Kerala: God's Own Country

France has the Riviera. Mexico has Cancun. The United States has California (this was obviously written by Josh. --Mackenzie). And India has Kerala: a place of great natural beauty, relaxing beaches, and balmy weather. Pretty much the best place to spend the shortest days of the year.

Our hotel in Kochi had two separate buildings, on opposite sides of a lazy river. So we had to take a boat ride just to get from the front desk to our room.

Many spices, including black pepper, are native to Kerala. This has brought traders here for millennia and made Kerala into a rich state. When Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, he was hoping to land here and open up a trade route; when he met Native Americans, he called them "Indians" because he thought he was in Kerala.

Another explorer, who did a better job of getting where he was going, was Vasco da Gama. Da Gama sailed to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 and established a Portuguese colony here. He died in Kochi and was entombed in St. Francis Church - which we visited.

Chinese fishing nets on the beach at Fort Kochi.

Because Kerala has been a trading center for so long, many people have settled here from far away - and they've brought their religions with them. Kochi is the site of the oldest synagogue in the British Commonwealth. It's in a neighborhood called Jew Town. On Jew Street. (Josh felt right at home. --Mackenzie)

There are also lots of Christians in Kerala. They have their own creative ways of decorating for Christmas. This courtyard, featuring a huge Indian-style Christmas tree, is where we had dinner. (I ate some delicious fresh fish... maybe it was caught in one of those Chinese fishing nets.)