There was a time when I used to sit in front of the television for long hours. To be very frank I was an addict to TV soap operas. I used to watch almost all the serials in Hindi and Malayalam. Even on the previous days of the exams, I used to spend long hours in front of the television and my parents used to never scold me as I used to be topper in my class. Years passed I enrolled in a reputed college to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Physics. It is a custom of my family to watch all the latest movies in the cinema theatre. As per the tradition of my family, we decided to watch the Malayalam movie ‘Ordinary’ starred my Biju Menon and Kunchako Boban – the two leading superstars of the Malayalam industry. At first, we thought not to watch the movie. As it was shot in a typical village area which we never had heard. But after reading the positive reviews we decided to watch it. The movie was shot in an unexplored village called ‘Gavi’ located in the Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. Usually, in every movie the characters used to play the lead role but in this movie the place Gavi led the main role. The whole story was revolving around the village. The movie focused more on the untouched and unexplored beauty of the place. The place was not so famous until the movie was released. The village has its own slang of speaking and this is what attracted me more. More than the story I was lured by the mesmerizing beauty of the place. On that day, I decided one day I will definitely visit the stupendous Gavi.

Three rainy seasons passed I graduated from college and started to work as an assistant in research and development laboratory in Kerala itself. After a couple of months, my family started to find a perfect match for me. Finally, I found my dream guy. After a few months, we got married. We were a little busy with our office schedules and hence decided to postpone our honeymoon tour for a few months. But I had expressed my extreme wish of visiting Gavi. He nodded with a smile to my request. After one and half months we planned our most–awaited romantic trip. As per my request, my hubby also agreed to explore the unspoiled beauty of Gavi. For that, my hubby purchased the packages from the popular travel operator called Dream Holidays. Also, the package included the nearby tourist locations such as Kumily and Thekkady.

We started our journey in the early morning. As it was our first trip after marriage we were really thrilled and excited. Throughout the journey, I was tightly holding my hubby’s arm. After covering Kochi it started to rain like dogs and cats and all of us were worried about our trip. For a second we thought we will have to drop our trip. By god’s grace, the weather conditions became normal. We continued our trip. Until we reached our destination our tour guide entertained us by sharing some interesting facts about the tiny village called Gavi. The village is popularly known for its serene nature and clam ambience. The reason why people enjoy nature to its extreme mode is that the place lacks good network connections. And that is what is expected in a tour. If travellers spend more time on mobile phones and laptops even on their journeys then what is the need for organizing such tours. Gavi is a perfect destination to learn more about nature. It offers immense solitude. As the Sabrimala pilgrim centre is closely located in the village most of the pilgrims visit this place during the journey. The village also shelters rare species of wild animals and birds. The village is popularly known as a haven for bird watchers. He also told that it is through the movie ‘Ordinary’ the place became popular among nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts.

We were deeply immersed in the conversation we were unaware that we were very near to Gavi. The road to Gavi carried many potholes. As it was closely situated to Periyar Tiger Reserve, a sudden attack of wild animals could be expected at any time. As we entered the village the forest authorities asked to avail of the entry passes and gave a provided a set of instructions that to be followed by travellers till we say goodbye to the village. Among several instructions, only a few of them were printed in bold letters. From the set of instructions the only thing which the forest department asked us to obey was not to use loud horns or any kind of sounds as it may disturb the wild animals. After getting the pass we moved to a private resort. Government resorts are also available over there. The moment we entered the resort, the representatives asked us to savour the lunch as we were really hungry without entering our rooms we sat for lunch. Thereafter, resting for a while we got ready for strolling in the forest we captured many lovely pictures of many animals and birds. Whenever the camera was in my hand I used to chase animals for getting the images. Like that, I chased a rabbit and a deer. As I aforementioned the place is a paradise for bird lovers many ornithologists were seen there.  We also inhaled the aromatic scent of ‘Rudraksha’ and ‘Frankincense’ trees. The forest also shelters the rare tree called ‘gopher trees’. No one knows the benefits of the trees. The tree is indicated in the Holy Bible. That night we spend in a treehouse positioned in the midst of the jungle. A stay in the treehouse gifted us with a marvellous experience.

We started the next day with delicious breakfast and prepared ourselves for trekking. The place is famous for trekkers. After trekking to the hilltops we visited the famous Gavi Lake and refreshed ourselves with the cool water. We also did boating in the lake and jeep safari in Angamoozhi. After 2 days of Gavi exploration, we visited the important destinations in Thekkady and Kumily. From the bottom of our heart, we would like to thank the Dream Holidays for organizing such a wonderful tour package to explore the untouched places in Kerala at cheap prices. Also, we are pleased with the outstanding hospitality services that they offered to us.