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introducing
Kerala Verdant and relaxed Kerala offers an escape from India’s frenetic cities with its yellow beaches, languid backwaters and cool tea country. Kathryn Liston explores It’s wise to expect the unexpected in Kerala. A chance meeting with a taxi driver - we were looking for a tuk-tuk leads to some wonderful trips around the southern Indian state. He takes us to beautiful Kovalam beach for lunch, where we buy colourful silks and water melon from seafront hawkers and seamstresses adjust the blouses we buy in the blink of an eye. He organises a cruise in the Backwaters - a must for all visitors - where we watch locals going about their daily chores washing their bodies, clothes, teeth and pots and pans in the murky waters, wide toothy grins greeting our leisurely passage past. Children splish-splosh in the shallows and boats deliver supplies. When we moor for the evening, an elderly gentleman in a canoe pops out of nowhere and paddles us deeper into the labyrinth of tiny canals. At one stage, thick weeds halt our passage, so I grab a paddle and help our loin-clothed captain navigate as dusk falls. The friendly houseboat crew welcome us back with flavoursome curries, fresh prawns the size of lobsters, fried bananas and coconut pancakes. The following morning, beautiful hymn singing filters through the palm trees, providing a glorious wake-up call. If clients don’t want to cruise, recommend a family hotel or farm close to the backwaters. At the Olavipe mansion in Poochakkal (featured by Pettitts Travel), the family cook teaches guests how to cook Keralan dishes, and at Philipkutty’s Farm, coconut, banana, cocoa, nutmeg and pepper are grown.
TEA PLANTATION IN MUNNAR
MENAKSHI TEMPLE IN MADURAI
Where’s hot? Kochi is a cultural hotspot. The Kochi-Muziris Biennial, India’s largest contemporary art event, runs until the end of March plus there are spice markets and arty cafes to explore. Snap the iconic, gigantic cantilevered Chinese fishing nets that line the harbour and take a leisurely stroll around the intriguing hotch-potch of tumble-down Portuguese, Dutch and British buildings and the 450-yearold Paradesi Synagogue featuring Cantonese ceramic tiles.
VARKALA BEACH
"Kerala’s undiscovered northern coastline, with its beautiful beaches and hotels focusing on ayurveda, yoga and sustainability, is becoming the place to go," says Richard Keeling from Pettitts Travel. Kerala has many beautiful beaches but Cherai Beach is “one of India’s best”, says Lucy Stobart, India Product Manager at Great Rail Journeys, which has launched a Spectacular Southern India tour. Goa Experience (goaexperience.co.uk) has a stand-alone brochure featuring eight hotels.
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THE DETAILS TIME ZONE: GMT + 5.5 CURRENCY: Indian Rupee, £1 = 93.07 Rupee HOW TO GET THERE: Etihad (etihad.com) via Abu Dhabi or Emirates (emirates.com) via Dubai. DOMESTIC FLIGHTS: Or fly to Delhi or Mumbai and then on with: Air India (airindia.in), Jet Airways
(jetairways.com), IndiGo (goindigo. in) or SpiceJet (spicejet.com).
FLIGHT TIME: 13 hours indirect USEFUL CONTACTS: Kerala Tourism: keralatourism.org TOUR OPERATORS: Newmarket Holidays (newmarketholidays. co.uk), Mercury Holidays (mercuryholidays.co.uk), Goa
Experience (goaexperience.co.uk), Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk), Audley Travel (audleytravel.co.uk).
LANGUAGE: Malayalam CLIMATE: Kerala has three seasons: winter, summer, and monsoon, which peaks July-August. Summer is hot and winter months never fall below 20 degrees.
“Kerala’s undiscovered northern coastline, with its beautiful beaches and authentic hotels focusing on ayurveda, yoga and sustainability, is becoming the place to go”
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Introducing Kerala.indd 62
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