This past weekend I went by myself to Kerala for 3 days. Things in Delhi have been so busy, so much stuff going on that its all been a bit of a whirlwind. It was great to get away - just me and my thoughts; and an entertaining book - Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. I would have enjoyed this getaway with a number of seasoned travel partners, but Amitav Ghosh was great company. Absorbing, and I could shut him off whenever I wanted. What more could one ask for?
March is already a bit hot for Kerala. I landed at 9:30 and was immediately embraced by humid salty air. I loved it! Growing up in Bombay, it was nice going back to the sea. Went straight from the airport to Munnar (hill station 3 hrs away from Kochin).
Munnar is tea estates as far as the eye can see.
I rented a bicycle the first morning and rode around the tea estates. I could have opted for a scooter, but the bike gave me a better opportunity to slow down and interact with people. Kids everywhere shout out as you ride by. And the thing that took me by surprise (even thought I expected it) is that everyone spoke English, making it easy to chat with passerby's.
Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India (100%) and was the first in the world to democratically elect a communist Govt. Till today the marxists run the state.
It's an interesting case study. You'd expect with literacy the economy and social infrastructure would rise as well. Instead Kerala bucked the trend, and lags a number of other Indian states. In fact, it is the one state where in some rural villages you will find a higher female to male ratio. This is because, with no industrial goods to export Kerala exported it's remaining valuable commodity - man power. The direct flights from Kerala to the middle east are a the testament to that. Dollar remittances are a big part of the economy here. As a result Kerala is disproportionately affected by the global financial crunch.
After spending a night in Munnar, I sped off to Kochi, the queen of the Arabian Sea. Kochi is a group of islands and is one of the best natural harbors in south India. It's seen Arabs, Jews (it has a section of town called "Jew Town"), Portuguese, Dutch and of course the British. I stayed in Fort Kochi, a small island that is perfect for travelers. Everything is walking distance, and because it is so small you keep running into other travelers, and you quickly become part of this community of visitors. You can never feel out of place when everyone is just like you.
They have a number of great restaurants in Fort Kochi. It's hard not to given how great Kerala food is. And I don't know what it is about fish cooked in banana leaves, it's mouth watering. I wish I had time to take a cooking class there - you can buy your own fish in the market, take it back and they teach you how to cook it followed by an incredible dinner. Guess I'll just have to go back for that.
There was just so much stuff to do there, and I didn't get to do enough. I went to a culture program and saw a Kathak performance, spent the day in the backwaters, sunset at the fishing nets, and of course a great relaxing Kerala ayurvedic massage. I would have loved to have just sat in one of the tea shops and read more of my book, or done some historical sight seeing, or taken a sunset cruise, or gone to some of the surrounding small islands and beaches. Fort Kochi is a great place to come relax and just mellow out. Anyone planning a trip to India - think about spending 4 or 5 days here. You can easily make it your base and do short trips to surrounding tourist destinations.
The last night in Kochi it rained, and I mean REALLY rained. Going to sleep with the sound of a heavy downpour was a perfect ending to this weekend. Too bad I won't be in India for the monsoons...
Here are some pics from my trip -
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Hmm, Kochi you say...
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