Girls-Trip: A Long Awaited Dream Come True
A girls’ trip has always been a distant dream of mine. Even going on a trip with friends was something I hadn’t experienced until now. Perhaps that’s why I’ve become someone who doesn’t hesitate to travel and explore alone. But finally, this year, my dream came true. My first-ever girls’ trip—with friends—happened in Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala. Technically speaking, these are friends I made in my ex-office. These are the coolest food scientists who, like me, share a love for travel.
Oh, and fun fact: this was also my first trip to Kerala. Yes, I know. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are quite close, yet it took me 27 years to visit. Shame on me!
Calicut Plan WhatsApp Group: The Beginning of Our Adventure
One fine day, about a month after I left my job, I got a call from the girls. They said they were planning a trip to Calicut and asked if I wanted to join. Before they even finished the sentence, I said, “Count me in!” And just like that, the plan for the last trip of 2024 began on a youthful note.
This time, I was relaxed—thanks to the group being filled with the best planners.
How to Make a Group Trip Plan Possible?
Here are a few things I learned through this experience:
- Avoid Jinxing It: Don’t tell too many people about the trip until a week or so before you leave. Trust me, jinxes are real!
- Mindset Matters: The group must have a collective desperate-to-travel mindset. Even one hesitant person can derail the plan.
- Smaller is Better: The smaller the group, the better. Large groups tend to have dropouts, and once one person backs out, others often follow like sheep.
- Book Early: As soon as you finalize the date and place, book your train/flight tickets. No delays.
Calicut Trip Planning
We booked our train tickets three months in advance in sleeper class (budget-friendly, of course). Our onward tickets got confirmed, but, all of us in different compartments. It was intimidating since we were four women, but we were determined to make it work.
Our return tickets? On the waiting list! Even on the day we departed from Calicut, it was still RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation). For those unfamiliar, RAC means you have a seat but may or may not get a berth unless someone cancels.
Next, we booked our stay. The primary reason for our trip was to visit Foggy Mountain Adventure Park, Kakkadampoyil. We paid the advance as soon as we booked the train tickets. Since we decided to stay an extra day, we also booked a room in Calicut city and pooled together a list of places to visit. By the time the day arrived, we were all set.
The Journey To Calicut Begins
We departed from Chennai Central Railway Station on 21st November (Thursday). I knew two of the girls, but one was a former colleague who had left the company before I joined. Within three days, I clicked and became friends with her(obviously).
The onward journey was hilarious. Despite starting in separate compartments, we ended up together in mine. The credit goes to the girls’ hard work and a sprinkle of luck that came out of the cute guy who boarded my compartment. Initially, the compartment was filled with men who looked… well, creepy. Even after much persuasion, not agreed to switch seats, and until the cute guy and two north indian travellers decided to help us out, voilà! We reunited. Even the male TTR on the side berth was amazed at how we ended up together.
That night, after chilling for a bit, I blew up my air pillow, wrapped myself in my mom’s shawl, and dozed off to Elastic Heart by Sia. Night train rides are magical—the rhythmic shake, the horn of the train is a lullaby to the heart. I savored every moment.
However, Kerala welcomed us with a minor commotion. Around 3 AM, a drunk man started arguing with the female TTR. A few stops later, the police arrived, gave him a taste of discipline, and dragged him off. Quite the beginning to our adventure!
Day 1 At Calicut:
Breakfast and the Ride to Foggy Mountain
The sun slowly started to rise, I was enjoying the greenery of the 1% of God’s own land. By 7:15 AM, we reached Kozhikode station. We went to ladies waiting room, brushed our teeth, freshen up a bit. After creating content for APT song (Which we have not yet posted as we are embarrassed) at the railway station, we got an auto to get our breakfast. We got some help to find the best place for breakfast from Auto driver, and ofcourse we ended up at the best – Rahmath Hotel, best choice ever! Having a pure non-vegetarian breakfast is a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me. Funny that it happened at Kerala.
Ofcourse I was worried that the dental retainer which I started wearing two days before the trip is going to interfere with my appetite and craving for food-adventure. But, nope. I gobbled some Kerala Parotta, Mutton semi gravy, Chicken semi gravy, Aappam, Puttu and a hot beverage. Solid 10/10. Loved it. Absolutely delicious.
With full stomachs and high spirits, we booked a cab to Foggy Mountain Adventure Park for a hefty ₹2,000. In hindsight, we realized the return bus journey cost only ₹260 for all four of us. Lesson learned!
We were manoeuvring our conversation with broken malayalam. It continued till the last day. Thats what made our trip much more funny. The ride to the Foggy Mountain park was scenic—quintessentially South Indian, with coconut trees, areca nut palms, and pineapple plantations lining the way. Accompanied by old Tamil songs and our driver’s TMI-filled narration, we enjoyed every bit of the 1.5-hour journey.
Foggy Mountain Adventure Park, Kakkadampoyil
Girls saw this place in instagram and fell in love with it. I love adventure parks so, I had no say against it. We strangely didn’t have much expectation on it, I think thats why it feels like it has exceeded our expectation. We spent 2D1N there. We had our night stay in tent camp(they also offer igloo stays with swimming pools for couples). While breakfast and dinner were complimentary, lunch was à la carte in the cafeteria. The food is decent. I liked it. All the staffs are extremely sweet and caring there. They made us feel very comfortable. They’ll help you out in every bit.
The time we spent there was amazing and worth every penny. There were lots of adventure rides and water activities. Its also unexpectedly relaxing in a way that it will let your steam out. The view from our cabin was very raw. It wasn’t too picturesque or subtle… Its somewhere in between.
On the first day, we checked in, we picked our stay cabin, rested for a bit, girls went for open swimming well. I regret not swimming there. Then we had a lunch. After that, we immediately started immersing ourselves in activities. Personally, I love adventure activities. Only water related adventures intimdates me a bit because of my lungs. If its related to height. I’ll be like bring it on.
Our Day was packed with:
- Giant Swing (my favorite!)
- Rope Car
- Zipline
- Rope Walking
- Pedal Boating (I didn’t pedal)
- Watching my friend did Kayaking in the most hilarious way.
After trying this and that and walking around, we waited for the night time to drench ourselves in water – Wave Pool and Dancing Rain. The fog slowly started to set in, all the school children and day time visitors left. It was just us and few families with children.
I am shy when it comes to show my dance moves. Like freaking shy, because growing up I had lots of people making fun of me. But then, that night I lost myself with these girls. I was extremely hesitant at first, but then eventually we lost it and took up the entire space for ourselves. The kids were extremely annoyed by us. But we put on good show for all the staffs. lol… That was a core memory for me. We literally tired ourselves out dancing there. Then we changed our clothes and had dinner. And went for our cabin which is like 10 min away from the park perched on a little highland.
By night, the campfire vibe kicked in. Alot of people came back to their camp site before us, so they started the campfire. While a family from Coimbatore owned the dancefloor with their kuthu moves. Their energy did take place a bit more to an extent other non-tamil speaking people felt intimidated. Some even made a petty move and took over the music box. I was doing people watching for a bit, and slowly went back to bed. In a cabin 2-3 people can share. Since its 4 of us, we booked 2 Tent cabins. The cabin feels hot in day time, there is a fan inside which helps, in late night it starts to feel cool.
Since its very raw foresty area, night is the time you feel the true colours of the place, since our place is well lighted at night, lots of moths and beetles starts to come. If you are moth lover its a feast for your eyes. If you hate insects… its a night mare. I was the former one, I loved the presence of the insect and the rhythm made by the rattle snake and cicadas.
Day 2 at Calicut
Trekking and Leech Encounters
The next morning was all about trekking. I woke up early to see the fog settling in, with cold water droplets glistening on the tent and table outside. Everywhere I looked, different types of moths were resting after their nighttime adventures. And guess what? I finally saw a Luna moth! Unfortunately, as I tried to snap a photo, it flew directly at me, and in a panic, I dropped my phone and ran. Not my proudest moment, but definitely an unforgettable one.
After freshening up, we assembled at the meeting spot for the trek. Our guide, a kind-hearted local living nearby with his wife and young son, led us on the trail. Alongside us was a family of four, including two little girls, a young woman in her 20s, and their parents—most likely Keralites.
The trek wasn’t overly strenuous but felt a bit challenging at first since it had been a while. My last trek was during a solo trip to Kodaikanal last December. The trail was lush, wild, and rocky, with plenty of floral plants and birdsong accompanying us to the top. We paused midway to catch our breath, and when we reached the summit, we clicked pictures, took in the view, and explored to our hearts’ content. On our way down, the guide showed us a picturesque bamboo forest—a photographer’s dream.
That’s when things got interesting. The family ahead of us suddenly stopped to remove their shoes and socks, revealing leeches on their feet. I quickly checked my own and, lo and behold, found a tiny leech clinging to my ankle. Cue internal panic! I stayed calm on the outside, pulled it off, and noticed it hadn’t drawn much blood. A milestone achieved—my first leech bite!
One of my friends, who had gone ahead, also discovered a leech that had feasted on her. She wasn’t as forgiving, though, and promptly killed it. The whole experience left us a bit shaken, and until I showered, I couldn’t shake the feeling that more leeches might be lurking on me.
The Wild Bus Ride to Kozhikode
Post-trek, we had a delicious breakfast of poori with potato gravy and prepared for checkout at 11 a.m. After packing up, our wonderful host dropped us at the bus stop, suggesting we take the bus to Kozhikode. Thanks to his advice, we saved some money.
We caught the KSRTC bus around 2:10 p.m., and let me tell you—it was a ride to remember! While the park lacked a roller coaster, the bus ride more than made up for it. At one point, it even turned into Fast and Furious as the driver raced with a private bus for passengers. Adrenaline rush aside, we reached Kozhikode in two hours and took an auto to Metro Towers, our hotel.
By the way, autos in Kozhikode are much cheaper than in Chennai or Coimbatore, and drivers actually use the meter! A refreshing change.
Stay at Metro Towers, Kozhikode
The hotel was decent and conveniently located near the railway station and bus stop. Our non-AC room was clean and sufficient for a peaceful night’s sleep. The complimentary breakfast was good, but one downside? Our bathroom bucket had a hole. Despite reporting it to reception, nothing was done, so we had to manage with a leaking bucket—heartbreaking to see the water going waste.
Night Out: Beypore Beach, Mittayi Street & Paragon Restaurant
After freshing up, we went night out to Beypore Beach in an auto. We asked the driver to wait for us for 45 min. Its a very well established beach, we walked around, enjoyed the view of fisherman boating, ate pickled fruits and sucked in the peaceful vibe. Oh! Did I tell you? Its a long term wish for me to eat calms. I ate it in a bajji format there. Too many things to strike off from my bucket list tbh.
Kozhikode seemed like a very conservative place. Most of them are rooted in Islamic beliefs and so you see even their fashion is very conservative style. Since the time we were at beach is Saturday, there were quite a lot of people. After exploring we got on the auto and asked him to drop at Mittayi Theruvu aka S.M. Street.
Mittayi Theruvu feels more like a walking street, the energy is the same. Except that here, men will be calling us and forcing us to buy Halwa and clothes. I found it very uncomfortable and annoying as they kind of try to cat-call you. Stand in front of your way and force you to enter into their shop. We hated it so much. The entire street is filled with clothing shops with imported cloths and snack stalls. Its a best place to update your wardrobe style. I was practically broke to spend on materials so even though I was attracted by some outfit I maintained my self control. But I did spent some money on Assorted Halwas at Sankaran Bakery. Worth it. I loved those.
Then we went to Paragon restaurant. Its one of the most popular restaurant in Kozhikode. We went around 9:40PM, people were sitting in line to dine. So did we. After waiting for 30-40 min, our slot came. We ordered fish, Nool parotta, Prawn gravy, Tender coconut payasam, tender coconut pudding and custard. Worth it. I had a blast. It was just 3 days but when I came back, I actually did put on some cheeks. Definitely not an exaggeration.
After a hefty meal, we had a sleep like we went high by food. In the morning we freshen up and went to Kozhikode beach. Eventhough people were conservative, we went all out with our fashion. We took entire morning posing and photographing while people looking at us like we are some freaks.
Last Day At Kozhikode
We made lots of plans for Kozhikode, but we couldn’t able to do much. Our check out was at 11AM here as well. So, once we finished our breakfast, I had a bath, packed our clothes and we went directly to Railwaystation. We put our bags in Cloak room – Rs 15 per person for 24 hrs.
From there we got an auto, went to do further shopping, buying Banana chips were a mandatory, then Muscoth Halwa at a popular shop – Kumari Banana Chips. From there we went to Pickle shop, fish pickle, and prawn pickles are popular in Kerala. I didn’t get it though. Next, we went to spice shops from there we went to Rahmath Restaurant. This is different from the day we went on the first day. So much crowd like paragon. We gave our name and waited for our turn to come. Though the ambiance was stuffy, the food was excellent. Ghee rice with mutton stew was a standout, and meen pollichathu (fish wrapped in banana leaves) was equally delightful. Service is okayish as well. Its more like a factory… you go in, you eat, you out, next person sits.
Departing Back To Home
After lunch we went to railway station and sat there for a bit. Our train was at 5:10PM. Around 4:50PM, we got our bags back from cloak room, and once the train came, we got on it and sat on our 2 confirmed RAC side berths.
Till Palakad, we sat as two two in both the seats. We were talking about life as a woman, relationship red flags, our traumas and our individualistic life growing up. Its more of real talk that happened that the crunched up space brought out of us. To be honest those conversation really did healed me. Woman to Woman conversation is the most healing event. It always reminds you that no matter how tough you could over come. Even though you all live a different life, the underlying pain and suffering always unites the hardship of woman.
After Palakad, we got two more berths for us to sleep due to some cancellations our female TTR informed us and passed by. We were still talking after she informed us. She got pissed off and asked us if she wanna cancel those berth and give to someone else. Thats it… we ran away and slept.
The next morning came… in an hours time Chennai came. Our Calicut trip came to an end as I bid adieu to my friends and boarded on Metro train to get back to home.
A Solivagant’s – Finally Not A Solo Trip:
I was lucky to go with a pack like this. To be honest, since the beginning I didn’t have a single worry of travelling with friends, as it has always been a dream. If there is a worry, its about me becoming a disrupter as my way of travelling has always been different. But, those three was the day, I have been myself. And the girls really helped me feel comfortable without any judgements placed on me. It was quite liberating.
For years, I missed out on group trips due to exclusion mostly, but this experience made up for it. Traveling with people who accepted me for who I am was liberating. This journey will forever hold a special place in my heart—a cherished memory preserved like a Polaroid snap.
A Solivagant's Shoes 