Driving in Kerala from Trivandrum to Kumarakom

We've planned a four-day "vacation" at Coconut Lagoon, an eco-resort about 5 hours north of where we are in Kerala, so we say goodbye to Trivandrum, and begin the ride north on India's west coast.

But before we leave town, we can't resist the urge to take a photo of a classic mix of old India and new India on the edge of town:


This is the kind of contrast you get used to in India. Elephants pulling into the driveway of Trivandrum's most modern office complex.


We drive through lots of towns, big and small, that are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the state of Kerala. Some things are quite familiar:


St. Sebastian's Church, and the neighboring St. Seb's school, remind us of home.

And some of the traffic on the road is not the kind you would find in Middletown, CT:

Just one log of teak travelling down the highway.

Most of the roadside is a mix of churches, temples, villages, shrines, market centers, and long stretches of rice paddy or other crops, but occasionally we see something really different, like this statue. We just can't match it with anything else we've seen in India. Any suggestions, please write.


The palm trees on either side of this roadside statue give you some idea of the scale.

Finally, we arrived in Kumarakom, boarded a boat and rode through the backwaters to get to Coconut Lagoon, where Kobi immediately had his first lesson in Classical Indian Music.


Kobi on the tablas.