Bekal Backwater + Arabian Sea = Peace

 What do I search within me? What abandons me when I need it the most? What brings me immense joy? The answers to all these questions lie within a single word - Peace. Why should I find peace in a place that's not my own? Travelling is such a big part of my life; I believe it feeds my soul and brings me joy. So much introspection, I think it's this place and all the yoga I have been practising here!

Where the backwater meets the Arabian Sea

I find that the sound of flowing water most soothing, like soul soothing, be it a river or the sea. Kasaragod has both. Located at the edge of Kerala just outside the Karnataka border is this little place that has pristine beaches along the Arabian Sea and backwaters that's distinctly Kerala. Kasaragod is usually a stop for the tourists if they happen to be going that way; it's seldom a destination. It was mine and I was happy to spend a few days there. By few, I mean 3! The resort I stayed at was the main attraction for me. Surrounded by both the backwater river and the Arabian Sea, this resort leaves no stone upturned in getting you relaxed and de-stressed, the hospitality ensures that you stay that way! 

Backwater

Why do I talk so much about serenity? I think I realized that it's so precious only when I experienced it. Sitting by the river watching birds, this cannot happen in Bangalore. I love Bangalore but I do miss not having a nice, clean water body nearby!! The beach has always been my scene but Kerala makes me sit by the river. 

The route that we chose to drive was - Bangalore-Kunigal-Yediyur-Channarayapatna-Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Kasaragod. We deliberately chose not to drive via Mysore or Mangalore since these 2 routes have grown increasingly busy and there's no pleasure in driving them. This route got us to our resort in 8 hours with sufficient breaks!

We stayed at the LaLit Resort and Spa and I'd recommend it to anyone anytime!! It’s primarily a spa resort and its serenity exceeds the other properties of LaLit that I've visited. 

LaLit Resort

We decided to break our journey back by staying a day at Madikeri. We picked Caffee Cadu estate stay since its still new and who does not like new things! We stayed at a charming little cottage in a coffee estate with friendly hosts. Long walks inside the estate and a lovely campfire made our day replete.

Built around 1650s, the Bekal fort has a great view of the surrounding towns. It is said to have been built for defence purposes and its location bears testimony to this theory. It’s good to walk the fort when the sun is low. However, since it closes around 5 pm we could not catch the sunset as we wanted to.

Bekal Fort with a grand view of the sea

Bekal Fort