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| Sunset over Lake Vembanadu |
One of my favorite stops so far in India was the backwaters of Kerala. Serene settings with fabulous sunrises and sunsets, this, to me, was a place to go to really unwind and relax. We arrived from Munnar close to sunset, and I was able to really get a feel of relaxation looking over the waters of the huge lake in front of me.
We stayed in a small resort, very nicely appointed but not to pretentious called
Kumarakom Lakeside Resort. A family run operation, small but efficient, and I felt like a king on vacation. Our separate villa was lakeside and the view was tremendous. We had a few guests in our room, Geckos, and I was summoned by my wife to rid the place of them or sleep alone. While I'm not used to these wonderful creatures, I do know their importance and understand that they take care of the absolute unwanted party crashers, mosquitoes. I like the symbiotic relationship.
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| My view from the front porch of our villa. |
As I have talked about in past posts, we really enjoyed getting up early and watching everything come alive. We woke early and walked down the main road, which is a dead end, so there was not much activity, found a chai wall and had our morning cup on the roadside listening to the sounds of the birds. Such different, incredible sounds, completely different from North American bird sounds.
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| Early morning sunrise over the backwaters |
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| Life is slow here, allowing one to really take in the beauty |
One of the things I love about India is that while I am just a visitor, for a very short time, everyday life goes on all round me while I am there and it is fascinating to me, and to the people I see or meet, it is business as usual. I wonder what they would think of my life? Not much, I can tell you!
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| This man would climb the trees on the grounds and drop down the coconuts, so that they wouldn't fall on the heads of guests. His payment for such services? Those same coconuts. |
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| Local boys swimming and laughing amongst the Hyacinth in Lake Vembanadu |
We took a boat tour through the backwaters, passing fishing boats and clam diggers, gathering their trade the same way it has been done for thousands of years. We were treated to slow puttering journey, past these men, past the palms, and wildlife, to a small building in the middle of a vast area of water. Built on dry land, local would walk along narrow spits of land to get here by foot, or moor their boats and head on in. We were treated to a tasty fried fish with fresh onion and lime, served on a banana leaf.
The setting, along with the trip and the food itself, made for one of the best meals I've had in India. It's not just the food, but the experience.
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| Our boat moored in the Hyacinth |
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| The character of a real wood boat lended to the mystique and feeling of visiting in another time |
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| One of the local Keralites enjoying a smoke |
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| The best fish I've ever had? Possibly. The setting didn't hurt either! |
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| Our little restaurant oasis |
I think next time we might do the house boat, sleeping and eating directly on the backwaters. But I really enjoyed our stay where we did.
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| One of the many houseboats plying the waters |
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| detail of the boat we hired for the day |
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| Open waters and beautiful scenery |
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| Paradise? It could be! |
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| Clammers jump out of their boats and dive down to bring up their haul |
So much different than the hustle and bustle of big cities like Delhi, Kumarakom, Kottayam, Kerala India is a place one can go to truly relax and unwind. I plan on doing just that at least one more time before I die.
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