The stairs and walls are grubby, there are paint drip marks on the floor and it has probably seen better days, but this small art gallery is worth the 10INR entrance just for the works of Raja Ravi Varma. He fused stories from the Mahabharata with European methods and styles of painting. The gallery's in the Botanical Gardens, next to the zoo, so it would be churlish to miss it.

www.keralamuseumandzoo.org
Price: Adult 10 INR, Child under 12 4 INR, No cameras.
Botanical Gardens, Thiruvananthapuram 695033, Kerala
+91(0)471 2316275
Google map: bit.ly/LKWmk8

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Set within the state capital's lush Botanical gardens, the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is an example of a zoo trying to do the right thing. According to its pamphlet, many of the animals were kept in small, dingy cages as recently as 1996, and were simply there as exhibits. But an effort to change the zoo (it declares itself to be the oldest in India) from being a place of "unlimited animals and limited facilities" to "limited animals and adequate facilities" is working. A zoo animal hospital has been built and the stated objective is to conserve species endemic to the local area, from the coast to the Western Ghats.
There are still some anomalies: I'm not sure how often you see zebras, hippos and ostriches in the wilds of India. And I can't understand the reason for holding twelve kites (including the regal Brahminy kite) in one smallish cage; these birds can be seen on any day in (practically) any part of Kerala. I saw a rather forlorn "Jungle cat" (a bit bigger than your average-sized moggie) in a small cave-like den, with no trees or foliage.
On the other hand, the big cats (tigers, leopard and asiatic lions) had large, landscaped enclosures as well as smaller feeding cages: I watched one leopard gently headbutt its mate (mother? sibling?) before falling over and purring, just like any Jellicle cat at home; a lioness lay on her front licking her paw and passing it over her face, with eyes closed, while next to her another female stretched out and yawned; two young tigers prowled in their feeding areas, and as the keeper walked round the back of the cage, they play-stalked him. To my untrained eye these animals looked pretty content.
The zoo is full of mature trees and is well shaded. The landscaping and planting is fantastic.

www.keralamuseumandzoo.org
Price: Adult 10 INR, Child under 12 5 INR, camera 25 INR
Botanical Gardens, Thiruvananthapuram 695033, Kerala
+91(0)471 2316275
Google map: bit.ly/LKWmk8

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Set over a gentle hill in the middle of the city, Kerala's lush jungle is tamed and topioaried in these gorgeous Botanical gardens. Specimen trees, all clearly labelled, litter the area (have you ever seen a canonball tree?) and elaborate tropical flowers burst through the green backdrop in electrifying shades of coral, red and pink. The park is home to plenty of wildlife, including birds, butterflies and bats. Shady spots on the grass, or on benches lining the walkways, provide comfortable places to rest and watch. Locals have been picnicking, canoodling and dozing among the undergrowth since the gardens were opened, back in 1859.

Botanical Gardens, Thiruvananthapuram 695033, Kerala
Google map: bit.ly/LKWmk8

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This place is comfortable, and a bargain. Room 101 had a lofty, timber ceiling and double doors onto a terrace. The room was enormous and contained a wardrobe; a vanity area; a luggage holder big enough for all your bags; two lounge chairs, with a coffee table between them; a desk and chair; a hard, but comfortable, double bed (which was actually two singles pushed together); plenty of power points, and all kinds of lighting options. A high speed fan blew like the monsoon south westerlies coming in from the Arabian Sea outside, and negated the need for a/c (although the YMCA does offer an a/c option). The big bathroom was spotless, with large sink/shelf area, walk-in shower with hot water (from a geyser), western loo and brisk shower hose. The TV had plenty of English channels, including news and excellent films. All of this, in the centre of town, for 734INR (around £8.50) a night.

www.ymcatvm.org
Near Secretariat, YMCA Road, Statue, Thiruvananthapuram-695001, Kerala
+91471 2330059
Google map: bit.ly/MHck1j

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- Visit the Hindu Temple in Varkala Town on a Sunday morning. Intimidating but interesting. You will receive a lot of attention.

- Take the cliffwalk south, past the shops and restaurants. It's very pretty

- Look into the Blue Water Beach Resort

- Book some spa treatments. Spas rated as Olive Leaf or Green Leaf by the Kerala Tourism Board are "legit"

- Just because beer isn't on the menu doesn't mean it isn't available.

- Eat at Cafe del Mar.

Kerala Tourism Board:
www.keralatourism.org/

Blue Water Beach Resort:
bluewaterstay.com/index.html

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For a real Ashram experience head to the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala. Set in the foothills of the Western Ghats this is a beautiful setting. A Yoga Vacation is about £8 (ish) a day staying in dormitory accommodation, two classical yoga classes a day and two veggie meals. You may get woken up in the night though by the roar of the local lions from across the lake. Some say there are crocodiles in the lake. And you'll have to do a bit of karma yoga - toilet cleaning anyone?

sivananda.org/neyyardam/index.html

Fly to Trivanadrum airport and then pre-pay for a fab taxi ride to the ashram, hold on to your seat it's a bumpy ride, not a good idea in a rickshaw.

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We were able to pre-book our yoga classes with the excellent Mr. Narayana Kaimal who I would highly recommend. It was done through our agent, Prana Holidays who arranged everything.

www.thetravancoreheritage.com/
and
www.pranaholidays.com

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