Kerala, India, Summer 2014

Here are some photos of our south India trip. What struck us was how green it was - we enjoyed the monsoon rains a lot. They came and went.

The Chinese fishing nets in Cochin.

Wet from walking around in the rain.

Fresh fish caught in the sea and cooked at a street restaurant.

First Catholic church in India, built by the Portuguese.

Pepper vines. They apparently grow very easily up other things. The berries are green and they dry them for black pepper, soak them to remove the outer skins for white pepper, and let them ripen more for red pepper.

Cardamom plants. They pick the pods near the ground and dry them out in the dark so they don't go black. We drove through the Cardamom Hills.

Henry enjoying running through and exploring a spice garden.

Grace and I riding an elephant.

Henry and Charles.

Grace by the Jeep that took us up to the top of the tea hills.

Tea and mountains and mist.

Green pepper berries off the vine. I just ate them and they were good. I brought them home and they have since darkened to black and become a lot hotter.

Cow in the road.

Tea.

Henry and Hand Snake in the tea rows.

Traditional Keralan dance.

G in the rainy spice garden.

G being fitter with her new saree by some very nice ladies at a hotel where we stopped for food and drinks.

This is apparently the traditional Kerala saree for weddings and Onam, the harvest festival.

Nellies near Kumily.

At the elephant camp.

On the "jungle room" balcony, looking at coconut palms, banana trees, and coffee trees. There were monkeys on the next roof and we were told to shut our door, or the monkeys come in and eat the mini bar food!

Henry with his shield and sword from the traditional Kerala martial arts show.

Indian buffet. Everyone eating spicy food!

Then, very few eating the banana leaf meal, thali. Henry and Grace were not impressed, but Charles and I enjoyed it. Lots of rice and a few chutneys and sambar.