Morning in Kovalam Beach,Kerala

Bringing in the cords

We skipped a lie-in to catch the buzz in Kovalam Beach. And we were amply rewarded.

At 7 in the morning the beach was slowly waking from its slumber to another day's call of activities. We strolled the soft sandy beach to look around and snap some pictures.The shops that were colourful with lights the night before were not open.

Luckily we did not miss the colourful scene of the local fishermen on the beach. This will be my best memories of Kovalam Beach, 13 km from Trivandrum where we left our cousin and family to head south. During our entire stay in Kerala, we did not tire of the many delectable varieties of fish which is a staple diet. It was lovely meen for lunch and dinner. Kerala with a long coastline facing the Arabian Sea has a strong fishing population. Fishing is one of the main sources of income for its people. Just to name a few varieties : seer/king fish, seabral (resembling halibut), pearl fish, black pomfret, tuna, indian salmon, pink perch, sardines.

We left Kovalam with loads of lovely images of men at work, resilient and ever -responding to the call of the sea. Definitely seeing their haul ,hopefully the next time round, will complete the picture.

Paddling away to the outer waters in hopes of a good catch

At the ready - all 20 men and more turbaned and in colourful sarong

High energy to get the boat into the water. Years of expertise make it look simple

All together - now! It was a lovely sight to see the fishermen in motion, chanting as they pushed and swayed

Tough act to follow. As they earn their livelihood these hardy, harworking fishermen provide shutterbugs with wonderful images of their sea faring activities.

All strong men, all team mates face the elements

Heave ho! A chain of men , all well - tanned pulling the cords for the catch to land on the beach. We watched with much interest as they synchronised the pulling and tugging. Unfortunately we couldn't stay longer to watch the haul . We had to head for Cape Comerin. Travelling takes time in Kerala as roads can be pretty bad in many stretches.

Tending to repairs

Tidying the nets before putting them in the boat to cast them in the sea

Rocky outpost to shout out when a good fishing spot is spotted.

Ahoy, who'll take me out to sea?

A tourist from New Delhi talking to the fishermen and translating Hindi to English for me.

Huge stacks of nets under thatched covers here and there on the beach

Open for business

Here's where we stayed - Hotel Sea Face - fronting the beach. We arrived just in time to see the sun setting.

Some housekeeping to do

To keep the tourists well-watered!

Getting ready the sun decks for the beach baskers

Life is a balancing act - much depends on tourist business

A child in a world of his own, enjoying the soft sand

Smiles are everywhere and people are friendly. Local womenfolk watching the fishermen at work

We had our lovely dinner of fish and Kerala curries at this outlet. Many attractive shops line the beach.

Life jackets ready for tourists who want to go for speed boat rides

Fuel to go somewhere!

Waves swishing, lapping at her feet

From where we sat, looking out onto the beach, eating breakfast of masala thosai, idli, poori and sambar, omelette, pineapple juice and Kerala coffee.