Backwaters (28FEB)

Our group preparing to depart on a evening boat tour.  Our guide is the one person wearing a life vest... should we have been concerned?

Islands of palms among the seas of rice fields.

One of several churches in the area.  Kerala is 20% Christian, while nationwide they only make up 2% of the population.

A row of houseboats, which are popular for vacationers, and necessary to house the local population bursting from the island banks. 

The backwaters are a huge area of reclaimed land off the coast of Kerala. It is a rich river delta region, which is used primarily for rice farming. However, many travelers also come here for a romantic escape in houseboats that fill the canals and in some places look like trailer parks at sea. Some locals live on the houseboats as well, but out of necessity due to the limited amount of land for building communities.

Our stay was short and fairly activity packed, but it was still a relaxing break from the hustle of cities and land transport. We took a train up the coast from Varkala, but then transferred to boats and drifted through the canals that divide the rice fields and island communities. The rice fields stretched out like seas of green dotted by islands of palm trees. Along the banks of the canals people were busy with daily life: washing laundry on rocks they used to beat garments clean, bathing, fishing, and waiting for ferries to move about the community.

During our stay here, we vacationed in other peoples lives, by staying with local families for this part of our journey. The families we stayed with run a kind of bed and breakfast to supplement their rice farming incomes.  I would think having awe struck guests like us, has to make them appreciate the beauty of the land that they work and call home.

Our families also acted as our guides in the area and told us about the land reclamation, local boat making and repair, and even took us out on an evening canal tour in narrow canoes.  During the tour they sang us local folk songs as the dusk light dimmed and stars filled the night sky above the palm lined canal. One of the songs must have been a local favorite because we could here people joining in on the chorus from the banks.

The area has a 20% Christian community, which is ten times greater than the percent of Christians nationwide, and the difference is noticeable with the number of churches along the banks. However, you can also see the Hindu influence in the churches, which have lotus flowers under the cross and flag poles similar to the ones you find in Hindu temples.