There's no place like...Kerala

Last weekend Erin, Anu and I packed our bags for Kerala, a state in South India only four hours from Mumbia by plane, yet worlds apart. We went with Arvind, who's family lives in Thavandram, one of the state's major cities. I expected no more than a break from the scenery and crowds of Mumbai, but found myself in an incredible place, surrounded by a sea of palm trees, costal views, mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and delicious foods. The weekend could rival any vacation I have ever been on.

We arrived around 1 am on Friday morning and were greeted by Arvind's parents, sister and grandmother, who proved to be amazing hosts. Despite the late hour, we found delicious coconut curry chicken awaiting us, as well as a "veg" dish for Anu and Erin, the non-meat-eaters of the group. It was probably the best meal I've had since coming here, and set the stage for all of the great meals which would follow. We all joined Arvind in eating the wet rice dish with our hands, rather than wasting time with utensils.

The next morning we rose and went on a short hike behind Arvind's house, seeing tons of butterflies, dragonflies, millipedes, and countless other insects which reminded me of my lost desire to be an entomologist. As Arvind studied agriculture and entomology in college, we enjoyed discovering all of the strange bugs which were less noticeable than the hundreds of mosquitoes and ants that plagued our walk. When we returned, we pulled some fresh coconuts down from one of their trees and were taught how to remove the husk and access the tasty flesh inside. The influence of coconuts can be seen everywhere in Kerala—for you history buffs, coconuts were actually introduced to Kerala by the Portuguese, according to Arvind—countless vendors sit road-side selling fresh coconuts of different varieties, we ate it in nearly every meal during out trip, wiped our feet on a coconut-husk floor-mat, and even found some spoons fashioned out of a coconut shell at a local craft store. As if variety in their coconuts wasn't enough, their banana selection was even more impressive. Small bananas and large bananas, yellow, green, and even red bananas (if Mitch Hedburg only knew...) each of which the locals swore had their own distinct taste.

Back to the story...The rest of the day was spent riding scooters all over town, stopping at a quarry which had a great view, and later going for a walk along the beach. The beach was composed of both light and dark sand, so that each receding wave created a new, unique pattern.

Day two was to be spent in the mountains roughly two hours away from Arvind's house. On our way to the bust stop, we stopped at Ruben's house, one of Arvind's friends and classmates that we had met at Jasneet's house a number of times. Ruben's house was gorgeous, his family kind and welcoming, and his guard dog in need of some serious socialization-training. Rather than take a bus, Ruben's dad arranged for a car and driver to take us all to our hiking destination. The drive was great, but could not have prepared us for the adventure we would encounter. We hiked for about 30 minutes through trees, past small huts and a few locals, as well as an occasional cow or lamb. We eventually reached a river with a small (20 ft) waterfall. We were about to stop for a short break, but Erin continued onward and Arvind and I followed, leaving the rest of the group behind.

After ascending the waterfall, we discovered another beautiful scene with an even more impressive waterfall. In the distance, one could see the whiteness of more distant waterfalls, supplying all those downstream with their impressive flows. We found ourselves climbing up fall after fall, each time more awestruck, and almost innocently led to search for the initial source of the cold, crystal clear water, as children might hope to reach the end of a rainbow. After one final, treacherous climb, we found what we had been seeking—a 50-foot waterfall with an inviting swimming hole, and a steep facade which we dared not climb. Standing just before the falling water gave a feeling of pure awe... hundreds of gallons falling every second created a strong, constant gust of wind which seemed to come out of nowhere; the wall of water, broken by the pool below was equally thunderous and soothing. Looking directly above at the water which flooded toward me with such great force, it was easy to imagine that there was no source beyond the top of the waterfall, as though it were being poured directly to the earth by the God of your choice. Truly amazing.

After a bit of swimming, we made a slow descent towards the rest of the group. As it turns out, we didn't exactly tell them that we would be splitting up, or that we would be gone for over three hours. In fact, Arvind had suggested that we would return within 30 minutes. In the time that we were gone, Ruben had assumed the worst, that we were eaten by a bear, had gotten lost in the jungle, or met some other horrible end. Granted, we were gone for a long time, but I'm not sure it warranted his finding local villagers to help search for the three "lost" hikers. We finally ran into them on the way back, and were given a short lecture on the irresponsibility of our actions. I felt some guilt for having caused him so much anxiety, but not a tinge of regret, as the experience was an unforgettable one.

A short night's sleep and two delicious meals later, it was Sunday and Erin, Anu, Ruben and I planned on driving out to a nearby resort. When we reached "Estuary Island", we took the food and snacks that Ruben's parents had prepared for us and boarded a small motor boat which took us through a series of fresh-water canals, lined with palm trees and void of other tourists, to a small resort area complete with a swimming pool, palm trees, hammocks, sticks with fishing line and hooks, and a boat service to drive us to the beach. Maybe 200 yards across from the resort was a sandbar, bordered by warm fresh-water on one side, and by the ocean—with some of the largest waves I've ever seen—on the other. Our day was spent reading in hammocks, sitting on the dock and dangling pieces of dough in the water—no fish in sight—and body surfing in the sea.

We were certainly sad to have to leave the paradise we had discovered. Kerala had reminded me that India is not just Mumbai, and that away from the city, it had so much to offer. I now wish I had a few months to bounce around the country, explore more of its small villages and natural beauty, but alas, two more weeks in Mumbai is all I shall get...

There are a whole new batch of pictures posted @ adambreich.shutterfly.com, and these ones are good! See if you can spot me in the waterfall pictures!

--OOH!! Last minute change of plans...Erin's uncle is running some service project in Sri Lanka and has insisted that we all come to visit...at his expense! So I will leave Mumbai on the evening of August 7th and spend two days in a village in Sri Lanka, and a day in another city. We'll fly back in time to catch our original flight back home. Less than two weeks to go!