Page 641 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

KER ALA  639

Toddy tappers are
expert at scaling coconut Tips for Passengers
palms. The local brew, Route 1: Kollam to Alappuzha
made from fermented Dep: 10:30am. Maximum
coconut palm sap, is Duration: 8 hrs. n District
sold in shacks along the Tourism Promotion Council
waterways. The first brew (DTPC), Kollam, (0474) 274 5625.
is light and delicious – Route 2: Alappuzha to Kollam
however, potency levels Dep: 10:30am. Maximum
rise with subsequent Duration: 8 hrs. n DTPC,
fermentation.
Alappuzha, (0477) 225 3308.
For more details, see p757.

Chinese fishing nets along the backwaters
are used to trap fish. A popular fish in Kerala,
karimeen (pearl spot), is found in these waters.

Children with banana trunks playing in the water
Backwaters
According to legend, Parasurama, the sixth
incarnation of Vishnu, created Kerala by throwing
his battle axe into the sea. The abundance of
canals, lagoons and lakes in the state seems to
reinforce this legend of a land born from the sea.

In this coir-
producing
village, women
beat the husk
and spin the
fibre to make
ropes or floor
coverings. The
fibre is often
dyed to create Coconut husks soak in the shallow waters near the
brightly coloured banks. This softens the husks before they are beaten
mats with geo­ to produce the fine fibre that is turned into coir. The
metric designs. flesh is converted into oil, or used in cooking.
Tea gardens surrounding the Mattupetty Lake, Munnar

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