Kerala, Southern India

From Goa I travelled to the state of Kerala. Having travelled a long way south, the temperature has jumped from a pleasant 23 degrees celcius in Northern India to around 33 degrees in the South where it immediately starts to feel much more tropical. The first stop was Kochi, which is situated on a large island just off the mainland from Ernakallin. It’s a pleasant place that escapes from the busy traffic of the mainland, but I am struggling to say much more because there wasn’t a lot to do there and I spent most of the time in coffee shops and restaurants.

Here is a photo from the spice shop, where I stocked up on Masala Chai mix.

Continuing further south, I took a bus to Alleppey where I stayed one night in a heritage home that was furnished in a colonial style with lots of nice dark wood furniture.

The next day I boarded a house boat that was heading further south via the Kerala backwaters. It’s a beautiful area with a huge network of natural lakes and waterways where the local people have a quiet and simple life.

Fishing is probably the most important industry here and there are still a large number of traditional style Chinese fishing nets along the waterways.

The boat stopped in the city of Kollam where I spent one night in Mosquito hell and then made a beeline for the cliff side town of Varkala. This place was discovered by hippies in the 1970s and has since become a big tourist hotspot. It’s a relaxed town with a small sandy beach and a large number of restaurants along the cliff top.