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Kerala
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“Land of Green
Magic”
Kerala is one of
those
places that the locals
can call “God’s Own Country” and keep a
straight face.
It is
indeed an ingriguing, warm and welcoming place, India’s
version of a trip to Tahiti. With a host of superlatives to their
credit — the country’s
lowest birth rate and highest life expectancy, highest literacy rate,
lowest AIDS rate, and so on — Keralans are justly proud.
While in Kerala we
traveled on the water a couple of times, both by kettuvallam
and motor
launch  on
Kayankulam, Vembanadu and Asthamudi Lakes. Along
the way, we visited backwater
villages where coconuts are harvested and processed into coir and copra, had a fish
dinner cooked over an open fire, witnessed a village
procession, and relaxed at Kovalam
Beach.
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Kerala
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Chinese fishing nets near the Fort Cochin area of Kochi, Kerala, India
Kerala is famous
for its traditional