Like newspaper columnists who become instant China experts after one visit, I venture here to make bold generalisations even before this trip is over.
What you DON'T find in Kerala:
a) Beggars. Definitely fewer homeless and beggars than Sydney.
b) Large Mughal palaces.
c) Family of six on one motorbike or passengers carried on the roof of public buses.
You know you are in Kerala when
a) There are more than half a dozen churches in one small village, all Catholic.
b) Statues of Jesus with a garland around the neck
c) Election campaign posters of the Communist party outnumber all the other parties.
d) You have beef on the menu.
e) Every dish has coconut in it.
As In other parts of India there is no road rage. Traffic seems chaotic to us because drivers don't follow Highway Code rules, especially those regarding right of way or lines on the road. Instead, slower drivers allow faster vehicles to move ahead in the most expedient way, such as cutting in, getting on the wrong side of the road. Once this is accepted there is no confusion or anger especially over right of way.
KM
