Village Tourism http://www.sherlystours.com/

1. 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.
The villages are seamlessly conjoined with each other in this contiguous landscape spread
along the length and breadth of the state and Village Tourism is becoming increasingly
popular among India Tours.
The villages in Alleppey are an interesting sight. They 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, 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.
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 acrobat 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.
A visit to any village in the hills of Munnar or Thekkady will take the visitor across tea
plantations 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
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

2. 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.
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