Colorful Kerala

Hello all!
Life has finally returned to normal post vacations.  After Aakash and I finished our Kerala trip, I went to Darjeeling and Sikkim for a few days with some friends.  It was great, but I'll tell you about it another time.  Today I want to tell you about Kerala.

Kerala is the southwestern most state in India and I highly recommend it to anyone.  Aakash and I both agreed that it was the best vacation we've ever taken, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  First, we flew into Kochi and rested for a night.  We stayed at a hotel with hot water and a normal shower and I took three showers in the sixteen hours we were there.  The next day, we took a train to Alleppey (Rs. 30 total- we're big spenders) which is the main launching point for backwater houseboats, a big draw for Keralan tourism.  We didn't book a boat before hand, so we were a bit nervous about finding the right boat and crew for us.  When we got to Alleppey, we had lunch and were talking with our waiter, telling him we were looking for a boat.  He told us to wait and came back in less than two minutes with an english speaker who owned two boats.  He took us to a small side dock and said his boat would be there in fifteen minutes.  Surprisingly enough, in fifteen or twenty minutes, a boat did come!  And it was beautiful.  The houseboat was crafted with thin pieces of wood and rope- no nails are used to hold these boats together.  I was particularly excited because above the boat's wheel was an upper deck to sit on.  We were sold.  The boat also had a nice sitting area on the main deck with a dining table and tv (although we didn't use the tv), a bedroom with a comfy bed and bath with running water, and a kitchen in the back.  We hired the boat for two nights and embarked on a gorgeous, relaxing, incredible experience.

The boat had three crew members who cooked and drove.  For every meal, we would park outside some beautiful rice field or other exquisite view.  After eating, we could walk around the neighborhood we parked at.  I enjoyed exploring the path, houses, and people doing daily chores and tasks.  In the evening, we joined a large convoy of houseboats and headed to a small town to park outside the house of one of the crew members.  It was an incredible area because the main road was a river lined with houses and a small walking path.  We explored the path both ways and, in addition to passing numerous houses and fields, we also passed a few schools and shops.  

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The second day on the houseboat was one of the best days of the trip.  We requested prawns (shrimp) for lunch, so we went to the market and bought a few that were literally bigger than my head.  Seriously.  We bought a little over one kilo, which mean four giant tiger prawns (0.9 kilos total) and one "smaller" prawn.  Lunch that day was honestly one of the best meals we've ever eaten.  The prawns were skillet fried to perfection, and they prepared this delicious "vegetable" curry, although it contained banana, pineapple, and tomatoes.  I asked for the recipe and am looking forward to trying it myself.  The entire meal was served on a huge banana leaf, freshly plucked from a nearby tree.

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The backwaters were incredible.  I particularly loved lying in the sun and looking at all the other boats and people passing us.  Each boat was different and there were so many local fishermen and people to watch and wave at.  We also took an hour canoe ride, which was nice because it gave us a different perspective and we were able to go into smaller channels.  Very cool.

After the houseboat, we drove five hours to Thekkady.  This is where we entered Kerala's mountains.  We stayed at a really incredible loft hotel in Thekkady, but more importantly, Thekkady is where we visited Elephant Junction!  The first thing we did was climb aboard Rempa, a female elephant with a hole in one ear.  (We asked why she had such a giant hole in her ear, but apparently they got her like that.  Then again, I have a hole in my ear, so who am I to judge.)  Rempa gave us an hour long ride through an elephant trail in the forest.  It was a surprisingly comfortable ride.  After we had a chai break, we visited another elephant, Lakshmi.  Lakshmi was lying in a large elephant bath and we were able to help wash her.  This was Aakash's favorite part- he really enjoyed feeling her rough skin and thick, wirey hair.  My favorite part came next- after washing her, we got to climb onto her bare back and she gave US a shower.  She put her trunk into a pool of water, then whipped it over her head, soaking us with water.  I went first and I wasn't sure what to expect, but Lakshmi really sprayed me.  I must admit, it was the best water pressure I've felt since moving to India.

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Next, we drove four hours to Munnar, a popular tourist place in the mountains on the Tamil Nadu boarder.  We had the good fortune of having the absolute best driver.  Aakash sat in the front the whole way practicing his Hindi, and we stopped at some really incredible sites on the way, including some workers in a coffee field, and a huge dam, which was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  Munnar was the perfect end to our Kerala trip.  We stayed there for three nights before flying out of Kochi.

The first day, we visited a tea factory.  Aakash was in tea heaven, and even I was surprisingly impressed with how complex tea making is.  We walked around the city for a bit and took an auto to a look out point in the mountains.  We ended up meeting a guy who leads treks (hikes) in the mountains, and we booked him for the next day.  Our trek was incredible.  We hiked for five hours, starting at our guide's family property.  Our first special surprise occurred when we came upon a tree house- the most legit tree house I've ever seen.  We were able to go inside for a chai break (double score!) and rest for a bit.  Our guide explained that they hired local tribesmen to build the tree house and it's main purpose is to give them an escape if elephants come by.  Because if elephants are tramping around, you need to get out of their way!  Throughout our entire hike, he kept pointing out completely demolished plants, flippantly telling us that elephants had destroyed it.  Totally wild.  We hiked to the top of a mountain with two huge rocks on the top, which gave us a perfect view of the tallest mountain in Kerala.  The weather was perfect and I was really happy to be in the sunshine after months of smoggy, polluted Kolkata.  After our mountain top lunch, we hiked back through a beautiful, green tea plantation.  

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I can't fully express how peaceful, fresh, and beautiful Kerala was.  It was so green, lush, and full of friendly people.  It was more expensive then anywhere else I've been to in India, partially because it's such a huge tourist destination, but Kerala has definitely figured out positive ways to earn money.  Everyone in Kerala was clean and healthy looking (a drastic contrast to much of Kolkata) and everyone was friendly and easy to communicate with.  (Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India- over 90% educated.)  Kerala is also highly Christian (39% Christian, 41% Hindu, 20% Muslim) and it was really interesting to see Indian takes on Christianity.  There were small Christian mandirs, or shrines, all over, and I hadn't seen that before.  When I found out we were coming to India, Kerala was the number one place I wanted to go, and I have no regrets from that trip.  It was just the relaxing, rejuvenating, adventure packed vacation I had wanted, and I'm really grateful Aakash and I were able to do it together.

Anyways, I'm back to work now and Aakash is at a lesson.  I hope this email finds you well and I hope to hear from you soon.

Love,
Jayanthi