First Days in Kerala

This year we added Kerala as we see India state by state. We were looking forward to a holiday with fewer palaces and temples and more nature. As we drove from the airport the lush green foliage, the small roadside shops, and the sarong clad men reminded us of Bali. As we waited at the reception of the Hotel Uday Samudra we asked the tour agency representative if he could recommend a local restaurant. He looked horrified and assured us that we should never eat at a local restaurant. As soon as we checked in we headed down the beach to find a restaurant for dinner.

We arrived on Eid-al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) a major Muslim holy day and an Indian public holiday. The beach at Kovalam was a popular destination.

Ladies enjoying  the beach

Boys on the Beach

A group picnic

Sign on Mosque (on the beach) -
Not too welcoming on a holy day

We found two restaurants near the hotel. The Sea Gull Restaurant abuts the hotel and we had tasty fish dinners both nights. The fruit juices and lassis were quite good (and so was everything else). The second night as we left we shook hands with the staff and expressed the hope that we would be back. The next day we learned that many more beach-side restaurants are at Lighthouse Beach, a rickshaw ride away. But after a day of touring we were happy to just walk down to the Sea Gull

Kitchen at Sea Gull Restaurant - Source of Tasty Meals

Ramesh Nair
Raameshnair@gmail.com

I was in favor of a do-it-yourself holiday, but time got away from us. We booked the Kerala portion of the trip with Envoy Tours, (Later we asked them to find a driver and guide for the Bangalore/Mysore portion of the trip.) As far as guides and drivers went we made an excellent decision. Ramesh Nair our guide for the area outside Kovalam. His explanations of the temple, palace, and memorial we visited were excellent, but  it was our conversations that we valued. I have been reading Edward Luce’s (a reporter with the Financial Times) In Spite of the God: The Strange Rise of Modern India. I asked Ramesh to confirm some Luce’s observations and to confirm others.. We also talked about the status of women, dowries, Kerala’s economy, and so on. My advice on adding value to an Indian trip - read a book or see a movie about India to stimulate your interest, hire a licensed guide, and begin conversations that will add to your knowledge of India and thoughts about the human experience. If you go in Kerala plan to book with Ramesh.

Our trip included a temple, a memorial, and a palace. The temple had the normal no photos, no shoes policies. This one also required me to remove their shirts..The temple was teeming with activity. There were men preparing food to distribute – originally the temple feed 1000 each day now it limits the number to 100. Other men were preparing dabs of butter to be used for an offering. In a few areas there were short queues as devotees requested special prayers from the priests. Outside there were number of aggressive, women beggars each carrying a young child. Ramesh confirmed my impression that if you gave to one you would be overwhelmed by an aggressive group of women. One woman was carrying a very limp baby, one of the most disturbing images of this trip.

At Kanyakumsri we were at the most southern point of India; it is where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal come together. A glimpse of the long queue and choppy seas convinced us to ditch our plan to take a ferry 400 meters to a memorial where Swami Vivekandana mediated. At the same site was a Gandhi memorial to commemorate one of the sites where his ashes were taken after he was assassinated.

Ignore the old couple - read what Gandhi had to say about this point

The Gandhi Memorial - looks like something from a pastry shop

Lots of shells, but we didn't see an buyers

The highlight of the day was Padmanabhapuram Palace, the largest wooden palace in Asia. It had little furnishing, which made it easier to wander and appreciate what palace live must have been like over 400 years ago. The women lived in separate quarters and their view of palace entertainments and life on the streets was through latticed windows. One wonders if it was even worth the trouble. Male guests of royalty had separate quarters, as did women who came as guests.

 Maharajah’s bedroom

An indoor latrine (said to be earlier
than those introduced in Europe)

Vendors outside the palace

An interesting note, the Maharajah in Travancore was prohibited from marriage, but he could have c  By tradition his successor was the son of one of his sisters.  This area of India was fundamentally a matrilineal society.