Western Ghats, Kerala:
view across the forests of Kerala towards the Western Ghats
After two weeks of research in Kachchh, I took a flight from Bhuj to Cochin (or Kochi) in Kerala to meet a colleague/friend.
What a difference between the semi-desert of western India and the dense, tropical forests of Kerala! While it was pleasantly warm and dry in Kachchh, it was suddenly too hot and humid… Fortunately, my colleague suggested to go on a short drive into the hills of the Western Ghats, where the climate was more comfortable (and the forests would be teeming with wildlife). So after the work was finished, we packed our things and left the steaming lowlands behind.
In the late afternoon, we reached the town of Kumily from where we would visit the famous Periyar National Park the following morning (deserving a separate post – check it out here!). Already the marshland next to our hotel was full of birds and even some wild boars entered the clearing in the late evening and early morning.
Before we went to bed, we visited the Mudra Kalari Centre and watched a superb show of traditional martial arts (Kalaripayattu) – definitely recommended!
After our visit to the Periyar National Park in the morning, we returned to the plains of Kerala. Suffering under the merciless sun and constant sweating, I tried my new macro lens on some of the cooperative critters roaming through the garden. The Western Ghats were now only visible in the far distance.
After five days full of work and new experiences, I left southern India behind and returned to Jaipur – but the next adventure was already waiting for me!
Matt Travels 
Wow the fire-twirling martial arts looks awesome! Is that really a pretty little spider? It looks…dangerous! The powers of nature, I guess 🙂
yes – the martial arts show was surprisingly good! 🙂 and I did not get bitten by the spider, so I cannot tell you whether it’s a dangerous one! 🙂
An amazing diversity of sights, sounds and experiences Matthias!
yes – I enjoyed it a lot!! 🙂 thanks!
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Kerala is really high on my list. I guess it deserves a full week, it looks beautiful!
I think you can spent more than a week there! In any case, you have to travel the narrow channels of the backwaters!!! It is really very beautiful!!