Kerala is...difficult to hold or describe in words. It had to be experienced, again and again...
We hence, go there time after time. Me, my wife and our eyes.
This time it was short trip of 4 effective days and that we split in two parts. First two days in Kottayam and the other two to be spent in Kochi.
Kottayam - the first place to achieve total literacy. Where a very old Persian church priest happily invited us to have lunch with them, where we sat in a room which is easily older than a century, we observed how easily respect and brotherhood crosses belief systems. without any hesitation they speak about their religious and historical past and request us to see other religious places with imprints of history in the same breath. No fights, just being together in so many colours. A true India can be seen in Kerala, for nature, for people and for experiencing a living in harmony with varieties of nature and beliefs.
We rented a scooter in the first day morning and roamed streets, by lanes of back waters, someone's backyard to sit on a personal space with steps to sit and to enjoy Vembanad lake. People in Kerala welcome us with open heart and hands.
We saw Maraikkal lake which is filled with water Lily. Here, Lily grows for 3~4 months in the monsoon time. Then the water gets dried up or drained out to do farming of rice in the same place. Astonishing and beautiful.
Illikkal Kalu is a nearby place from Kottayam town, which is a high mountain place and well known for being quite misty mostly. The scooter did its job well. and we were greeted with cold winds, rains and times and mountain peaks were playing hide and seek with us through clouds. two distinct water falls were adding their beauty in the scene.
Kochi, we've been to earlier as well...twice. This time we had thought to experience fort Kochi area and Mattancherry Jew town only. so, our slow walks let us enable to engulf the scent of town full of art and history in every corners, lanes, walls and in its tall widely spread very old trees. Kochi is a body of art and history and to have a introspective time there, Kochi teaches us to be inclusive appreciative of beauty of differences and living together. All the old Portugese churches, cemetary, marine drive alks, Chinese fishing net with a backdrop of today's Kochi port and huge storage tanks and cranes. There, Brahmini kites still roam in the sky of Kochi and give you blinks of golden Brown reflecting sunset lights. Fishing nets still brings joy to wanderer's mind when you see them with the West end horizon having Crimson -Red-Blue-Yellow mix of lights at the day end and ther'll be faint horizon with land and its lights lighting up to welcome the dark nights. You can see artists have coloured its walls just for enjoying the beauty and co-existence of metallic paints and mosses. You can easily find a 18th century stone step with side curvings infront of an antique shop. And then ther'll be a Jew priest coming out of a shop with a Kashmiri shop owner to share a smoke by the side walk.
Kochi is mesmerising.
Food -In Kottayam, I tried fish dosa and Chicken Dosa. Just WOW! Plus, we had a Parotta chicken mix which was dry in preparation but quite tasty to bring lots of saliva while even thinking about it again.
I tried streetside wheelers to taste Beef Vindalu with Appam and Arabian Biriyani with chicken in a restaurant in Jew town. Splendid were they.
Kerala food always win our hearts!
Stay -
Kottayam - We stayed in a very clean hotel called Nellimootitil Guest house. It is about 700 meters uphill from the Railway station.
Kochi - We stayed in a homestay with warm hearted family of three (parents and their daughter with a 3 year old son). Father is a skilled tailor, mother is a ever smiling house maker and their daughter handles their two home stays and her son and keep waiting for her husband to return to her once a year!
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