This is a guest post written by my daughter’s good friend Kieh Christopherson. She is originally from North Vancouver but is presently living in Nepal.

I recently left the busy and chaotic streets of Kathmandu for Kerala, India for a quick 5-day vacation. Kerala is a state on the Malabar coastal in the southwest of the sub-continent. Having spent the last year and a half living in Kathmandu, I was half-expecting Kerala to be a reflection of Nepal’s disorderly pace, but was in for a pleasant surprise. The pace in Kerala is slow and leisurely, with an emphasis on the beaches and backwaters -the ideal location for a quick break.

Chinese fishing nets dot the shores of Fort Cochin

Old man tending fishing nets

Kieh's boyfriend helping the fishermen

Locals on Alappuzha Beach

Alappuzha Beach - locals and tourists gather on the beach at sunset for camel rides

Kerala has a lively and extensive history. Western traders have been visiting its shores since 166 BC.  There are strong Syrian Jewish, Christian, and Muslim influences visible both in every day practice of small minority groups and in the art and architecture.

Trinity Apartments at Malabar House Boutique Hotel in Fort Cochin. Thoughtfully decorated with Indian art and sculpture, this trio of apartments is on a quiet street across from the parade ground at one end of the town. The initials ‘VOC’ seen above the gate date back to 1740 and represent the Dutch East Indies Company who had their offices on the premises for 150 years.

Local soccer players take to the pitch at the Parade Ground in Fort Cochin

A trio of local kids

Malayalam is the official language of Kerala, though many Keralites speak English and Hindi, India’s official language

We spent 3 of our 5 days in the small fishing town of Fort Cochin, where Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial styles dominate and days are filled with seafood and relaxing seaside. The other two nights were spent gazing at the Arabian Sea from Alappuzha Beach and cruising through the languid Kerala backwaters.

Kerala’s famous backwater houseboats. We spent 18 hours relaxing on a private overnight boatcruise, weaving in and out of Keralan farmlands and towns

Colourful life continues as we cruise past

Ducks abound on the backwaters

Watching the world go by from our chaise lounges

The view from the houseboat

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