Off the beaten track in Kerala

skinnysim · Jun 11th, 2009, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldmanr

Hey Forrest!

Mesmerizing account- objective and astute, the eyes of a scientist and poet- & certainly more...

Been to Kerala twice and fanaticize "retiring" thereabouts.

These days I play tabla, edit my poetry, and am a fulltime hs English teacher here in sFL part time at a local cc.

Anyway, I was wondering, since I feel some kindred spirit thing here, whether you were aware of x-patriot housing situations, renting a place maybe w/ some land ( a few modest acres)?

Cost of living?

How to start, besides another obvious trip say next year to check things out???

By the way, my x-wife, son's Mom, is an American citizen but bron in Pakistan- wonder whether this might complicate matters....?

Anyway, if you feel like, I'd appreciate connecting....

Thanks, and stay well and vibrant!

Robert Feldman

hi Robert , there are a couple of us,'fanticizers' of a kerela retirement here in swfl (ft myers/naples), and we have done some research about that, so this is to invite you to come daydream with us, you can pm me if you like. By the way, your x-wife being ex-pakistani is not an issue. Regards.

Boston123 · Jun 11th, 2009, 22:00

Awesome report..
IM visitors to Kerala will note the relative equality between men and women. It goes back in part to the Matriarchal society, still found in many parts of Kerala.
Although it's not clear to me, yet, why other parts of India are not able to pick up on some of the learnings from Kerala.

bosquef · Jul 7th, 2009, 22:06

I hadn't looked back at the responses to my post for quite some time. A couple comments:
1. Who edits these "articles" for India Mike? They screwed up! For example, the cover photo of my "off-the-beaten-track" article is of the most beaten track in Kerala (ie giant houseboats that pollute the backwaters and cost as much as a 5 star hotel). Then the headlines - I describe an interesting mosque as being on the road to Ernakalum, and the headline is "Ernakalum" - er yes, if you follow that road 25 kms, you will get to Ernakalum. Next one - I mention the nearby synagogue as being different from the Paradesi Synagogue in Fort Cochin. So why is the headline "Paradesi Synagogue, Fort Cochin?"

okay enough griping - I'm glad you all like the article, and I hope I haven't spilled too many important beans about secret places.

2. For those wondering about how Kerala got to be different - I very genuinely recommend the works of Patrick Heller, Jean Dreze, and Amartya Sen mentioned in my original post. They are intelligent and balanced, and reference much of the other relevant literature. Alot of the other stuff written in Kerala is highly partisan - either determined to refute or prove the value of the leftists. Well... the CPI(M) helped the process along... but it is by no means just about the CPI(M). When the CPI(M) first appeared as a major force 50 years ago, Kerala already had a literacy rate exceeding that of Bihar today. And most of the vaunted reforms that the CPI(M) initiated were actually implemented by Congress-led governments.

3. With regards to ex-pat housing: You will either need to learn to speak Malayalam, or make some friends with people who do (generally not all that difficult... but making reliable and permanent friends may be harder than just befriending people). I rented a nice flat with 2 bedrooms in an upscale neighborhood of suburban Thrissur for rs. 3500/month two years ago - so that should give you a sense for things. I also looked at a 6 bedroom house for rs. 6000, but I'm only one guy - so 6 bedrooms seemed excessive. A broadband internet connection, where available, might be rs. 1000/month. Unlike other parts of India, hiring domestic help can be pricey - most laborers/domestics would want rs. 150 or more/day, and a friend calculated that the cost of hiring someone to wash your clothes in Kerala was about the same as going to a laundromat in the US. More rural would probably be alot cheaper in terms of rent - especially in areas with high levels of out-migration, but internet might be unavailable, and services might be lacking. BUT keep in mind that tenant law is very difficult to enforce in a climate where court cases can take many years. Also keep in mind that there aren't a lot of outsiders in rural Kerala - people generally stay close to home or move to the city - and don't generally buy or rent in out-of-the-way rural places. For this reason, people will be reluctant to rent to a stranger, not to mention a weird foreigner. This is why you need to have reliable friends (academic colleagues found me my rental and helped me negotiate with the landlady, who spoke no English). I have heard of ex-pats living in various parts of Kerala, but they often are married in, or are working on long-established social, cultural, or religious projects with locals. If you are thinking seriously about staying in Kerala long-term, find something that already exists which you can contribute to, and get to know the people doing it... I guess that is no different than anywhere else in the world - but in the US it is a little bit easier to walk into a place and rent something.

palerider · Jul 8th, 2009, 05:37

Kerala has a lot of the same laws/social rules as Assam.
Matriarchal Society , property laws, etc, but a lot more people speak English.
They also have the christian thing goin' on, as well as having a much more socialist government than the rest of India.

kenneyjacob · Jul 9th, 2009, 14:09

What do you mean by this "Christian thing" ?

palerider · Jul 9th, 2009, 15:08

I meant there are a lot of christians in Kerala, as there are in Assam.

Crispydosa · Sep 10th, 2009, 20:58

Brilliant piece. It's funny, I was just talking to my 13 yr old daughter about this very topic - how you have such an incredibly richer experience if you step off the beaten track, and I was looking at all the unfamiliar Keralan place names on Google maps. Then I logged onto IM and there it was - your article.

Jul 8th, 2009, 05:37	#64
palerider this is Brad. He's cute Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Armidale, N.S.W., Australia Posts: 2,226	Kerala has a lot of the same laws/social rules as Assam. Matriarchal Society , property laws, etc, but a lot more people speak English. They also have the christian thing goin' on, as well as having a much more socialist government than the rest of India. __________________ I always wanted to be someone when I grew up, I realise now that I should have been more specific.

Jul 9th, 2009, 14:09	#65
kenneyjacob Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Kerala Posts: 137	What do you mean by this "Christian thing" ? __________________ Chowara Beach, Trivandum Kerala Ponmudi Hill Station, Trivandrum Kerala

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Jun 11th, 2009, 22:00	#62
Boston123 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: boston Posts: 242	Awesome report.. IM visitors to Kerala will note the relative equality between men and women. It goes back in part to the Matriarchal society, still found in many parts of Kerala. Although it's not clear to me, yet, why other parts of India are not able to pick up on some of the learnings from Kerala.

Jul 7th, 2009, 22:06	#63
bosquef Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Indiana (USA) Posts: 58	I hadn't looked back at the responses to my post for quite some time. A couple comments: 1. Who edits these "articles" for India Mike? They screwed up! For example, the cover photo of my "off-the-beaten-track" article is of the most beaten track in Kerala (ie giant houseboats that pollute the backwaters and cost as much as a 5 star hotel). Then the headlines - I describe an interesting mosque as being on the road to Ernakalum, and the headline is "Ernakalum" - er yes, if you follow that road 25 kms, you will get to Ernakalum. Next one - I mention the nearby synagogue as being different from the Paradesi Synagogue in Fort Cochin. So why is the headline "Paradesi Synagogue, Fort Cochin?" okay enough griping - I'm glad you all like the article, and I hope I haven't spilled too many important beans about secret places. 2. For those wondering about how Kerala got to be different - I very genuinely recommend the works of Patrick Heller, Jean Dreze, and Amartya Sen mentioned in my original post. They are intelligent and balanced, and reference much of the other relevant literature. Alot of the other stuff written in Kerala is highly partisan - either determined to refute or prove the value of the leftists. Well... the CPI(M) helped the process along... but it is by no means just about the CPI(M). When the CPI(M) first appeared as a major force 50 years ago, Kerala already had a literacy rate exceeding that of Bihar today. And most of the vaunted reforms that the CPI(M) initiated were actually implemented by Congress-led governments. 3. With regards to ex-pat housing: You will either need to learn to speak Malayalam, or make some friends with people who do (generally not all that difficult... but making reliable and permanent friends may be harder than just befriending people). I rented a nice flat with 2 bedrooms in an upscale neighborhood of suburban Thrissur for rs. 3500/month two years ago - so that should give you a sense for things. I also looked at a 6 bedroom house for rs. 6000, but I'm only one guy - so 6 bedrooms seemed excessive. A broadband internet connection, where available, might be rs. 1000/month. Unlike other parts of India, hiring domestic help can be pricey - most laborers/domestics would want rs. 150 or more/day, and a friend calculated that the cost of hiring someone to wash your clothes in Kerala was about the same as going to a laundromat in the US. More rural would probably be alot cheaper in terms of rent - especially in areas with high levels of out-migration, but internet might be unavailable, and services might be lacking. BUT keep in mind that tenant law is very difficult to enforce in a climate where court cases can take many years. Also keep in mind that there aren't a lot of outsiders in rural Kerala - people generally stay close to home or move to the city - and don't generally buy or rent in out-of-the-way rural places. For this reason, people will be reluctant to rent to a stranger, not to mention a weird foreigner. This is why you need to have reliable friends (academic colleagues found me my rental and helped me negotiate with the landlady, who spoke no English). I have heard of ex-pats living in various parts of Kerala, but they often are married in, or are working on long-established social, cultural, or religious projects with locals. If you are thinking seriously about staying in Kerala long-term, find something that already exists which you can contribute to, and get to know the people doing it... I guess that is no different than anywhere else in the world - but in the US it is a little bit easier to walk into a place and rent something.

Jul 9th, 2009, 15:08	#66
palerider this is Brad. He's cute Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Armidale, N.S.W., Australia Posts: 2,226	I meant there are a lot of christians in Kerala, as there are in Assam.

Sep 10th, 2009, 20:58	#67
Crispydosa Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 7	Brilliant piece. It's funny, I was just talking to my 13 yr old daughter about this very topic - how you have such an incredibly richer experience if you step off the beaten track, and I was looking at all the unfamiliar Keralan place names on Google maps. Then I logged onto IM and there it was - your article.