Continued from Colombo
Kerala is the most southerly western state of India. Three fifths the size of Tasmania in area, it has over sixty times the population, with 34 million people!
Its coastline is part of the fabled Malabar Coast. The coast south of Kochi is low-lying, with extensive areas of freshwater and saltwater rivers, canals, lakes and lagoons. For the tourist, these Kerala waters are a photographers paradise. In this blog post, we just feature water views.
Kochi (aka Cochin) is the main port and is a blend of the very old to the very modern.
After two nights in Kochi, we headed towards Alleppey where we would spend two nights on houseboats, travelling through the interconnecting waterways. Between our group of 17, we had one boat with three bedrooms and three boats with two bedrooms. Each bedroom had its own ensuite. Each boat had a captain, engineer and chef.
Our “sailing” showed us the peaceful side of the waterways and also many aspects of the day-to-day lives of the many people who live there. The recent floods were higher than the heights of the people walking in the following photos.
Coconut Lagoon is a specialty resort on the edge of Lake Vembanad, at Kumarakom. The lake, one of India’s largest, has a distinctive and variable natural environment. The views are sublime.
On our travels through these districts we would experience various facets of Kerala cuisine.
Continued:
For a continuation of our travels, see: Kerala – Food.