Kerala is Red

We're coming to the end of our stay in Kerala and this image, which I took in a small village in the Backwaters yesterday, sums up some of my impressions.  Che is everywhere here along with images of Marx and Lenin on the CPI.M (Communist Party of India [Marxist]) banners and flags.  I've no idea how Marxism co-exists with Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.  For many of the devout maybe Che is just another member of the pantheon of local gods.

After our first three days in the cockroach infested tin box we moved to the delightful Raheem's residency next to Alleppey beach.  I had the pleasure of running barefoot in the sand there most mornings and we would often take a stroll on the seashore.  It's a busy place with people casting nets from the beach, fishing inshore on small rafts and just enjoying the fresh air and the sea.  Often while on my early morning run I'd come across the odd bloke squatting in the sand having a shit while smoking a cigarette and looking reflectively out to sea.  It's a bit difficult to know where to look in these circumstances.

Sue had had enough of local ferries, so one day I took the ferry to Collum on my own, getting off at the first stop where the passengers have lunch and waiting for three hours for the return boat.  I killed the time by strolling to the beach and found a "Toddy" shop, where palm wine is sold.  These kind gents served me a couple of glasses of toddy, accompanied by tapioca root and chilli.  It's a bit like sweet coconut cider and not too strong, 7-8% alcohol I believe.

On the trip back I took this cliched but irresistible shot of the sun sinking through the Kerala palms while chatting with Al, a barrister who airbnb'd his West London flat four months ago and is gradually beginning to realise that with the income from this he could in fact keep travelling forever.  Alleppey was a sociable time for us and we met quite a few interesting travellers, including Andrew and Julie from Australia, Stephanie from the States and Kirsty and Russell of the "Rusty Shears" cafe in Whitby, to which we must pay a visit when we get back to the UK.