KERALA, INDIA- I want to GO!!!!!!!!!!KERALA, INDIA- I want to go!God's Own Country, Kerala, IndiaOut of the five states lying south of Maharashtra, Kerala
has the charm and grandeur which equals natural beauties distributed over the globe. Kerala boasts of the beaches of Hawaii, the vales of Switzerland, the
wildlife of Africa, the festivals of Spain, the boat races of Singapore, the waterfalls of North America, the health resorts of Phuket and the backwaters of
Venice. Out of all these heavenly places, the interconnected backwaters mesmerise you the most and take you closest to the lives of Keralites.The backwaters in
Kerala are in fact a network of rivers, streams, creeks, lagoons, canals and tanks that occupy the alluvial plain between the Indian Ocean and the Western
Ghats and run the length along the coast from Kollam (Quilon) to Kochi (Cochin). Lined by coconut palms and paddy fields, the backwaters give an almost
uniquely quite view of the village life in Kerala, impossible to get while travelling by road.Kerala, IndiaBy Bill McKibbenKerala is a very easy place to
simply sit back and enjoy. The name means "land of coconuts," and the palms shade nearly the entire state from the tropical sun; many call the beach
at Kovalam the best in India; visitors can spend a day riding small ferries through the backwater lagoons or watching elephants cavort in the wildlife
sanctuaries; the spicy food may be the best vegetarian cuisine on the planet. But for me, the real reason to visit Kerala, which lies at the southwestern tip
of the subcontinent, is for the intellectual adventure: Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place that offers real hope for the future of
the Third World. Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than Maryland, has a population as big as California's and a per capita annual
income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and its birthrate below America's and falling
faster. Kerala's citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala stands out as
the Mount Everest of social development; there's truly no place like it.In the mornings, from nearly anywhere in Kerala, you can hear loud music from the
Hindu temples, wailing muezzins at the mosques, and church bells ringing at the cathedrals. Religious tolerance is just one reason for Kerala's success.
The state government has effected sweeping land reforms and spends almost half of its budget on health and education. A heritage of female-headed households
means women have always been equal participants here. Unlike almost everywhere else in Asia, women outnumber men in Kerala, suggesting that there has been no
selective abortion or female infanticide. Kerala is not a quiet spot. It has a rate of newspaper readership that is among the highest in the world and plenty
of never-ending political arguments. Parades of striking bus drivers or medical students or kathakali dancers block traffic in the capital of Trivandrum almost
daily. But for me, that engagement with the world is one of the best things about the place. Keralites meet you on more or less equal terms, with neither the
subservience nor the rage you'll find in much of the Third World. Kerala is a place to meander: Simply take a bus from Trivandrum or Cochin out to almost
any village and spend a day wandering the dikes between the rice paddies and rubber trees, seeing how half the world still lives: men and women stooping to cut
rice with sickles, or spreading coconut along the road to dry; water buffalo wallowing in the irrigation ditches; every inch of ground cultivated; every small
field lined with palms; a place where little is wasted. It's also a place that works, and in poor, rural Asia, that alone would make Kerala a paradise. The
breeze rustling the palm fronds is just a bonus.
COMMENTARY GOES HERE
susieq
07/05/08
Original comment »
TroubleInTampa
07/04/08
gisellebelle
07/04/08
Original comment »
tigger racer
07/04/08
porpae
07/04/08
Original comment »
porpae
07/04/08
sniksnak
07/04/08
cuteblueeyedblonde
07/04/08
I hope you have a fun day today! :)
susieq
07/04/08
LuvTheOzman
07/03/08
Maggie Chops
07/03/08
Original comment »
gisellebelle
07/03/08
Original comment »
gisellebelle
07/03/08
I lost your #, that is why I haven't called. Give me a ring sometime, it has been too long. xoxoxo
Original comment »
Maggie Chops
07/02/08
Original comment »
gisellebelle
07/02/08
bellayaya
06/30/08
Original comment »
Prince Apollon
06/29/08
I don't think a "bother" could have anything to do with you....*smiles*
I'm quite well, bro.
Original comment »
chelseasmom
06/28/08
PoeticRaine
06/28/08
Prince Apollon
06/28/08
Oh dear....LOL!
I meant..Brother!
COMMENTARY GOES HERE