Kerala, India

A short flight from Mumbai, and we reached one of the most picturesque parts of India. Hugging the south western coast, the narrow state of Kerala has a rich economic and cultural heritage derived from its pivotal role in the world spice trade for over 3000 years and pits Portuguese colonisation in the 15th century.

We were immediately surprised with the more laid back atmosphere at the Cochin (new name = Kochi) airport. No shouting and jostling for business by transport and hotel touts, we quickly found our pre-booked taxi arranged by our hotel (come on... homeward stretch now, so why not splurge a little, right?!) and started our 1hr+ journey to our base for the next week in Fort Cochin. En route, we then noticed another big difference between here and Bombay: very little traffic, cleaner roads, no potholes, and generally better sanitation. The journey took us through small towns strung together along the highway, with no real slums to be seen (although I'm sure they exist).

Fort Cochin was a far-cry from the maddening scenes of Bombay... yes, it was low season, but still the small township was peaceful. We were staying in a very comfortable guesthouse run by the very fastidious Mr. Walton. He was a local Christian Keralan and ran a very tight ship at the guesthouse - no unnecessary chat or smiles, but lots of accurate and clear information was provided. During our week's stay, we became quite fond of Mr. Walton - almost like a father figure, he would tell us to ensure we had an umbrella with us in case it rains, would watch out for us when we came home later than 9pm, phoned the taxi driver during pickup and drop off to the houseboat to ensure we'd reached there ok, and always enquired about our future plans! He ended up sorting out our trips and travel so we were grateful!

We spent a few days, roaming the small streets around Fort Cochin, checking out the old colonial buildings and generally watching the world go by. Many of the restaurants and shops were suffering from very poor business as it was the monsoon low season, so they were only too happy when we walked in.



There was quite a melange of religions and cultures to be observed in Kerala. Now predominantly Christian, we saw several big churches (e.g. St. Francis Church - believed to be India's oldest European-built church). In Mattancherry, we also visited a 400-year old synagogue - owing to the once small but significant Jewish population that settled here in Kerala.



One of the scenes we particularly enjoyed was the giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets. A legacy of traders from the 1400 AD court of Kubla Khan, these enormous, spider-like contraptions require at least 4 people to operate their counterweights at high tide. We caught the fishermen during their trade and watched the spectacle for a while!

We visited Mattancherry Palace that was built by the Portuguese in 1555. Here we saw some surprisingly well-preserved Hindu murals. Colourful and detailed, they depicted scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There was also a portrait gallery of the maharajas from 1864. Nearby we saw part of the modern-day spice market; large quantities of ginger being dried in the open sunshine.

We travelled south to the Alleppey district to experience one of the main attractions for any visit to Kerala: a houseboat excursion through the backwaters. Some say Alleppey is like a 'Venice of the East', made up of shade streets set around a grid of canals that spill into the vast watery highways of the region.



We spent a 24-hour period on a rented houseboat, designed like a kettuvallam (a rice barge), complete with the skipper, server and chef to look after us. My parents had done a similar trip on their visit to Goa and Kerala so I knew it was going to be a great highlight for us.

Drifting through the quiet canals lined with coconut palms, watching rural village life unfold around us and eating delicious authentic Keralan food - it was a beautiful and serene experience. Alkesh and I sat on our deck, looking out on to the various scenes as we past: women washing their clothes on the bank of the waters, kingfishers on electric cables, children travelling to school by boat. It was idyllic!

Back in Cochin, we took a few more days to relax, shop, eat and enjoy the precious few days of our travels - the end was very much in sight! We attended a traditional Kathakali performance. This ancient art form crystallised in the 16th century although some elements of it stem from as early as 2nd-century temple rituals. The Kathakali performance is the dramatised presentation of a play, usually based on the Hindu epics. Drummers and singers accompany the actors who tell the story through their precise movements, particularly mudras (hand gestures) and facial expressions. The actors have fantastic costumes and full face paint to take on their characters.

We really enjoyed the performance! It was amazing at how talented the actors were in being able to move precise parts of their face so fast, like their eyes or their cheeks. During our travels, we've seen various enactments from the Ramayana or Mahabharata: the Kecak dancers in Bali, the Angkorian temples in Cambodia, the Ramayana ballet in Yogyakarta. I truly believe this Keralan Kathakali was the most talented of all!

We returned to the cultural centre the next day to watch a North Indian classical music concert featuring a tabla and sitar player. They both came from different parts of Kerala and had never played together before. Without any sheet music, the 2 musicians played their insturments so skillfully. We marveled at how fast their fingers moved over the instruments and the whimsical sounds they created. It was beautiful!

We'll post this for now, although we still have a few more days left in India. Tomorrow, we are off to the Western Ghats of Kerala, to Munnar in the hills. We're back in Mumbai on Saturday night for 1 last day of chaat and shopping before we head of to Dubai on Monday morning.

That's it! - just 3 more days left before our backpacking travels come to an end! It has been an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will treasure forever. What with the 12 months in Canada, we've had great adventures over the past 18 months!!