Kerala - A Magical Affair with God's own Country

Kerala - A Magical Affair with God's own Country 




India is a wonderful place. And every time I visit yet another state, I’m awed by how different but still so similar it is to the others. In my goal of wanting to explore India to the fullest, I travel a lot, to different places, far and wide. But there's this one place which I visited last month, it being my fourth time there, which keeps calling me back. That place, is Kerala- God's own country. Before visiting it, I had wondered why it was called so, but later did I realize. When you visit Kerala, you’ll see that the state has excelled in maintaining a balance between being modern and counting on nature. While the cities have the modern outlook towards them, the hills and the backwaters have their own unique charm. When you visit these places with lush green hills (Munnar), and soothing backwaters (Alappuzha) you understand nature, it speaks to your heart, mind and soul, soothing you calmly; and you understand that its nickname comes from its authenticity and closeness to God.

Here are the two places that I visited this time:

1.Munnar:

Munnar is a hill station which takes about 3-4 hours from Kochi, and it includes climbing up the hill. I visited Munnar during April, and it was still relatively cold. A perfect vacation spot if you’re from a sunny city. Munnar is filled with tea estates, massage places, and places where arts such as kathakali and kalaripayattu are practiced and performed.



2. Alappuzha:

Alappuzha is a true beauty in every sense of the way. It’s a place filled with water. Even the people there use boats to travel to  the marketplace instead of using a bus, because vehicles can't work in a place where there are only patches of land surrounded with water. Alappuzha, or alappey as it is known, is famous for its houseboats.  You have these boats driven by a person, which have, with a hall, a dining table, a bedroom which has an attached bathroom, and a kitchen where there's a chef cooking for you!  And this is nothing like the mini cruise that you’re thinking of. The roofs are made of palm trees, making me realize that everything in Kerala connects itself to nature. These boats differ with the number of people that go together. Since I went with my family of 4, out boat was smaller than the others which were two floored, had home theaters and consisted if 10-12 people. We stayed for 1 night in the boat, which has a parking lot for it too! 
Staying in the boat keeps you grounded, rooted with nature. It makes you feel light and and calm, because you’re only seeing water around you. You spend so much time looking at the water, that you start to see the things you had previously missed. Such as the little plants in the water, the bird sitting on top of the wheel, the colours of the sunset, and many other splendid things.




There are so many other places in Kerala that I haven't visited, but still long to, and I hope to visit every single place in the state, get my mind blown by it, because Kerala, is an experience in itself, you discover a part of yourself in every part of the state. From the hot king fish fry that you eat, to the sound of the sea, each helps you find a part of yourself that you never knew. And I feel that is why people keep coming back to Kerala. It has this magic that surprises you (sometimes with the same things) every single time.



                                                                                    Jalal Liya Maryam

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