Global Media Projects Location in India
Highlights – Kerala
Edged by a thread of unbroken beach line, the Kerala’s heart is composed of intensely green paddy fields and a unique network of rivers and lagoons. Upland Kerala, relatively little visited, is composed of hills thickly wooded with teak and rubber.
Trivandrum which is also the state capital has an exceptionally fine museum set in an amusement park.
Kovalam, one of the most popular beaches in the country. Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, and Padmanabhapuram Palace are important monuments.
Cochin has been Kerala’s center of maritime trade for innumerable centuries. Jew town, complete with an immaculately preserved synagogue, has a flavor all its own, while Tripunathura, at the other end of the city, has many traditional houses with central courtyards.
Kerala’s multitude of faiths – Islam, Judaism, and a host of sects of Christianity and Hinduism – all coexist harmoniously. Kerala’s traditions of dance forms, which originated from temple worship, can be witnessed at regularly held performances.
A five hour drive from Cochin leads into thickly forested hills, past rubber and spice plantations, and into southern India’s tea growing district headquartered at the charmingly old world Munnar.
From Kottayam to Alleppey is a world of palm fringed waterways, a route which is covered by motor launch. Elderly sailboats, long barges transporting tons of coconuts and tiny skiffs used to transport children to school are common sights on these backwaters.
Climate
Kerala has a tropical Climate and remains pleasant for most of the year. It is summer time from April to June. The maximum temperature remains around 33 degrees centigrade. The South West Monsoon touches the state in June and remains till September however not much difference in temperature can be felt, though humidity increases and rainfall can last for a couple of days at a stretch. Winter is from October to January and temperature drops slightly.
Money matters
India is an incredibly cheap country to visit. Meals in restaurants can cost pennies and rooms in nice hotels £2-3 pounds per night.
You will have weekends free to travel and visit the sights so do take some spending money for food, accommodation and souvenirs.
Exactly how much to take is a matter of great debate but most who have travelled to India recommend that you could probably get by allowing £15-30 per weekend spending money. If you can, take a little extra just in case to allow for emergencies or those ‘must have’ souvenirs.
You cannot get Indian currency outside of India so it’s best to take your spending money as travellers cheques or cash. Credit and debit cards are not widely excepted in India but are useful to take as a back-up. You can usually draw money out on credit and debit cards from most banks in India.
Travellers cheques are the safest way to carry your spending money to India as they can be easily replaced if lost or stolen. In our experience we’ve found that American Express travellers cheques offer the best service but most travellers cheques are accepted. It’s probably best to avoid ‘Stephen Cook’ traveller cheques as some banks do not accept them.
However, do take some cash with you as travellers cheques are difficult to change (often requiring hours of queuing in banks).
You can take cash as sterling, euros or US dollars. All are easy to change in India.
Arrival Information
You should arrange your flights to arrive at Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) International Airport. A number of international carriers fly to Trivandrum, including Air India and Gulf Air.
