1. The backwaters are not just beautiful but amazingly clean. Wonder how and why? Where do the villagers dump their waste? And can we in the rest of plastic-bag India not learn a thing or two from them??
2. Banana can be eaten steamed, fried or sauteed. For breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. And still taste good!
3. Coke and Pepsi are indeed banned. But there are underground channels to procure the stuff - like you have for booze in Gujarat!
4. Gold, gold and more gold. Every third hoarding bears smiling young women - thin, fat, young, middle-aged - weighed down by the precious yellow metal. And oh, you can even take a 'gold loan' at 12% to buy the stuff, wear it and stash it away in a locker.Also prominent on billboards: apartments for sale and mens' underwear.
5. Buses in Kerala have no windows. I mean glass ones. Perhaps too many have been broken by protesters and unions in the past?What they protest and unite for is not very clear. On a Saturday morning on M G Rd, I saw a few people holding placards that read : "Down with the Unholy Alliance."
Coke and Pepsi?
Bush and Blair??
Shahrukh and KJo???
Notwithstanding all this, I had a lovely time. Met some wonderful people. Ate good food and drank in some amazing sights. I definitely hope to visit Kerala again. And again.
pics taken with a Nokia 6670 1 mp cameraphone. Not too bad, huh?
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ReplyDeleteMuch of Kerala is hot and humid throughout the year.. So, it helps to have a good air circulation.. dats the main reason why busses have retractable shutters instead of glass windows.. also, we love the wind in our hair when we travel.. :)
ReplyDeleteDo visit the place again...
Nice to see an outsider perspective on Cochin :).
ReplyDeleteI dunno which places you went to, but the backwaters do get pretty dirty too in many (most in my opinion)places.
Maybe as tourists, your impression is of air-conditioned houseboats, quaint fishing nets and luxury resorts. The reality behind all this is not so rosy and the effects of so called modernization are having adverse effects on this eco-system too.
Rashmi , You have just seen the periphery of Kerala . Something that is very beautiful which gives a good first impression but which fizzles out once you have a long steady stare at it again .The great hoax of "Gods Own Country" and its consumerist culture . General well being of any state is not only about technology , engineering and IT but it is also about developing human condition as a whole in the region . It is also about providing jobs , developing infrastructure and protecting natural resources . It is as much about preventing the suicides of farmers and jailing those ministers who were accused in sex scandals rather than banning colas and making the state a Microsoft free zone.Sadly something people at the helm has not realised when most of the other states are marching ahead .Anyway nice to know that you had a nice time
ReplyDeleteNice observations. Some more on that:
ReplyDelete1) Gold ads are not prominent only in Cochin/kerala... there are innumerable such shops all over TN and even AP. My hometown - coimbatore - has a whole road dedicated only to jewellery shops. And yes, it goes well with the traditional type of garments that women in the south (i dont mean bangalore) wear.
2) Buses without glasses are again common all over south india. Actually i think buses have glasses only in mumbai. :) Im not sure though.
great pics! i've been to places all over kerala and keep going back. i love the greenery and the people. and never cease to be in awe of the sarong sellers who speak english (in kovalam)
ReplyDeletePlastic bags are banned in most of the places in kerala...i hope its still banned... ;-)That might explain the clean waters...
ReplyDeleteBanana is served for b'fast, lunch and dinner...how else do we consume all the bananas that we produce...;-)
Its easy to overlook a basic fact behind all this gold craze...its one of the best investments for all those who have no idea about investments...
And human resource is one thing that kerala has in abundance and you get unlimited supply for any thing...
Nice to know about your Kerala visit. So, which place is next on your itinerary? Goa??
ReplyDeleter u kidding they are camera phone photos and that too just 1 MP.
ReplyDeletePolitics and population density are too much in Kerala. Yet, you will find it a much better region to live in, compared to many other regions of India.
ReplyDelete-VM (entrancephysics.blogspot.com)
for a cell phone camera - the pics are too good :)
ReplyDeletenice that you had a lovely time - u should've come to mysore too btw - i bet u wud've loved this place..
not bad for a 1 M cell phone and that too that of a moving bus ... ( In kerala, buses move faster than a pick pocketer's hands )
ReplyDeleteThanks for the images Rashmi. I've always wanted to roam Kerala, but never got around to it on my Indian sojourns. Might definitely have to check it out next time I'm back in India.
ReplyDeletePS. You've got a great blog. Keep up the good work, check mine out if you can. :>
Sabu here from SCMS cochin... Hope you remember me..Great for remembering Kerala and thanks for coming...we loved your presence...
ReplyDeletePlease be here again and for a longer time and I am sure you will have to change most of your Opinion abour God's own country...
Sabu
http://adformula.blogspot.com/
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ReplyDeleteConservative in terms of art and traditional values, progressive regarding facilities like transportation, accommodation and communication, Cochin is truly a traveller's paradise. march madness Its natural charm supplemented by friendly people is sure to make your visit a special experience. The city is also blessed with one of the finest natural harbors in the world.
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"Also prominent on billboards: apartments for sale and mens' underwear." this kind of made me laugh, you mean together? or two separate ones? Anyways, i really love your blog one can acquire alot of information from it.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Anne
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