Monday, March 14, 2011

A week in the backwaters of Kerala

We landed in Kochi on Saturday & took a taxi to Kumarakom the following morning. After driving past hundreds of Mamoothy billboards & numerous cafes called "Malabar Palace", we reached our resort facing the beautifully tranquil Lake Vembanad. There was a constant (but slow & peaceful) traffic of fishing boats & house-boats sailing past our villa & we saw postcard-like images of the rustic life on the backwaters. On Thursday, we boarded a house-boat to Allepey. As we sailed past the lush green, we realised that this is how life should always be: surrounded by loved ones & with complete peace of mind. The coconut palms & clear skies are just a bonus.Special thanks to our boat-man Biju who turned out to be a great cook & gave Kabeer a new career aspiration ("I want to be a boatman, mama"). He also rocked the lungi.

The town of Kottayam was the exact opposite of Kumarakom; it was bustling with activity & felt like Laxmi Road in Pune on a Sunday afternoon. There were red ST buses; roadside hawkers; cars, rickshaws & bicycles; and a thousand pedestrians all using the same narrow "highway" under the blissful delusion that there's ample space for everyone. God, how I love Indian cities!

2 comments:

Jas B said...

Wow! I hope that some day I am also able to travel the backwaters of Kerala.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

:) I love kabeer's enthusiasm about being a boatman.......boys will always be boys! :)
Great pics...I have been to kerala twice, once to the hills in Munnar area and the other time to the backwaters and beaches ...I can't get enough of the lush region..it is beautiful! These trips were made more than half a decade ago..I hope to go back one day! *sigh*