Around India In 80 Trains

After the most exhausting 48-hour train ride from Delhi to Kerala, we unwound on a beautiful houseboat on the backwaters in Kumarakom, before moving to the Marari Beach resort near Cochin - probably one of the most peaceful, eco-friendly sites in Kerala. After foraging around their organic garden which grew everything from papayas and aubergines to basil leaves and shiny red chillis, we cooked all our food with the help of their chefs, Nithin and Jishu Mathew in their outdoor restaurant, Farm Kitchen.

The photo of the banana leaves shows them being fired on an open flame to make them stiff and waxy for use. And the last picture is a shot of traditional Keralan martial arts, Kalarippayattu.