Indian Stories - Part 8 - the End - Goa, Karnataka, Kerala

The remaining month of India I spent in a more relaxing pace. A few days in a very touristy but pretty Goa.



Then I spent two days wandering around magnificent Hampi in Karnataka state and back to the coast of Karnataka - Gokarna.







I spent one week in Gokarna area (Kudli beach, Om beach, Paradise beach) doing absolutely nothing besides hiking almost daily to Gokarna town itself. I cannot say enough good words about that small place. I think we shopped in every small local shop for Himalaya products, cotton sarong, bangels or homemade ice-cream. We also witnessed tradition ceremonial Yakshagana dance that lasted till the sunrise. I took pictures of male actors that were putting up pigmented make up on their face before the long show.








After Karnataka I head down to Kerala to meet up with my friend from London who did not yet know what I had prepared for her in my last two weeks in India. The plan was to travel back north from Cochin towards Mangalore escaping the touristy crowds of Varkala and Kovalam beaches and backwaters of Alappuzha (Alleppey).

I enjoyed Cochin and the Chinese Nets:



Then we went to Munnar, the tea plantation country, so far the most amazing scenery I have seen in the south of India.











After that we spent time in Kannur, the up and coming beach destination according to the Tourist office of Kerala. In reality Kannur is a small town with no facilities for tourists. No umbrellas on the beach, no hostels, no restaurants, no backpackers, a complete nightmare for some, a complete paradise for me. Even auto rickshaws did not speak English.

The romantic mist of Kannur:



Green scenery is passing by the window of general class train we took further north:




We managed to book a houseboat for 2 nights/3days in the backwaters of the north Kerala. This boat was all to ourselves with our own guide, chef, driver and electrician (for something like $300). The backwaters phenomena of Kerala was enchanting – swimming in the salty ocean water that looks like a river.



our houseboat (kettuvallam):


We felt special in non-touristy part of India, especially during the backwaters trip. All the kids would run out of the houses to wave at us and to take pictures of white foreigners. I have never felt more welcomed as a backpacker. It was absolutely adorable. I have at least 300 pictures of school kids, teenagers, moms and dads, elders who were greeting us with a sincere smile on the banks of those water channels.

Here is the whole class that came out to look at us: girls part


Backwaters of Valiyaparamba:








This post is the last about India. Thanks to everyone who managed to follow my long stream of photographs.

Full sets are on flickr - Goa, Karnataka, Kerala.

Let me know what you think.