Paddling through narrow passageways and greeting local fisherman while watching women rinse off breakfast's residue plastered on pans and plates, and children jump into the water for a quick dip, was when it hit me: This is paradise.
Kerala: God’s own Country, the Venice of the East, and one of National Geographic’s top ten paradise destinations twelve years running, I knew when I came to live in Bangalore I must visit this paradise many Americans only dream of seeing. After a 15-hour overnight bus ride, all I had to do was look up at the place where clouds puff perfectly and palm trees fall in limbo to provide salvation from the tropical sun.
The state of Kerala is the west coast of the subcontinent’s southern sliver, with its own food, culture, politics and rich traditions. Kerala has experienced Portuguese, Dutch and British rule due to its attractiveness in natural resources and easily accessible trade routes, so travelers will find the colonial remnants in many of the towns. It’s the state with the recently discovered treasure trove beneath a Hindu temple, which has become the largest in India.
This time of year is considered the off-season, but apart from the colossal waves of the Arabian Sea crashing into shore, the weather was watching out for us: We found ourselves to be lucky in the monsoon season.
Our deep-water boat trip treated us no differently. While roaming through the canals we gazed at the beautiful houses and their inhabitants, which were visual obstacles for seeing the rice fields that lay out behind them.
The captain of our canoe was a villager named Anil who took us through the winding canals before stopping at his three-room brick home for lunch- a home he built for his family with his own hands.
"Small fish!" Anil’s son yelled as he repeatedly ran through the yard to dump the mortal creatures into a bucket. Stuck in wonder, the boy would proceed to squeeze them between his thumb and index finger before returning the carcasses to the water.
These small fish were of the same family that landed on our lunch plates. I watched their vertebrae enter my mouth, paying close attention to each crunch.
Inside, Anil sat beside the bed, hands folded in his lap, while my friend and I devoured the traditional Kerala meal in the traditional manner: Complete with fresh seafood and fried bananas, we used only our hands.
“Full tummy,” Anil would say while plopping more heaps of food on the plate.
His wife stood in the doorway as well, checking in frequently to see if we enjoyed the food she prepared. And we did. It was one of the tastiest meals I’ve had in India.
After a few minutes of relaxation with the family we got back inside the canoe for the last leg of our ride back to the ferry. But as with any widely heard-of tourist destination, paradise can become threatened. The peace was interjected at points with oversized motors of houseboats--another tourist mode of transportation--ripping waves under our lofty canoe, pushing us toward the shore.
These canals are the source of running water for the majority of villagers, and while some are profiting from guiding tours, their livelihoods are becoming threatened. There have been efforts made by the locals to make the tourism more eco-friendly, and I hope other travelers embrace these options.
On the bus back to Bangalore, mosquito ridden and swollen from the heat, I knew this experience would stay in positive retrospect for years to come. And I would like others to experience what I have, with the diverse ecosystem and happy villagers in tact.
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