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Silver Sunday Sojourn #02 - Next stop: Kerala
Published about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Silver Sunday Sojourn #2
Next stop: Kerala
Hello there!
This time next week, I’ll be writing to you from Kerala.
On Thursday, I’m heading back to India, this time to explore more of Kerala on a media trip ahead of KeralaMart, later in the month.
I’ll be starting in northern Kerala, with time in Kannur and Wayanad before travelling south. I’m particularly looking forward to discovering more of the food, meeting local people and finding the stories that don’t always make it into the guidebooks.
There will, of course, be plenty of photographs along the way too.
THIS WEEK'S SOJOURN
I am on countdown to my trip now, those strange few days before a big trip where you wake up in the middle of the night thinking I must take XYZ and have forgotten it completely by the time morning comes!
I am a list kinda person, and I even have a list for things I need to do each day until I go - menopausal brain fog!!
I have lists for admin - visas, passport, tickets - ones for tech, clothes, things I want to finish before I leave, house things - water plants, put rubbish out, switch off all my plugs. To some, it might feel overwhelming, but to my brain it gets everything done.
Before I head off, if Kerala has ever been on your travel wish list, I’ve put together a guide to some of the places worth adding to an itinerary.
From beaches and backwaters to hill country, wildlife, culture and some extraordinary food, Kerala is one of those destinations where you could easily spend several weeks.
From my bookshelf — The Covenant of Water and The God of Small Things
I want to keep reading books tied to the places I visit. Researching books based in Kerala, I kept coming across two: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
I can't choose between the two, so I have ordered them both!
The Covenant of Water is quite a hefty book, so I've also downloaded it on Audible. That way I can listen to it while I'm travelling without having to carry such a heavy book all the way to India!
Do you have any recommendations for books on India?
On my desk - Globetrotter Magazine
I have two new articles in the September issue of Globetrotter Magazine.
One takes me back to Namibia, where I learnt more about the remarkable desert-adapted elephants and the work being done to help elephants and local communities live alongside one another.
The other couldn't be more different: walking the Via Francigena through Tuscany, slowing down and experiencing Italy one step at a time.
Namibia's Desert Elephants — page 32 Walking the Via Francigena — page 90
Okay, yes, it is a photo of me. I was in Namibia, I hadn't had a shower or washed my hair in days, I had no make-up on, I'd been sand-blasted — and I was absolutely loving life!
Travel Wisdom
My travel wisdom echoes how I felt in the photo above: Sometimes we don't need fancy hotels with all the amenities to make incredible memories. Often, it's the experiences that stay with us the longest.
Something that caught my eye…
I thought I'd missed Onam in Kerala this year — but apparently, Onam isn't quite finished!
I've just discovered that on 23 September, while I'm actually in Kerala, Irupathiyettam Onam — the “28th Onam” — is celebrated.
Among the events are enormous decorated bull effigies accompanied by drums and processions at Oachira, as well as the Kallada Boat Race at Munroe Thuruthu.
Practising for Vallam Kali — Kerala's traditional boat races
Neither may fit into my itinerary this time, but this is exactly the sort of thing I love discovering when I travel — the traditions and celebrations happening beyond the ones we all know about.
With India only a few days away, the bed in my spare room is rapidly disappearing beneath clothes, cameras, chargers, cables and all those things I'm absolutely convinced I need.
This trip is also giving me the perfect opportunity to put together something I've wanted to create for a while: a proper India packing list based on what I actually take with me.
I'll be sharing that very soon — along with a downloadable version you can keep for your own travels.
Until next time...
Next Sunday, all being well, I'll be writing to you from Kerala.
I'll share a little of what I've discovered so far, what has surprised me, and - almost certainly - what I've been eating.
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