10 things to do before you die...

We had a long trip from magical Hampi to Kerala. One Rikshaw, two trains, one ferry...after 30 hours we arrived in Cochin and setteled down in Fort Cochin, a little island. The trip wasn't too tiring, though. We had sleeper places in the train (as shown in the picture) and some nice views during the frequent stops.










Cochin had the first communist governement in India, which made a big revolution, leaving back educated, friendly people and very few poor.
It was very surprising at first sight to see Che Guevara's face in India.









Kerala is also famous for its spicy, rich kitchen...









...so Karolina decided to learn how to prepare some of its specialities. Here trying to turn a dosa (which was delicious, although bad shaped)


...After a couple of days we realized that the city was actually becoming very boring, not much to see, and even no places to go out to eat.

But there were some highlights, here the first..


This guy, sitting in the street, asked us 50 Rupees (80 cents), to hypnotize :) this two cobras with his flute. This seemed to be his job, as he couldn't walk properly. We asked him if he was ever bitten by the snakes and he answered: "Yes, but put ayurvedic medicament, no problem!", and he showed us the scars on his hands. He also let us sit next to the cobras, but only one of us dared...







The other highlight and the actual reason for which we stayed one week in Cochin was an incredible Yoga course. Our Guru, Sajee, impressed us with his knowledge, good sense of humour and lifestyle. Not to forget: his leg behind his head while standing on the other...and smiling :) The course was a combination of meditation, pranayama and basic yoga postures. But basic in India is a bit different...

By now Filippo can do the scorpion without Sajee behind him. We made a big phisical progress and enjoyed a lot.

On our last day in the city, we went on an excursion that the Lonely Planet guide sets in the top 10 list of the "things to do before you die" : The Kerala Backwaters.
Starting on a houseboat, we discovered the bigger canals...

We saw the work of the locals, like brick making, fishing, collecting grass for building houses, making local beer from palm trees (which we bought and we 're going to drink tonight, next to the fish straight out of the sea....mmmmmm)















In the middle of the excursion we had delicious Keralan lunch, including pineapple curry - heaven in the mouth. All served on banana tree leaves.

Then (after a short swim) we changed to a smaller boat and continued our trip through tighter canals. The nature there is phantastic and wild. See paradise?...Kerala!




















Tomorrow we leave to Mysore, see you from there...