http://www.sherlystours.com/kerala-village-tourism/ A visit to God’s Own Country would be incomplete without a visit to its charming villages. The pulse of Kerala can be felt in its villages, which reverberates with the hum of daily life.

1. Kerala Village Tourism
A visit to God’s Own Country would be incomplete without a visit to its
charming villages. The pulse of Kerala can be felt in its villages, which
reverberates with the hum of daily life.
Kumbalanghi , the island village, is an idyllic fishing village with emerald green
backwaters, swaying palm trees, fresh seafood. An immersive experience into
the traditional ways of life await the visitor. One can experience shrimp and
crab farming, rides in country boats, try a hand at coir yarn making, and
weaving of coconut leaves, watch the charming Chinese nets in action as they
bend on their cantilevers, dipping into the waters to surface with a fresh catch
of fish. Quaint homestays dot the landscape and one can experience life at the
grass root level.
One can savour some of the best local cuisine. Fresh lobsters and seafood
cooked in traditional spices, and hot, delicious gravies are served with boiled
tapioca or steaming rice. Fried fish marinated in spices or cooked in thick
coconut gravy, beef bits cooked with ginger, garlic and tempered with a happy
handful of curry leaves and garnished with slivers of coconut or garden fresh
vegetables lightly seasoned with mustard and grated coconut will leave the
visitor with pleasant memories.

2. Village life in Alleppey can be experienced either from the sun deck of a
comfortable Houseboat or disembark for the short walk, a meal or the day
from the Houseboat or hotel. Scenes from ordinary life play out before the
eyes, chirpy children on their way to school, quaint tea shops selling hot frothy
tea and ‘Kadi’ (deep fried or steamed snacks) with the customary bunch of ripe
yellow bananas hanging in front to entice the customer. A stop at one of these
tea shops is a must. The sociology of the village can be experienced firsthand.
Old men in chequered ‘lungi’s’ (sarong style cloth worn by men) congregate to
discuss politics, weather or local gossip over a hot cuppa or what is know world
famous as the ‘metre chai’, (tea is aerated repeatedly between two cups held at
least a metre apart) while the working class sit down for a quick meal. Delicious
snacks are served up, from deep fried samosas to ‘kozhukotta’, steamed rice
dumplings filled with grated coconut infused with jaggery and a variety of local
fare. South India Tours and packages are laced with these kinds of Tours of
Villages.

3. On a leisurely walk through the village, one can see the ‘velan’ shimmying up
coconut trees with his lungi precariously tied half mast to bring down coconuts,
an acrobatic feat indeed! Or watch the local women engaged in coir work,
twisting coconut fibre into ropes for the manufacture of mats and other
products. Yet another stop is the ubiquitous Toddy Shop, where fresh toddy or
fermented sap of the coconut tree is served with finger licking, spicy curries.
The ambience of the toddy shop though rudimentary, will provide the visitor a
free and compulsory performance of local ballads, sung off key by drunken
men feasting on tapioca and spicy fish curry. The delicacies of the toddy shop
menu include fish curry, duck roast, mussel, lobsters and clam in kerala spices.
A highlight in Kerala Tourism Packages.
The villages in the hills near Munnar & Thekkady are set among tea estates
spread like a green carpet over rolling hills as far the as the eye can see.
Villages in the hills are clustered and each village engages in a specific activity
or industry. In the hills, villagers rear sheep or goats, handicraft, embroidery,
basketry and the like. The visitor can opt to have a meal with a local family and
partake of the warm hospitality that is trademark of Indians. The meal would
normally comprise of hot rice, lentils, home grown vegetables, spicy meat
curries, shallow fried fish and a gooey warm desert or sweetmeat. Responsible

4. Tourism in India encourages Village Tourism as it encourages the local economy
while preserving local craft & heritage.
Visitors will be lucky if there is a local temple festival or church feast going on.
the colourful gaiety of the festival, replete with caparisoned elephants,
colourful processions, ringing of bells, chanting of verse and religious fervour
can be experienced along with the farmers markets that spring up to sell their
wares to the devotees. From handmade toys to homemade foods, kitchen ware
to flowers to adorn the snake like black plaited hair that dangles down the
women’s back are available.
Village Tourism creates jobs and sustenance without disturbing the ecology or
sociology of the place. It ensures that the culturally rich heritage does not make
way for modernity. It preserves in a subtle yet sustainable way.
Sherlys Tours and Travels
20/191,Kochupally road
Thoppumpady ,Kochi-682005
Kerala,India
Tel: +91 484 3229151
Mob:+91 9447956758
Fax: 04842235541
http://www.sherlystours.com/