In the monsoon of 2017 we travelled to Kerala with The Blue Yonder, a company that takes experiential, offbeat tours in India with a very strong social focus. It was the first time we had taken a ‘group tour’ (complete with minibus and all!), which is very different from the way we usually travel. But…
Category: Kerala
reDiscovery Podcast S3E5: One family’s quest to preserve their unique ancestral home
We love old heritage homes and since this season is all about the preservation and conservation of art, culture and heritage we thought it would be great to feature the story of Maranat Mana, one of the last living Pathinaru Kettus or four courtyard homes in Kerala and the unique manner in which one Namboodari Brahmin…
A little slice of life in Fort Kochi
We came to Fort Kochi a bit tired and bedraggled after a wonderful, but strenuous 13 day journey along the River Nila (which we will tell you about soon!), with the idea of just spending a couple of days relaxing and lazing before returning home to Bombay. But the moment we reached this quaint little corner…
Five Fantastic Thalis from across the Country
Read about the five most mouth watering thalis we discovered on our journey so far.
Six Super Homestays Across India
Check out these six lovely homestays we discovered on our travels across India!
The Flying Warriors of Kerala
Check out the furious yet graceful ancient martial arts form of Kalaripayattu.
Theyyam, the Dance of the Gods.
All around is there is silence, even the coconut trees are waiting. The drummers begin, creating a tempo that increases quickly, whipping themselves and the air around into a frenzy. The ‘god’ then appears and begins his dance, moving around in circles, at once quickly and then slower, swinging his sword in slow deliberate movements.
Kolukkumalai; The Road that isn’t & The Highest Tea Estate in the world.
Perched high up in the Nilgiri’s and straddling the Tamil Nadu – Kerala border is the British era Kolukkumalai Tea Estate, the highest organic tea gardens in the world.
Kathakali, Behind the Scenes.
Kathakali is a form of dance and story telling, practiced in southern and central Kerala which takes its roots from ancient social and religious theatrical forms dating back over 1500 years. The preparation for the dance is as elaborate as the dance itself, and getting the performer ready involves hours of intricate makeup, something we were…
A Myriad Shades of Green.
But what is most striking about the state, is its myriad shades of green. From the dark green leaves of the forests that surround the backwaters, to the lighter shades of the tea leaves; from the blue green waters along the coast to the yellow green of the paddy fields, the state has it all. It is almost as if the colour green was made for the state of Kerala, and everyone else got what was left.
Hello Kerala!
After 3 odd weeks of travelling down the eastern coast of India, we make our way up the western coast from Kanyakumari into Kerala exploring all the places to visit in Kerala. After wandering the capital city of Trivandrum, where we had possibly the best meal of our trip so far, and lazing at the…