Backwaters of Kerala

The deep green vegetation of Kerala was a welcome sight after the desert landscapes of Rajhasthan and the equally sandy Goa. From the comfort of the air-conditioned train carriage we pondered the similarities between south India and Sri Lanka and looked forward to loosing ourselves in the wholesome scenery. The humidity and heat however had other ideas and we have never been so conscious of travelling on the Asian sub-continent out-of-season and before the relief of the monsoon arrives. We had been outside for no longer than five minutes when we found ourselves dripping in sweat and at a loss to know what to do with ourselves in the unrelenting, oppressive heat. So we did what we do best and headed for a restaurant. Our first sample of Keralan food (under a large fan) was blissful. We tried idlys (lentil and rice batter) and spongy dosas soaked up in thick pellets of rice and spicy pickles offset by creamy okra curry and served on a banana leaf. Weight gain was obviously going to be a problem in this region of India.

Kerala is famous for the remote beauty of it's backwaters and we spent a peaceful day floating down the rivers in a rattan boat listening to the cries of the water birds and watching the reflections of the palm trees rippling in the river. A Keralan lunch preceded a canoe ride through thick vegetation where pineapples grow wild and water hyacinths were plucked from the river to make necklaces for the girls. Hibiscus flowers tangled with mango trees and ducks fought for space with the water boatman in the narrow waterways.

Back at the hotel we struggled for sleep. 35 degrees heat and intense humidity is not conducive to rest and we may as well have had a revolving door on our bathroom for the amount of cold showers we took through the night. After two nights like this we decided it was time to move on before we lost our sanity and with that decision taken we headed on the night sleeper to Chennai (formerly Madras) in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India to seek some respite from the heat.