Namaste, curry comrades!

The countdown is officially on: only a few weeks until we trade our daily commutes to classrooms and warehouses for flights, tuk-tuks and buses, our cold-weather complaints for monsoon marvels, and our sensible dinners for a parade of spice-laden feasts that may or may not require emergency yoghurt and a cold beer.

Helen and I are embarking on another journey with the travel masters from Intrepid, and sometimes on our own, to explore these fantastic destinations. We’ve been told if you don’t leave India feeling at least a little battered and bruised, then you haven’t done it right, hence a few days RnR in KL to wind up our travels.

We’re embarking on an adventure through Southern India, starting in Chennai and ending in Kochi, with a bonus round of Kuala Lumpur on the way home. It’s a journey of temples, tea plantations, houseboats, and heroic attempts to pronounce “idiyappam” correctly.

🛬 Chennai – Welcome to the Spice Zone

We land in Chennai, where the air is thick with humidity and the scent of curry leaves. Our goals: survive the traffic, eat dosa the size of a yoga mat, and master the art of eating with our hands without flinging chutney across the table.

🧘‍♀️ Pondicherry – Croissants & Curry

Next stop: Pondicherry, where French colonial charm meets Tamil spice. We’ll be sipping café au lait in pastel cafés, then immediately chasing it with fiery fish curry. It’s fusion at its finest—and possibly most confusing.

🕉️ Madurai – Temples & Tiffin

Madurai is all about the Meenakshi Temple, where the towers are so intricately carved they make your brain hurt (in a good way). We’ll be temple-hopping, eating tiffin like it’s a competitive sport, and trying not to buy 17 silk scarves.

🌿 Thekkady – Jungle Vibes & Cardamom Dreams

Into the hills we go! Thekkady is where elephants roam, spices grow, and we pretend to be rugged adventurers while sipping masala chai. We’re planning a spice plantation tour, a boat ride through Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and possibly a dramatic monologue about how cardamom changed our lives.

🍃 Munnar – Tea, Tranquility & Terrible Puns

Munnar is a green paradise of rolling tea plantations and misty mornings. We’ll be hiking (slowly), sipping tea (constantly), and taking photos that make it look like we’re in a Bollywood romance. Also, we hear the chocolate here is dangerously good.

🚤 Kerala Houseboat – Float, Feast, Repeat

One night on a houseboat in Kerala’s backwaters. It’s like glamping, but with coconut trees and curry. We’ll be drifting through palm-lined canals, eating freshly caught fish, and pretending we’re in a luxury travel ad (minus the drone footage).

🏙️ Kochi – History, Hipster Cafés & Spice Markets

Kochi is our final Indian stop, where Portuguese architecture meets modern art galleries. We’ll be buying spices we don’t know how to use, sipping ginger tea in waterfront cafés, and watching the Chinese fishing nets do their slow, poetic dance.

✈️ Bonus Round: Kuala Lumpur – Noodles, Skyscrapers & Street Food Glory

On the way home, we’re spending 4 nights in Kuala Lumpur, because why not end a curry-fueled adventure with some laksa, satay, and skyline selfies? We’ll be visiting the Petronas Towers, eating our way through Jalan Alor, and possibly crying tears of joy over a bowl of char kway teow.

Things We’re Most Excited About:

• Eating our way through three spice regions and two countries.
• Learning how to say “no chilli” in Tamil, Malayalam, and Bahasa. (or maybe not)
• Finding out if tea tastes better when you’re surrounded by mist and goats.
• Not cooking for 3 weeks. (Okay, this I will miss, but at least no dishes to do!)

Stay tuned for updates, food photos, and possibly a few tales of digestive bravery. Southern India (and KL), we’re coming for you—with open hearts, open minds, and very open stomachs.

Countdown: Let the curry dreams begin.