and cultural remnants for the posterity in Tribal Heritage Museum. You will, at the end, have many reflections on the pace of transitions of life and traditions along the time of times.

Rajan, our guide for Clouds Walk

At 7:30 sharp we were met by our guide Rajan M.K. and taken to the main office for ticketing (Rs 200 per person) nearby one of the entrances to PTR. Rajan changed from his street clothes into a more official dark green, military designed uniform more in keeping with a person in charge.

Opposite side of the office was the starting point for our tour which included just my travel partner, myself and the guide. Two slots run daily with room up to 5 people per group. The morning group begins between 7:30 and 8:30 AM ending before 12:30 PM while the afternoon slot begins between 1 and 2 PM, concluding by 6 PM.

Before leaving the hotel I sprayed for bugs and applied sunscreen. For the trek I brought a few granola bars and a bottle of water, along with a camera. Long pants are a must even with the heat unless you like your legs scratched from the underbrush. A long sleeve shirt (rolled up) made of nylon kept me fairly cool and running shoes worked well for traction and comfort.

Kumily in the distance seen from hike

Our trek started right into climbing the mountain, no precursor to the hard stuff. Within an hour we had reached the maximum height of 4500 feet with 360º views of the surrounding valley and mountains. Fortunately the skies were mostly clear allowing views of the Tamil Nadu border as well as the local Tribal village and the city below. We lucked out having an overcast covering at the beginning as we climbed, but the sun poked through just as we reached the summit. A sturdy breeze whipped past us keeping the temperatures just right for the level of activity.

Along the way Rajan stopped, listened, identified and described the various types of birds flying and chirping past us. Claw marks on trees were all we could see of tigers as well as the notorious scratch marks from elephants trying to relieve that pesky itch on their backs. Many “trophies” or droppings could be seen belonging to the numerous bears and dear the reserve housed.

Fresh off the tree white pear for a snack

As we made our way down the mountain and into the Tribal village I wondered if we would be hit with the usual “shopping” stop. I can report with great enthusiasm our guide never once deviated from the hike. Although we ended where we started, the trail never overlapped which meant no repeat views during the route. Your interest is maintained throughout the entire hike. No question seemed to stump Rajan whom we highly enjoyed not only for his demeanor but his quiet personality that came to the surface with a little coaxing.

Back at the office we were asked to leave our comments in written form. From there we tipped our guide (Rs 500 for a job well done) and left very happy.

Contact Clouds Walk

Rajan M.K.

Cloud Walks

Ganghi Park, Kukil P.O.

Idukki (Dist)

Kerala (Stat) India 685509

Mobile 011 97 09 4752 4186