All the places that I visited had their own appeal, but if I had to pick my favourite, it was definitely Kerala. It’s such a beautiful place. Extremely green. People are lovely and the delicately spiced cuisine is divine! More on the latter in the next section… Kerala is also a world away from the frenzy of basically everywhere else. It’s a ‘soft landing’ for a first visit to India. The highlight was Kerala’s languid backwaters. A labyrinthine system of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, formed by more than 900 km of waterways! Most people experience the backwaters with an overnight stay on a houseboat. I personally chose the authentic Keralan home-stay and went on a little canal-boat trip for a chance to float along the smaller canals and gaze over the village life along the banks. A memorable experience. It was very relaxing and entertaining as the villagers do not miss an opportunity to interact with travellers whether it’s to simply say hello, practice their English or have a good laugh.
TIP #2: Avoid busy Alleppey and spend a few nights in a home-stay. Even better, stay with Joseph & Cicily, the nicest people you’ll ever meet! You’ll learn a lot about Kerala and India, and you’ll taste the best food of the entire state! It is all organic, mainly home grown and the beautiful garden is paradise.
Kerala backwaters – View from Pooppallys Heritage Homestay
Autorickshaw
A cow on the riverbank
Beautiful sunset on the backwaters
Nutmeg from Joseph & Cicily’s garden
Village boy
Joseph & Cicily Pooppallys