Gokulam Park Kochi

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That night, we went to a Kathakali dance performance. Kathakali dance is a common art here and consists of an elaborate performance of a play based on a story from Hindu mythology. The performers do not speak and there is a singer narrator who speaks in a non-English langauge. There are also drummers on stage who beat the drums the entire time. The performers have to study for six years before they are ready and use facial expressions and a specialized ...

... that is predominantly Christian, a legacy from the succession of Portuguese, Dutch and English colonialists. It is also had the first freely elected communist government in the world, in 1957 and they have held power off and on ever since. In fact, there is a pending national election - Kerala votes this coming week. As each state votes in succession, the results are not known for another month or more. We are told that there shouldn't be any concerns here ...

... mullet, all still alive povri, and we went to shack to cook them for us not in the most hygienic conditions ...but no post stomach problems. Later that evening we went to a small theater for a play of traditional dancing, the make-up and costumes is a very important element in these plays. After the play we went near the river for some more fresh fish. We waited for the fishermen to catch some ...

... Tranquility is the only word that comes to mind when I think about Alleppy...which is a word that I never thought I would associate with anywhere in India. At first I thought it was going to be bored...boredom in the form of extravagant luxury, but I sort of passed the threshold or something...we didn't have TV or internet or sightseeing or anything except eachother. It was nice to take a step back in time and ...

... staff were not empowered to sell us a bottle of wine and had to wake up the manger. Flight: JetAirways 522 GOI - BLR Departs: 4:00 pm Arrives: 5:05 pm Expedia Itinerary Number: 120136773105; 120136903885 Airline Ticketing Number: 5897676191921-926; 5897676191920 Flight: JetAirways 3547 BLR - COK (Cochin) Departs: 7:25 pm Arrives: 8:45 pm To Be Met by Orakle Tours Rep at Airport Hotel: Hotel Bolgatty Palace Dinner and Breakfast Included Set amidst the tropical luxuriance of ...

... demonstrations by students. Aysola Anita, a high school Maths teacher in the team, is a performing artist and yoga teacher. The group will also attend a lecture-demonstration of kalarippayattu. The scholars will unwind at Fort Kochi beach and Mattanchery watching the fishing nets and at the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue and St Francis Church. The visitors include teachers Linda Allen, Clapp Amanda, Shirley Jou, David Lennington, McPherson Geoff ...

Greetings, Our journey through India is rapidly coming to an end and I couldn't think of a better place to wrap things up than in the eastern mountains of the state of Kerala in South India. A steady climb from the coast of the Arabian Sea took us to the town of Kumily. The landscape and plant growth changed with every gain in altitude. We started out in coconut groves (some claim the name Kerala means "abode of coconut palms") and passed through plantations and mixed groves ...

... the boat. I also experienced a very uncomfortable and painful Avureydic massage. The ladies made me strip completely naked and lay on a concrete floor while they bruised my body with their kneading. Apparently this is supposed to be good for your health, but I think that can only apply to people with no shame and no nerves left in their body. The 2nd and 3rd day in Kerala I took a tour to the tea plantations. The tea plantations cover miles of ...

... which we unloaded and got a tour of an island and the ayurvedic properties of the plants growing naturally there, without cultivation, and saw a factory where mussel shells dredged from the bottom of the water are processed for their calcium. For 50 rupees we got a bowl of mussels cooked with spices and coconut. It was the largest bowl of muscles (already shelled) that I have ever seen and would certainly have been a spendy meal at home. We then stayed on the boat eating a Keralan ...

... town of Varkala, just north of Trivandrum. It took a while to find my pre-booked homestay Paradise Beach Resort - well not exactly a resort, more like 12 fairly basic rooms (cold shower!) owned by Teresa, a white lady from Swaziland. I could hear the sea but couldn't really see it, so after a quick dinner I retired to my bedroom with the hard beds and buzz of the overhead fan, to be disturbed by the sound of the temple at 5am (I'd missed that for a few weeks, since I'd been down south).