Its not for zilch they call it 'God's own Country'. Needless to say, Kerala transports you to a verdant landscape, some untouched by the vagaries of ruthless mankind. And you revel in it, allowing the scenic beauty, and not too seldom - the simplicity of it, to captivate and overwhelm you. In many ways it is very similar to Karnataka, my native state, however more lush and beautiful than the latter. Stately coconut trees and lavish churches are conspicuous by their multiplicity, you'll find them in every nook and corner. The people of Kerala are an amiable lot too - simple and extremely helpful. And special mention goes to the men (no, this is not about their potbellies and giant moustaches)... chivalry is their code! Every man, right from the bellboy to your taxi driver is so respectful towards women! This is evident in their behaviour - little things like holding the door open, not gawking/staring, passing rude comments.... I have never come across a disrespectful man in Kerala, yet - not even the hippies on their religious journey to Sabarimala (I saw hordes and hordes of them, clad in black). Hats off & more power to you guys!
As for Kerala - I'm coming back again!! I've not had enough of you! :) I miss the banana chips, home-made chocolates and the heavenly smell of spices already! Here are some snapshots of our stay at Thekkady, Munnar, Ashtamudi & Kollam.... Madurai too, but that's in Tamil Nadu. The pics defy the mere 6 MP Kodak camera that I was armed with. That's because each place is so beautiful, you don't need a fancy camera to capture their beauty!
When we asked a firang who also rode the elephant to describe the experience, he replied, 'It was nice, it was funny.... it is kinda hard to explain'..... lol.... that aptly sums up our experience as well :)
The verdant spice plantation - the guide gave us a very detailed explanation of all the spices growing there - right from the king of spice (pepper), queen of spice (cardamom), price of spice (saffron) and princess of spice (vanilla).... phew! Bet you didn't know that too! :)
The mahout and his giant, but gentle ride... elephants are such docile animals!! But then, who wants to annoy them too?
The famous Kathakali mudra-dance - the costumes and face-paint are intriguing.... I wonder how the performers handle the complexity of it all!
The beginning of Kalaripayattu - the famous martial art from Kerala. They had dimmed the lights at the beginning of the performance giving the entire stage an ethereal feel.... beautiful, glowing diyas!
The performers were brilliant, each performing stunts more dangerous than the other, with swords, knives, spears and burning rings. What were their names??? Can remember only 3 - Muthu, Saijju and Kinchu (funny, na?)
Gladiator, anyone? These guys are menancing... swords clashed so hard and swiftly that they created sparks!
The very agile Muthu jumped through 2 fiery rings simultaneously. And I thought this sorta thing only happens on TV.... watching it live was unnerving. Brilliant stuff, though!
The breathtaking view from our resort at Munnar - a place well known for its numerous tea plantations
A hill bedecked with tea plantations (Munnar)... the tea shrubs are short and stubby, and need constant tending to.
I want to be on that little island!
The waterfall at Chellarkovil (near Thekkady).... we walked a good kilometre, through a narrow winding path, just to spot it
That's the entrance to our resort at Ashtamudi - wondrous, wondrous place!
Our restaurant was on one of these rafts
I SO wanted to stay at Ashtamudi for much longer! Love the clouds in this pic...
Lazing in a hammock
The stately lighthouse (functional one) at Kollam
Why does this remind me of a candy bar?
The spiraling staircase to the top of the lighthouse. 200 steps in all. To the ones suffering from Vertigo - beware!
The view from the top of the lighthouse - see that church (in the middle) engulfed by coconut trees around it?
View of the Kollam coastline
Another spectacular view
And another...
Isn't this just beautiful? The Kollam coastline - pure and unadulterated!
Kollam beach
Mom insisted on visiting the Meenakshi temple at Madurai.... disinterested at first, my stance changed as soon as I spotted the temple - a magnificent, massive structure with so many details, it will stump you... indeed, God IS in the details!
Each sculpture of the massive structure tells a mythological story
You have to crane your necks to capture a picture of the Meenakshi temple, here - the South Tower
From aboard the aircraft, back home!
