Backwaters of Kochi, Kerala, India

I decided to have another Kerala backwaters experience. After an early street-side breakfast a mini-bus picks me, and a few others up, and takes us 30 minutes away. We get on board a traditional houseboat and start cruising around the backwaters. The waterways here are not quiet as interesting as those of Alleppey, but the houseboat is lovely.

We stop and take a look at a small factory that converts mussel shells into calcium for use in pharmaceuticals. We carry on cruising and stop for a fantastic Keralan lunch. After we drive a little way further and jump in canoes. Our driver punts around some quiet narrow backwaters. The canoes are my favorite backwaters vehicle; quiet, leisurely, and able to reach right inside the intricate canal network. We stop to see how canoe husk fibers and made into string, and we also stop for a coconut, yum.