Pearl Regency Kottayam

... 8221; It was really a pretty spot with a lot of nice houses. (no sign of the orange drink/lemon drink man)

Our stop for the night was Kottayam - a busy town that is not on the tourist list. We checked in at the Arcadia hotel which was advertised as the tallest building in town with 14 floors. It is a good business hotel that features a roof-top pool, a decent restaurant and a bar.

We went out in search of Thalli - a ...

Just a short ferry ride from the mainland is fort Cochin, situated on a peninsula that has allowed it the freedom to develop it's own character and charm. As soon as we stepped off the boat we could tell that this was a special little town. What was immediately striking is it's varying architecture, it's restored colonial buildings and it's crumbling walls. At times it has felt like a seaside town in south west of England and at other times as if I'd stepped ...

(This event occurred some time ago.) Backwater Cruise and "Home Stay" (Like a Bed and Breakfast) There are two things that I've heard repeatedly when referring to Kerala. The first one is that people (mostly the Keralan tourist sector) affectionately call their land "God's Own Country." The second is that it has been ranked by National Geographic as one of those must see places before you die. After taking ...

... was constructed by filling canoes with mud from the bottom of the canal and stacking it in a particular fashion and area. Multiply this over several decades and you have a body of land that is out of the water. It's truly astounding to consider. The other local innovation is to collect huge piles of shells (the lowlands of Kerala used to be submerged underwater) dry them, grind them, and use ...

... of goodwill. We got the the boat in good time, and picked up some take-away idlies for breakfast. We've mentioned idly before on this blog, so it might be an idea for me to explain what they are as we had certainly never seen them before coming to India. An idly is a small 'cake' made of some sort of cereal grain that is very similar to couscous (I thought they were rice? - Ros) . It's a really common food in India and makes a nice breakfast or snack, served with various ...

... from Varkala to Kollam on Thursday, I booked into a rather tatty mid-range hotel in a rather wonderful setting of tranquil grounds at the end of a large lake on the outskirts of town. (I fear that the word 'tranquil' may well get used quite a bit in this entry.) Kollam marks the southerly end of the Keralan backwaters, a 'bewildering labyrinth of shimmering waterways' (as my guidebook puts it) which stretches 75 kms up to Kochi. Exploring the ...

... by canals,coconut and banana trees and what they call African moss (like lily weeds) clogging up the waterways. Found a grand place very close to the main area (only 5euro for the 2 of us!). decided we chill here for a bit (as it as a bit cooler). Sunday was do the dirty deeds (laundry and logging!) On monday morning we rented out a motor boat (just for the 2 of us with driver) to have wee spin around the backwaters. Very easy to find one as there ...

... or not I was going to actually get to make an appearance on Katie & Todd's site. I had only really dreamed of being one of the photos that got posted...never did I dream of actually getting to be a guest writer! :-) Needless to say, I am so excited to be here (Hi Mom and Dad! Hi Brian! Hi Vinnie!). Arrived safe and sound a couple of days back after a quick, but great, stopover in London to see another friend of mine. The time here so far in India has ...

... fine company and we talked about our experiences and about photography. Together we went for a swim in the Arabian Sea and visited a deserted island where we drank coconut juice. And we had a terrible sun burn :) The bus drive back was just like a rodeo and we took Philip for dinner in a Chinese restaurant. The beef was excellent and it came with Porrota or Paratha, a pancake made from Ghee. We also paid a ...

... the deck for us to sit on. Which is exactly what we did! Out came the book and we just lounged and watched the world slowly float by. You can get a really interesting insight into the lives of the local population when you're only moving at 2mph! there were people in the canals at all times of the day, having a wash, washing clothes and vegetables. People in conoes were selling fish to those on the ...