We had a nice tour of the backwaters today. We went via a canoe and had a nice trip back into the places where the native populations live. It is a lush and green area. At one point the guy pushing the canoe (bamboo pole) brought us onto a property where a family grows a large variety of plants for use in ayurvedic medicine, which is specific to Kerala. This region is known as "the spice coast" from when Europeans came here to trade in spices.
The pepper on your dining room table - this practice came from when Europeans gained an appreciation for it from imports that came from Kerala, centuries back.
It grows on a vine. I did not know this before.
Anything you hear referred to as "Malabar".... that is Kerala's old name.
The food here is often cooked with coconut. Yum.
A big treat, we went into a church where Vasco de Gama was buried. I said "was' because his remains were brought back to Portugal after sitting for 14 years in a grave here.
This state has the highest percentage of Christians in India, about 25%. So, like Goa, it has a different feel. Churches everywhere.
India is full of surprises......
Learn more about Kerala.
