Mango by the beach with a sprinkling of chilli salt
This is banana country, we had loads of bananas of different varieties after each meal. It was eaten as a dessert dipped in a special homemade jam.
By the streets of Takkalay which is the village where we stayed. The little town is off the borders of Kerala, being part of Tamil Nadu
A type of coconut palm, I’m unsure of its name. I’ve never seen it in Singapore either.
Inside the fruit. Looks like 3 little hearts doesn’t it?
Scraped into cups and mixed with syrup and ice. It had a neutral taste and sort of a jelly like texture.
Goats crossing a street in the village, don’t they look really smart?
By the beach.. Peas and nuts.
People here just love to have their photo taken. They’re really warm and friendly, full of smiles and really interested to know about you.
I spent long hours on the hammock in our resort. There were dozens and dozens of hammocks among the hundred of coconut trees.
We stayed at the Leela at Kovalam beach, the only 5 star resort in the area. The prices were lower due to the off peak season. It was really worth it. More photos in another post.. H and I don’t have many indulgences (besides good meals) but we love staying in top resorts. I feel lucky to be able to do so and we both see it as a great investment to our marriage and life together.
I’m in my balcony, having just touched down early this morning. I’ve never been up and out here this early and I’m amazed at how there is so much wildlife around from beautiful birds to lots of bees, insects, squirrels and the neighbourhood pets. This is the palm right in front of me.
We stay at H’s family home and it is quaint, with some parts of the roof falling down, i noticed that I have a new friend on the balcony. Don’t you love her little nest? Its nice to be home.
More photos in Part 2 and 3..
the pictures are lovely, thank you for sharing
i was looking at the cut coconut palm and the first thing that came to mind was how it kinda looks like a dissected heart… albeit with thickened septums.
hi, thanks for your write up and beautiful photos. i’ve always wanted to go to kerala, and your post just makes it more enticing
Welcome back! See you soon..
elia:haha, yes the fruit looks a little wierd doesn’t it?
is: kerala is lovely but quite “kampung” compared to other parts of India. I asked the driver if they had a macdonalds and he replied that he did not know the meaning of the word..
mel: yes, we should catch up!!
Hi, I just love your blog. Been coming here for some time now. Actually you can find those coconut in Singapore and Malaysia. You can get it from the wet market and its call ‘Sea coconut’ but its taken out of the shell.
Getrude: Thanks for dropping by! Thats what my mom said too.. That it was sea coconut but the texture was entirely different from the sea coconut I’ve had before. This was really soft and gelatinous. I’ll keep a lookout next time I visit the market, thanls for the info!
Welcome back, Farhan! It looks like you had such a fantastic holiday. I love the picture of the guy with the peas and nuts by the beach.
By the way, is it just me or do the coconuts look like huge mangosteens?
You’re so right on the sky being bluer than blue. Love it!
The goats crossing the road kinda reminds me of the time I went to Sarawak’s Sunday Market, and I literally had to run away from large cows making their way through the stalls. Everyone else seemed oblivious to the cows, as though they were just onlooking shoppers, and just made way for them. And then there was me, running from one stall to another, hiding from cows. Sheesh!
I wish I was in Kerala! Looks like you had a perfect vacation!
btw I finally posted my black and white pictures