Today we joined an
interesting tour that showed us an even gentler version of Kerala than even
relaxed Cochin presents. We were taken away from the city into the countryside
to get a glimpse into the rural ways of life along the waterways that have made
Kerala famous.
We boarded a large
canoe propelled by two guys with poles (like punts on the River Cam) for what
must qualify as the slowest boat ride I’ve ever taken, gliding a glacial pace across
the limpid waters to an island where we were shown around a traditional farm.
The pace of life out here is almost as slow as that boat ride, and we were
shown around the farm, seeing how they fish, how they process cocoanuts (every
single part of a coconut, from leaf, to nut, to husk is used), and how they
make pots.
It seems like pretty
much anything can grow in this fertile tropical environment (fruits, spices,
and cocoanuts of course), and for us westerners only the oppressively hot
weather stops this from qualifying as a Garden of Eden. While we were all
perspiring profusely, the super-friendly locals were scarcely breaking a sweat,
even as they effortlessly shinned up cocoanut trees or span the wheel to make
their pottery. For them, Kerala definitely lives up to its nickname – “God’s
Own Country”.
Kerala is a place
which shouldn’t be rushed, so spending our half day out in the slow-paced
countryside was most appropriate. If only we could have a few more hours here
to really appreciate time slowing down to a standstill.
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