Kerrie, Gulls, Char in Kerala

The three of us met up in Fort Cochin and had a fun time people-watching along the boardwalk. I had no idea the Christian influence was so strong in Kerala. We arrived on Good Friday when the city was unfortunately dry but as a bonus got to observe several processions around the town with solemn Christians carrying crosses. We even caught a glimpse of the largest Pieta in Kerala.


The next day we took off on a boat ride and landed at Coconut Lagoon, a posh resort surrounded by water. We were greeted by fresh coconut milk and later on in the weekend enjoyed Ayurvedic massages (more on that later), did yoga (more like a nap), observed a cooking demo, sat around the pool and generally felt like we were very far away from India. The highlight was a leisurely and educational boat through the backwaters. Our guide pointed out the local birds, flowers, rice paddies and lobster and duck farms.

Early Monday we headed up scary twisting roads into the hills of Kerala. We drove through beautiful tea platations (Tata estates) and the temerature dropped the higher we went. Our hotel was a lovely spot with its own cardamon and coffee plants and a great view. r