Nature’s Song Flush with backwaters and beaches, lush green paddy fields and swaying palms, Kerala is like poetry in motion

Nothing is more relaxing than a slow, leisurely ride on a houseboat, when time comes to a standstill. Lazing around on a kettuvallom (traditional Kerala houseboat) with just a cup of steaming coffee and an interesting book to keep company, all mundane problems left behind on land, it’s almost as if you are in paradise. Time trickles by at its own leisurely pace, just like ripples in the otherwise serene stream.

So when my family made plans to go on an ‘unwinding’ trip to Kumarakom, the much hyped backwaters, I jumped with joy.

We drove down from Kochi International Airport to Muhamma boat jetty, almost 70 km away. The Kumarakom Lake Resort is a few minutes across the river from the jetty. For my five-year-old daughter Ria, it was a Barbie moment (she lives perpetually in Barbie land) when she was pampered like a princess by those at the Kumarakom Lake Resort, with coconut water and chocolates.

Plonking ourselves in the plush interiors of a kettuvallam (consisting of a spacious living-cum-dining room, a bedroom, sundeck and a kitchen), we soaked in sights of nature like paddy fields, coconut groves and flotillas of ducks wadding downstream. The quacking cacophony was the only sound to come between us and the solitude of the dreamy landscape around.

Besides the sight of the ducks, what excited Ria most was the impromptu cooking of Karimeen (Pearlspot), caught right there and then, by the cook onboard. My husband, on the other hand, was more thrilled by the freshly cooked prawn curry made the traditional way with lots of coconut (one thing you are never short of in Kerala, the land of coconuts). The only vegetarian onboard, yours truly, had to be content with avial (mixed vegetable, again with a generous coating of coconut), along with traditional red rice.

Slowly, we made our way to Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. The in-house guide introduced us to migratory birds like the Snake Bird, Crow Pheasant, White-branded Water Hen and Little Cormorant, which fly in from Siberia during winter (November to February). The native Kingfishers and Woodpeckers are a rampant sight here.

Kumarakom is an ideal destination for those looking for moments of solitude in complete communion with nature. Besides boat rides, one can also indulge in yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic massages, fishing and swimming. The purplish haze of the sky as the day came to an end, was a sight unforgettable. Continuing with our water theme, the next day we drove down to Kovalam - the destination that figures in the itinerary of every beach enthusiast in Kerala. Located near Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, Kovalam was once a small fishing village and a favourite hippy haunt.

The southernmost tip of Kovalam, Lighthouse beach, is the most popular hangout. You see a mix of desi and videshi crowd here. The Hawa beach, a favourite with tourists, buzzes with sunbathing foreigners and curious onlookers. Enterprising peanut and icecream sellers flit around. The beach is also dotted with rejuvenation centres offering traditional Ayurvedic massages (a must experience).

Though most foreigners indulged in sunbathing, a few could be seen trying out water sports like kayaking, surfing and skiing. While my daughter made sun castles, we sat back sipping coconut water and marvelling at the beauty of the azure expanse, foaming up in front of us. But the best of the Kovalam experience was kept for the evening, when we watched a colourful and vibrant world, full of mythological stories, come alive through Kathakali mudras at the beachfront in the evening.

Our next stop was Munnar, a hill resort in Idukki district. Luckily for us, getting acclimatised to the shift from sea-level to the high altitude of 6,000 ft didn’t cause much of a problem since traversing from the southernmost to the northernmost tip of Kerala took care of it.

With its tea gardens and cardamom plantations and the highest peak in South India, Anai Mudi, Munnar proved to be an ideal getaway. The misty mountains and deep valleys provided a stark contrast to the water world we had experien ced earlier.

Munnar is home to Nilgiri Tahr (a rare species of wild goats) and Neelakurinji, a rare blue flower that blooms on these hills once in 12 years. If you are lucky enough, you catch herds of wild elephants on the jungle slopes (Unfortunately, we weren’t!).

The high point of our visit to Munnar was a guided tour of Kundale Tea Plantation, where we watched tea leaves being plucked and processed. It gave us a better understanding of the invigorating morning cuppa.

We also indulged in a bit of trekking at Nyayamakad, dotted richly with waterfall. At some distance from Munnar is Marayoor, home to sandalwood trees and natural caves with murals and relics from the stone age. Sadly, we couldn’t make it.

Sitting huddled around a campfire, draped in woollens, teeth clattering, we rubbed our palms in an effort to stay warm. The thin blanket of fog around added an eerie charm to the place.

Driving back to Kochi, the last leg of our tour, left us feeling low. We checked in at the Cherai Beach Resort, surrounded by pristine white beaches.

A major trading hub dealing in spices like pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves since time immemorial, Kochi (also known as Cochin), has been home to foreign communities. The videshi influence is quite evident in spectacles like Chinavalai (Chinese fishing nets), Portuguese churches, old tiled houses built in the Chinese pagoda style, Dutch houses and Jewish synagogues.

Mattancheri, near Kochi, looks like a mini-Israel, with a strong Jewish presence. The Jew town and the old synagogue (which retains giant scrolls of the Old Testament) lend a quaint charm to the city. We felt we had been transported to a completely different land and era. The oldest church in India, the St Francis Church, with its imposing age-old architecture, had us in awe.

Back in the comforts of our resort, with the sight of the sunset-laced Chinavalai and ships sailing down the sea, we felt a lot more reassured. With memories to last a lifetime, we reluctantly bid goodbye to a land which truly has no full stops!