Enchanting Kerala

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

ISSUE: 199 MARCH 2010 HOME WHERE TO GO VIDEOS Newsletter Archives SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER

Travel and tour guides from Belgium

It was at Hotel Ramada in Kochi where Kerala Tourism finally managed to have a chat with the travel and tour guides' team from Belgium, headed by Kathrijn, Product Manager of Master's Magnificent Moments.

Kathrijn and Dirk Vandewiele, MD of Divantoura with their companion tour guides had just arrived from Thekkady as we were waiting for them at the lobby of Hotel Ramada. And with cordial smiles they both began by agreeing on one aspect: "Kerala is impressive."

We started with Dirk's experience in Kerala, who headed straight to an entertaining anecdote of his Kerala trip, touching on the aesthetics of Kerala, the spectacularly good cuisine, the friendly people, and their business plans.

In Dirk's words, "India is a big country with lots to see. A few of us have been to India before. But, it's our first visit to Kerala. Kerala in a week seems too short."

Kerala stands for its rich tradition and culture and nothing gives more pride than restoring the presence of its rich culture. With great tenderness for this glorious culture, and keeping it intact, Dirk feels that the need of the hour for Kerala Tourism is to provide the required infrastructure and welcome guests.

The northern part of India seems to be more familiar to Belgium. But Kerala offers the friendliness and tropical climate which one misses in Belgium. In Belgium, the general perception of south India is all about a tropical destination. But, Dirk says they have found an intimacy in the culture and the local people of Kerala. For them, the trip was certainly edifying.

And when we shifted our attention to Kathrijn, she started off as follows: "I was rewarded with sweeping views of lush greenery, even in the glistening sun, with no rains. It is wonderful that the nature is so green here." According to Kathrijn, their clients are demanding. If the food isn't okay, nothing would work. The food should not hurt you. "We stayed at good locations and we are thankful," she said.

And at the very mention of food, we tried to probe the Belgian team's opinion on Kerala food. Dirk immediately responded by saying that it is impossible to list all the dishes and remember the names; because they are myriad. I love the Kerala kitchen. It's impressive. It's quite unique, making it an experience as rewarding as the tastes it offers, said Dirk.

Dirk reminded us not to consider all the tourists from the west alike, and adds that the west or Belgium has a city-culture with beautiful buildings, cozy cafes, up-market shopping areas and the like. But the landscape and the culture of Kerala are impressive, Dirk agreed with Kathrijn. The hotels too present nature for the guests. So, it is always better, if you can offer the west what they don't have, opined Dirk.

Both Dirk and Kathrijn felt that the splendor of Kerala lies in its villages. "The food and rural lifestyle are simple and we respect that," said Dirk. Adding to that, he said: "When we were in Kumily, we mingled with local people, who turned out to be so friendly. No one would fail to notice that life is so easy in Kerala. People happily move around." Dirk later emphasized Kerala's love for spices and said that he preferred to call Kerala a 'spice paradise.'

To Kathrijn, the people of Kerala are an adorable lot. When compared to those in Belgium, where people are more individualistic, people of Kerala are happier to move in groups. Kerala is not isolated from the world; the people have an open- mind, they think in a positive way. That's why education is a vital thing in Kerala, she feels. Kathrijn added that Kerala boasts of a number of schools and expressed her interest in visiting a school and participating in a few festivals during her next trip.

The only grim side of the trip was the amount of time spent on the roads. In Belgium it takes only 2 hours to cover a distance of 200 km, whereas it took almost 6 hrs here. But that doesn't make Kathrijn and other tour guides from Belgium shy away from Kerala. Instead they are looking forward to bringing in more of their fellow countrymen to Kerala in the near future.

Kathrijn has a strange affinity for Kerala. She says, "The tagline 'God's own country' itself is a tourist draw. So, let Kerala stay Kerala, we will certainly be back."

We had a wonderful time listening to the representatives of the tour guides from Belgium and we wished them good luck in their efforts to showcase more of Kerala to travellers from Belgium.