Backwaters

A major part of the Kerala experience is the backwaters experience. The state has an awful lot of water, as in interconnected rivers, lakes, lagoons, and canals. And there are lots of opportunities to enjoy it all.

The ultimate experience is said to be a few days on a houseboat, but we found during the Christmas/New Year peak season, this was going to be a bit expensive, and settled instead for three separate shorter cruises on smaller boats. It was extremely enjoyable.

Pictured here are scenes in the Poovar, Kollam, and Kumarakom areas.

Colourful women of Kerala 2

The Kerala part of our trip took in the Wayanad region, Cochin (Kochi), Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram - 7 syllables in the local name!), Kovalam and Varkala beaches, and the 'backwaters' of Kollam, Poovar, and Kumarakom.