Kerala

One of the highlights of a trip to Southern India is undoubtedly the backwaters of Kerala. Small canals and waterways are surrounded by dense, green vegetation and occasional rice paddies. The only way to experience these backwaters is aboardan old rice barge, or kettu vallam. Cruising along at a slow pace, with the soft humming of the diesel motor, provided us with an opportunity to enjoy the scenery and serenity of the backwaters.

Our kettu vallam:

The houseboat came with a driver and a chef. The chef was AMAZING! We received three large, freshly prepared Keralan meals. Lunch- Fish Fry (which is something that Kerala is know for), vegetable curry, coconut chutney;

Dinner- Spicy Tiger Prawns, Chicken Curry, veggies and dal ; Breakfast - Omlettes, Idli, Sambar. This was some of the best food I've had in India!

Some scenery shots:

Kochi is a small town just North of backwaters. It's an old sea port, with lots of European and East Asian influences. Here's a picture of the huge Chinese fishing nets that are scattered about the coast, most are still in use today.

Tpot- An awesome little cafe in Kochi. They have teapots from all over the world. Good black coffee is sometimes hard to get here and their's was amazing.

Kathakali- A Keralan dance that uses facial expressions and hand gestures/formations to convey Hindu stories and teachings. We got front-row seats to the show! We also happened to be the only people in the theater that night.

After our backwater trip, we spent some time at a beach on the Arabian Sea. The weather was gorgeous...

...for a while. This was the last photo I snapped off before the monsoon rain sent me sprinting for cover.