K for Kottayam, L for Lovely

Where do I start? Well to establish the essentials, that I'm back in Bangalore for a while. But there's a world to say of what went before it. We had vowed not to stay with relatives and that meant hotels; really it only started out as one but the strongarm tactics of a marriage party whod admittedly claimed a place well in advance, meant we had to move out a second time.
Forget that, we were in the profusely fertile and intimidatingly knowledgeable city of Changanacherry 9N76E Kottayam District,Kerala. Something like a Syrian Catholc metropolis with relics of all kinds, better houses than worse - all forgiven by loving verdancy. The hotel we were assigned to was situated by an Idgah. The hotel wore the name Arcadia but bizzarely enough just about everyone without excpetion prounounced it Al Qaidah. The hotel in the meanwhile had a large framed image of the Sacred Heart above reception, that worked its predictable spell on a few companions.
Ok away from the specifics, the most exciting person/people I got to meet in the town and really for a very long time in life were the stately couple of Kerala and Rukmini Verma who stayed in a nallukettu on the grounds of the erstwhile united grounds of the Lakhsmipuram Palace. We talked for three hours at the over 200 year old home. This branch of the Vermas fled to Kerala from Mysore at the time of the advance of Tipu Sultan.
I tried picking up books at book dens, but couldn't even find an O V Vijayan. I did however pick up Samskara by Anathamurthy - translated by A K Ramanujan. Now I've read or tried to read Anathamurthy in English before and just couldn't find it in myslf to make much headway. Samskara was easily something else. I'd say A K Ramanajun made all the difference. Read it please.
We also drove down to Kumarakoam and chugged down the canals - I would have taken out my clothes but what with being sensitive to sensitivities. There were next to no clothes for indoors though - you'll know why once youve felt that heat.

A note to anyone who intends to visit Kerala - it really helps if you know Malayalam.