There Are Numerous Hotels Right Near The Bus Station;
Budget Hotels Opposite Are:
Ninans Tourist Lodge (Singles 3ors, Doubles 5ors),
Hotel Blue Nile (Singles 45Rs, Doubles 6ors), .
Hotel Luciya (Singles 5ors, Doubles Loors). The Rooms In All Three
Hotels Have Baths, And Are Really Clean.
In Amman Kovil Road, The Street Beside The Hotel Blue Nile, Are Budget Lodges Like The Casino Lodge Or The Priya Lodge, Singles From 25Rs, Doubles From 4ors.
On Top Of That, There Is A Lot Of Accommodation Available Around The Ernakulam Railway Station E.G. Central Hotel, And Near Broadway E.G. Basoto Lodge In Press Club Road.
Related Travel Information
Kerala Tourist Reception Centre, Shanmugham (Shunmuham) Road, Ernakulam, Ph 353 234. Open Daily From 8am-6pm. They Take Bookings For The Bolghatty Palace And Cochin Sightseeing Tours As Well As For The Hotels In Periyar Park, But You Have To Pay A Hefty Booking Fee. Govt Of India Tourist Office Near The Hotel Malabar, Willingdon Island, Ph 6 045 Open Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-Lpm. Very Friendly And Helpful. They Have Plenty Of Pamphlets About India Even If They Are A Bit Out Of Date.
Pai And Company, 1st Floor At The Southern End Of Broadway, Ernakulam, Have A Good Selection Of Books
Cochin, With Its 700,000 Inhabitants (1 Million In The District), Is The Largest City In Kerala And An Important Port. It Consists Of Four Parts:
Fort Cochin/Mattancherry: The Charming Old Section Of Cochin, Built On A Peninsula Where The Gpo Is Located. It Has A Charm Of Its Own And Is Worth Seeing.
At The Cochin Harbour Terminus, The Main Station Of Willingdon Island, Or At The Ernakulam Railway Station (Better When You Are Looking For A Hotel). The Ernakulam Railway Station Is Also Called Ernakulam South Or Ernakulam Junction.
The Best Way To Get From Cochin To The Other Parts Of The City Is By Boat. There Is A Whole Network Of Motor And Other Boats. The Fares Vary Between 30 And 7ops. Most Boats Don't Operate After 9pm. After That You Have To Take A Taxi Or Even A Scooter. The Last Bus From Fort Cochin To Ernakulam Leaves Between 9.30 And 10pm. Mattancherry, Willingdon Island And Ernakulam Are All Connected By Bridges. The Correct Fare For A Scooter From The Bus Terminal To The Main Ferry
Travelling Between The Peninsula And Islands Is One Of The Charms
Additional Information Can Be Found In The Next Chapters About The Destinations.
Ootacamund (Ooty) (312km-194 Miles): Buses Run From The Er-Nakulam Bus Terminal To Palghat, Where You Have To Change For Ooty. There Are Other Options But They Take Longer. You Could Travel By Train Or By Bus From Palghat To Mettupalaiyam And Then By The Nilgiri Railway To Ooty. The Train Leaves Mettupalaiyam At 7.30am And Arrives In Ooty At Noon. (Part Cog Wheel Track, Nice Trip).
Mysore (470km292 Miles)/Bangalore (565km-351 Miles): Three Departures Daily 5am, 7am And 8pm. Direct Services Leave From The Bus Terminal In Ernakulam For Bangalore (15
