India journal - Great Lakes Leadership Academy - Michigan State ...

29
Kerala Backwater
Boat Tour
February 29, 2012
On the south-western shore of India lies
Kerala and its palm-lined backwaters. The
cohort boarded a boat in the afternoon
and toured the backwaters with Dr. Sunny.
The tour provided a welcome respite,
with time to sit and watch silently, listening
to the water and Dr. Sunny share their
wisdom of the magical place. The tour
was educational, as we traveled in the
same waters as folks had for millennia in
search of fish and spice, past historic
encampments, modern fishing industry
fleets, and small water-side
neighborhoods.
We saw first-hand the Muziris port in the
Bay of Bengal, to which the famed
monsoon winds have carried boats to
India on quests for spices, as well as the
shoreline along which traders have
gathered for business for thousands of
years. We saw crews aboard their ships
either readying for or returning from
fishing trips in the Arabian Sea. Smaller
fishing vessels were guided by sole
fishermen or pairs setting nets or diving
to the bottom of the water to gather sand
and muck for inland construction. As the
sun lowered, we prepared for our return
to land and our last night in India.
Robin Clark, photos by Abbey Dorr