" Go on a tour " said the psychologist to the client. " Tour will take your mind off your problems " ! Has tourism got psychotherapeutic effects, like Music ? 

That is why people go on tours, to get their mind off the routine drudgeries which breed contempt (  Familiarity breeds contempt ).  When you see the same faces, the same environment, you get fed up. To elevate the mind, you have to move away from the familiar surroundings. 

Another season in Kerala, known as God's own country because of her immense natural beauty, begins and the Backwaters Tourism sphere becomes alive. In the season which stretches upto March, there will be a flow of tourists to the districts Alleppey, Quilon & Kottayam. The Resorts near the backwaters also become alive. To enjoy Backwaters tourism, more than 100000 tourists come to Alleppey per year, 65% of them are foreigners. Alleppey is known as the "Venice of the East"! 

People find it relaxing near the beaches and the backwaters. This is Aqua Tourism, where Water, the great Doctor, enlivens. When you go to Kumarakom and relax near the backwaters, you find it quite reassuring and relaxing. 

Out of the 300 House Boats in Kerala , 160 are in Alleppey. Some of them are Ayurveda Houseboats, equipped with ATM.  Tourists are happy to enjoy backwaters during the day & enjoy staying at Houseboats during the night. 

There are  Resorts on the Beach. Prices are nominal in the big resorts and still smaller in the small resorts.  In traditional homes, you can stay as a "Paying Guest" .  There are Homestays.  Homestays have been accepted by the World Travel and Tourism Council.  These traditional homes are everywhere, in Ernakulam, in Trichur & in Guruvayur.

Not only House boats, but catamarans are also available for tourists. Foreign tourists  enjoy touring in catamarans.

The number of Resorts in Alleppey are  increasing. Also the number of Houseboats. More entreprenauers are attracted to the Tourism Industry. Many are employed as a result.  Guides, after undergoing travel and tourism courses, are the need of the hour. If proper guidance is given to tourists, it will only boost the travel and tourism industry of Kerala. 

On the banks of the serene Vembanad Lake, discover a typical Kerala architectural delight - Kumarakom. You will think it is a typical Kerala style  ancestral home in God's own country. The stresses and the strains of daily life are taken away by the calm ambience of the Resort. You will feel relaxed and refreshed after this experience ! Contact Kovilakam for bookings . 

Ayurvedic Resorts of Kerala, Ayurveda, Naturopathy etc 

Located in Central Kerala, South India, near the temple town of Guruvayur and the Cultural town Thrissur, Zamorin’s Ayurvedic Health Retreat is unique and assumably amongst the most authentic Ayurvedic treatment in the state. The facility is encompassed in 12 acres of pristine, rich green and serene surroundings most suited for Ayurvedic cure.

True practitioners of Holistic medicine base their multidisciplinary approach on one parent system. At Zamorins it is Ayurveda. With 5000 years of real life clinical experience behind it, nothing comes close to Ayurveda. Based on strong fundamentals in traditional Ayurveda, Zamorins draws up on expert resources in Therapeutic Yoga, naturopathy, Meditation and modern systems to diagnose, treat and cure you.

Persons of different nationality and from all over the world converge here to seek relief from their chronic diseases. Patients suffering from Arthritis, Rheumatism, Obesity, Allergic conditions, Male impotency, Infertility, Chronic skin diseases, Psoriasis, Chronic back aches, Heart diseases and Stress induced diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc have recorded excellent success ratings and relief.

What makes Zamorins Health Retreat so unique? It is the unique application of Panchakarma Therapy (active Ayurvedic treatment) and the effective combination of Ayurvedic medicines prepared and administered  by a  team of experienced and well qualified Panchakarma technicians.

The Panchakarma and Marma Chikilsa therapies uniquely practiced and developed in Kerala roots out the disease from the deep tissues and intrinsic network of body channels by purifying and strengthening the patient's body constitution. Ayurveda recognizes that any disease cannot be commonly classified (or treated) and that it is unique to every person depending on his/her body constitution (VATHA, PITHA, KAPHA). There are no common drugs, each person differs constitutionally and thus have to be treated individually. The individual body constitution recognizes and understands its enemy (invading disease) the best – Ayurvedic therapies and management rejuvenates the body immune system and arms it with the appropriate resistance properties to fight, conquer and root out the ailment. Thus the theory behind Ayurveda - Ayurveda fights the disease through you.

When National Geographic included Kerala amongst the top 10 worldwide paradises and when Paul Mc Cartney hailed it as 'truly God's own land' after a two-month stay; they were not referring to our man made resorts. They were speaking about Kerala's virgin countryside.

A typical day at Zamorins commences with a brisk nature walk in the oxygen rich green countryside, followed by Yoga and meditation, Panchakarma treatments, counseling and educative discussions/ question – answer sessions. Ayurvedically suited, organic and tasty vegetarian meals and juices supplement the Holistic cure therapy. Ayurvedic herbal plants chequer the compound, which are extensively used for preparation of medicines.

The management has taken great pains to create a warm and informal atmosphere with a very devoted and dedicated staff. The schedule for treatment has been deliberately designed to give abundance of free time, creating an unhurried atmosphere of serenity, thereby draining the vitiated stresses and strains (toxins) accumulated over the past. What can be expected from Zamorin’s on completion of treatment is a revitalized, environmentally balanced and a physically healthy person.

 For  Ayurvedic packages at Zamorins contact mailto:info@eastrovedica.com?subject=Zamorins

 

Guruvayur, the Holy Temple Town & the world's largest Elephant Sanctuary 

 Defined by the great Sanskrit poet Melpathur as the personification of the Eternal, the  Ever-liberated, and the Quintessence of all the Scriptures (  the abode of Lord Krishna ), Guruvayur has  a world renowned Elephant Sanctuary comprising of 51 elephants, these jumbos being the offerings of the Lord's devotees. Lots of tourists and pilgrims visit this spot during their sojourn in this Holy Place.  Guruvayur is the Lourdes of India ! 

 

Another sight worth seeing is the Trichur Pooram, where more than 30 elephants take part in a grand festival which occurs on the Star Pooram in the Vedic Calender. Kerala’s grandest temple pageantry at its finest, which includes colourful processions of caparisoned elephants and a midnight fireworks display, parasol exchanges, drum concerts - all these can be witnessed from the heavily crowded streets of Trichur.

This time Kerala Tourism did a live Webcast of the Arattupuzha Pooram Festival , on 19th Mar 2011. We can hope that they will do the same, when it comes to Trichur Pooram, which will be around April/May this year.