A splash in the backwaters

Idyllic setting, tranquil surroundings, therapeutic massages, healing foods and exotic cruises down the Kochi backwaters are the stuff of dreams. Little wonder than it is called a sojourn in paradise, says Anurag Yadav

Kerala’s backwater sunsets are mesmerising

When international airlines opted for chartered flights to Kochi, the footloose seeker of peaceful holidays got up and took notice of nature’s most open secret. Kerala landscape was known to the world before Christianity touched the shores of many nations in the West, yet it remained wrapped in mystery.

However, a proactive tourism department and still more eager private participation has made Kerala one of the world’s most sought after tourist destinations. Amazingly, this has not disturbed the tranquillity of the lush green and blue of the state famous for its backwaters and resorts. Kerala, according to the ultimate tourist guide Lonely Planet, is a sojourn in paradise.

We fall for the charms of the most beautiful and accessible part of the backwaters in Kerala — around the Kochi harbour. The coast is dotted with numerous islands adorning the Queen of the Arabian Sea like a necklace of pearls.

FACT FILE Reaching there: Kochi is well connected by air, rail, road and waterways to all major cities within and outside Kerala. Climate: Not many swings in weather. Summer from April to May; Monsoon from June to July; Mild winter from October to March (22-32 degrees centigrade). Best season: October to March Best to avoid April and May in summer and June and July for the heavy monsoon What To wear: Cool cotton clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen lotion, etc Staying there: Kochi has a plethora of hotels ranging from budget to 5-Stars to suit all pockets. Food: All standard restaurants offer a variety of cuisines, including continental, Chinese and Indian. But stick to the delicious Kerala fare. Places to see: Known as the Queen of Arabian Sea, Kochi offers a plethora of visuals, including the famed Chinese fishing nets, monuments, synagogues, churches, musuems and ancient forts

Our guide tells us that when the idea of developing resorts along the backwaters of Kerala was still being considered by the tourism industry and ayurvedic concepts like pitta, kaf and doshas were practised only by village doctors, some enterprising planters mainly around Kochi who lived in old mansions that had a colourful history, hit upon the idea of turning ayurveda into a business.

Starting off with healing massages, they also got noticed for their excellent native cuisine. Over the years most of them have converted these restaurants into resorts. Quaint and wonderfully replete with history, most of these have a resplendent past.

The Portuguese, Dutch and British influences are still visible in these sprawling mansions. In fact, most of Kochi is a throwback to the past. From Chinese fishing nets to Dutch houses, Portuguese churches, English trading company buildings and even a Jewish presence that probably dates back to 72 AD, Kochi is a melting pot of cultures, civilisations and empires.

Heritage resort

We are pre-booked at the 150-year-old house Kalari Kovilkom, which is now a resort. There is a sign at the entrance that exhorts us to Please Leave Your World Here. This notice is not to humour us as we are made to don no-frills attire meant to relax the mind and the spirit. The resident tailor sews these up overnight.

The resort lies in "the land of the cloud-capped hills" with idyllic mountains as backdrop. Its charm lies in it not appearing like a hotel or a spa, but a serious institution where the guest succumbs delightfully to a regimen of discipline that brings a newfound zing to jaded nerves.

Most resorts are heritage buildings dating back to more than a century.

It is evident there is a growing wave of medical tourism that is coming to Kerala. Now seekers come as tourists to detoxify and purify with ayurvedic doctors in an ambience that bespeaks of tranquillity and closer-to-earth peacefulness.

However, nothing can replace the magic of spending a couple of days on a backwater cruise. We came expecting a small rivulet style canal, and were surprised to see a sea-like expanse.

As the luxury wood-and-coir boat goes lazily on the gently lapping waters, we are mesmerised by the sunset. It is an experience few can really not be awed by. Watching the sun turn the lake from gold to amber to pink till it finally coalesces into velvet black is a hauntingly magical sight.

Our boatman tells us we can take a dip in the crystal-clear waters. Swimming is a welcome deviation to our scenic sojourn. After the refreshing dip, we are told that visitors like St Thomas, the Apostle (AD 52) and Marco Polo (AD 1292) had taken the same route during their halt here.

Quaint markets

Kerala massages are both relaxing and therapeutic

Plush interiors of a wood and coir boat

Backwaters are not natural reclusive islands of glory in an untouched paradise. They are a symbol of life working close to nature. Women gossiping and working, washing clothes, quaint markets and fishermen returning with the day’s catch are the familiar scenes as the boat glides past. Swinging from a hammock at the resort, one can see the water birds swoop down and come up with fish.

The memories of the Kochi hinterland will be etched in our minds forever. Green fields of swaying paddy, blue waters and a dark red earth conjure dreams of repose and a silent recuperation. And, the perfect made-to-order luxury and sampling of energising healing rituals, including the therapeutic massage. Little wonder then that Kerala is recognised by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the world’s 10 best destinations.

The sheer beauty of the banks with everyday scenes of local life makes the National Geographic gush over ‘Gods’ own country’. Visitors who stiffen at the thought of remaining away from the real world without television emerge from the experience of this eternal quietude with a hankering to come again.

— N F

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