From the Road
At about 6a.m. on the first train of this jaunt my sleeper berth was taken over by women and children going to Trivendrum to pray. Wonder on how many more religious days I'm traveling.




I had to stop at Varkala in Kerala on the west coast. This is where all the young volunteers liked to go for weekends..."It's like you're not in India."


In the morning the Varkala beach was actually peopled by a majority of Indians. Some were these fishermen with their boats. The night before the lights from the boats out on the night sea were lovely.




Cochin is north of Varkala. These "cantilevered Chinese fishing nets...A legacy of the traders from the court of Kubla Khan in around the 1400s" (from Lonely Planet Guidebook) are fascinating.

Vasco de Gama died in Cochin and was buried for awhile at the church in the background. This day young boys played cricket under one of the many huge trees.

I spent one day in the backwaters of Kerala. The boats were poled so it was peacefully quiet. We learned how to make coconut alcohol, lime powder, and rope. Also saw many spices in their natural form. And learned the name Kerala means palm land....the state is aptly named.