Kerala, the land of coconuts and peaceful backwaters,is also a state in India where the literacy rate is higher than most countries in Europe or the US.

I combined my trip to Sri Lanka with a 5-day excursion to Kerala. Arriving in Trivandrum from Colombo, I then trained up to Ernakulam for Fort Cochin. I wanted to have an overnight stay in a houseboat at Alleppey but it was peak season and the price soared till sky-high I cancelled the idea. Instead I opted for a backwater day tour from Fort Cochin just to soak up the atmosphere of ... (more)