They Smile in Kerala

Catching up on the blog with a post about our last and favourite stop in South India - Kerala.  This is the first time since arriving in India that we were met with smiles and friendly faces.

Friendly children

Friendly families

We checked out the Chinese Fishing nets which work on a pulley counter balance system.  Eileen got to help pull in a catch.

Chinese Fishing nets

This traditional way of fishing is dying out as the catches are getting smaller and smaller and can't compete with the larger nets and boats.

Fishermen folding up their nets

This is a new ocean for Bob and Eileen, the Arabian Sea, so we got our feet wet in the bath warm water.

Bob in the Arabian Sea - are those pirates out there?

We took a backwaters cruise in a punted boat.  A wonderful relaxing day through unspoilt waterways.

Our backwater cruise boat

The boatmen - hard work with the wind against us - we so wanted to put up sails!

We stopped off in a few villages to be shown some of the cottage industries such as making lime from shells and rope from coconut husks.

Making rope

A traditional dance performance in Kerala is the Kathikali show.  It involves a very elaborate make-up preparation using pigments from stones - similar to ochre but much more vivid.  The make-up takes over an hour to complete and the audience is invited to watch the process before the show.

Make-up for the Kathikali show

 

 

 

 

 

 

The performance itself does not have dialogue as such but a back ground singer and musicians.  The actors use intricate and subtle eye and facial movements as well as mime to tell the story line.

The baddie getting his just desserts

We wish we could have spent more time exploring Kerala but on to Nepal before the end of the trekking season.