Kerala - 'God's Own Country'

Days go by full of experience, joy and fulfillment...

... and I tell you nothing about them! Ups!

NOW IS THE TIME.

August 14th brought me to a wonderful experience: Kochin, in the State of Kerala - a.k.a. "God's own country". I could tell why. From the cosy low built streets to the profound greenery, everything invites you to stay in Fort Kochin.

I reached my first touristy destiny in India in a boat departing from Ernakulam Town. We ate well, did some shopping, had some mango milkshakes, walked around town and made sure we experienced fish as we were in a costal city.

Going through the longest of my trips here (5 nights including two in the train), I could tell you all about my naked Ayurvedic massage made by two women in a shadowy room with never-ending oil; about a sinagogue that had the store next-door renting pieces of clothing to cover your elbows, legs, chest... for Rs.10, so that we would go in the holly place; about the dirty rooms where I was lucky to have Mariana's sheet to put over the hotel's stained ones; about the portuguese historical heritage a little bit all over Kochin's monuments; about the train trips where I easily decide to sleep 12 hours in a row so I sleep the journeys through (not without some amusement on my trip mates' part - jealousy, I'd call it! :P) (also, not without having Andre waking me up gently every once in a while to eat, shift beds, give my passport to the controler, etc :) *** ); about the fish we bought in the market and brought to be cooked in a restaurant...

But I'll tell you about what amazed me the most: Backwaters in Alleppey and Kathakalli Dance. Not that many words to describe it though.

Kathakali was simply the most colourful dance I've ever seen and most definitelly the most expressive facials I think I'll ever experience. A mixture of theatre and movement, telling a story with no spoken lines, loads of clothes and accessories and facial make up that takes 1h30 to be done... Kathakali surprises you from the beginning. Almost everything happens in their faces, so for that you're first given a thorough demonstration of the lexic that will be used in the play. I could never imagine face could combine so many movements and convey so many different emotions having support of no words! The drums, tabla and classical vocal only help the environment. Amazing actors, amazing expressive technic - very demanding, very precise, very communicative.

Now backwaters was a dream come true! Travelling in a boat through a river: great conditions, great food, great music, great environment, great staff, great shrimp (king size!) bought in an island on the way, stopping only to have lunch and dinner, and to sleep... it seemed really like God had decided to gift us the bestest of moments. Me, Mariana, André, Ahmed, Eduardo and Michelle... we just staggered at such never ending beauty as Palm Trees, bushes, rice plantations, women washing their hair in the river, children running and asking you for pens, and many many other backwaters... pass by you though as if they were a painting: I mean, one perfect painting after the other. Great neaty rooms and leaving room, and a maitress with sheets and cusheons just at the edge of the boat - where we relaxed, gave ourselves to sun, sleep and talks, enjoyed music, games, snacks... and that moving beauty life gifted us with. Undescribable.

Hampi - the ultimate landscape experience, and everything that followed... I shall leave to another post. LOVE YOU!! ***