Entries about kannur

Day 70: Kannur, Kerala 08/12/11

Arrive at the bus station for our bus to Kannur and grab some more top quality food at one of the bus station joints. This definitely seems to be the place for food in Mysore!

All aboard the interstate bus, which is when the fun starts. If there has been a more spine tingling, nerve jangling, bone crunching, internal organ shifting bus ride in the history of man, I would be surprised. A manic driver, the back seat, a vehicle with some rather hard suspension and road surfaces wide enough for a small tricycle conspire to make a large proportion of the journey conducted on two wheels, with the rest of the journey seemingly conspiring to throw all passengers out of their seats. Multiple near misses with other vehicles and the narrow hairpin bends result in extremely white knuckles and even blisters where one has held on for dear life. The Indian passengers, naturally, are completely unperturbed by the experience. We, however, have never been so glad to exit a vehicle.

Take a tuk-tuk to a hotel, check in and eat at the attached restaurant. There is no menu.

Day 71: Kannur, Kerala 09/12/11

Inspired by the morning movie – Never Back Down (a cross between Rocky and Step Up) – have a morning work out with the bags. Head for breakfast/brunch/lunch at a local café place, where a fish curry meal (with chutneys and sides) is served on a banana leaf. Incredible value. For two people comes to about £2.80 with soft drinks.

Take a mooch through the town, a nice little place, with plenty to see but not too much in the way of traffic or hassle. There are even reference to Christmas due to the Christian influences in the city. Cue excitement from Gemma. Walk through a residential area where there are huge overtures to communism, with sickle and hammers on every conceivable surface. Eventually stumble upon the beach – deserted except for the very busy city end, with quite a bit of rubbish. Find a dead, headless snake on the beach. Discover parotta breads – a puff pastry style chapatti almost. A new addiction possibly.

Day 72: Kannur, Kerala 10/12/11

Head out after the morning film (Austin Powers in case you were wondering) and lunch consists of chicken biriyani for Gemma (5th meal in a row) and the banana leaf works for me.

Walk to the beach (which takes ages – much longer than anticipated) and after setting up shop, a strange group of young men congregate near us. Turns out they have been drinking all day and they soon stare beyond what we are used to and seriously start to invade our personal space. After one asks to kiss Gemma (weirdo) it is time to go.

Head back to town for some internet action and some more Indian sweets, which it turns out are quite sumptuous and come in for some unfair flak in my opinion.