Backwaters of Kerela

Except for Bali, there are more shades of green here in the backwaters of Kerela then anywhere.  We are staying in a homestay called Greenpalms Homes, in Chenemkerry, about 10 miles from Allephy.  We are on an island, surrounded by slow moving rivers of fresh water going down to the nearby sea.  The water floats by very slowly and there are all sorts of canoes, large water taxis, small cargo boats and these large god-awful houseboats.  These houseboats are very popular and have only been around for about 20 years, but there are close to 1,000 of them and they are big, loud, polluting and hated by the locals.   They look like something out of "The Hobbit", kind of neat at first but you quickly get tired of them as they are constantly going by and making a lot of noise.



But other then that, it is very nice here.  The owner of our guesthouse takes people on walks through the village and the rice paddies. Thomas is his name and looks remarkably like Father Damien.  He is a very gentle soul and is a Syrian Christian, which is an orthodox church.  Everyone knows him, of course, so walking in the villages we always stop and the children want their picture taken so they can see it in the camera.  Thomas told us about the history of the island and the way the farmers grow the rice.  The paddies are actually below water level and they have a big system of irrigation with canals.  Half way through our walk we got on a canoe and Thomas and the boatman sang duets of old Kerelan folk songs.  Gliding through the water and looking up at the stars and moon (the sun had set at the beginning of our walk) was quite magical.

This morning we went on another walk with Binu.  He took us a little further around the island and again, every one knew him and all the kids wanted their picture taken.  Binu knew a lot about the local flora and fauna and he pointed out all sorts of trees, plants and animals.  We had breakfast in a small home and of course ate  with our hands, as you are supposed to do here.

We also had a cooking lesson from Thomas' mom and she taught us how to cook different curries and spicy fried fish.  This we then had for lunch today, along with stir fried cabbage, potato curry and about 5 other dishes.  They serve you well here!