Summer is here, with sunshine, mangoes, and memories of school vacations. Here’s a post that raises a toast to summer days!

This summer I have a friend coming to stay at home for a week – Kyra, an exchange student from Italy. She is making the most of her term break by visiting Kerala, well known among tourist circles as ‘God’s Own Country’. The epithet is apt, partly because Kerala has one of the most pleasant climates in the world.

Here, my favourite time of the year is neither winter nor summer but that peculiar windy season from late October to early January. Even as I write this down, I can hear the wind rustling through the green fronds of swaying coconut palms… Yes, this coastal state in South India is humid but once you get over the initial surprise, it becomes bearable, because your skin and hair will thank you for the humidity. Not many may care about that, but Kyra does and so do I!

Kyra enjoys the outdoors, and so we plan to hit the beaches and the backwaters. We’ll first go to Alappuzha where a houseboat on the backwaters is the best place to listen to the gentle lullaby of the waves. I am sure Kyra will enjoy “kappem meenum” which is Malayalam for “tapioca and fish”. Somehow the English translation makes the dish seem far less mouthwatering than it actually is. If we are daring enough, we will try a dash of toddy, which is the alcohol made locally from tender coconut.

And then on to the beaches, of which there is an abundance in Kerala. Kovalam is one of the most talked-about beaches and offers good seafood as well, so that’s our destination. My (slightly biased) opinion is that beaches in Kerala are more beautiful than those in Goa or Dubai. I hope Kyra agrees!

Two days there, and then we go to Kochi where nature meets modernity in a port town that also has a naval base and an international airport. There my plan even includes getting Kyra to buy and wear the kasavu mundu, the traditional off-white coloured gold-bordered two-piece attire of Malayali women! The next day we will be off to Thrissur to watch a traditional temple dance performance, known as thaiyyam, during the temple festival near my house. Thaiyyam is markedly different from typical dance performances, and I’m sure we will both enjoy it.

Before making her plans to come to Kerala, Kyra asked me about the weather here. And this is what I told her: Kerala is not a hill station (unless you go to Munnar and give the beaches a miss). But that doesn’t mean you avoid the place in summer. Instead, arm yourself with protective gear from the house of Lakme Sun Expert, pack lots of cotton clothes, and then have a blast!

I also told her that Kerala is a place unlike anywhere else in the world. If you don’t believe me, check out this video titled ‘Your Moment is Waiting’ from Kerala Tourism. It portrays quasi-natural experiences that a tourist has in Kerala, far removed from the loud sounds and flashy images typically shown in tourism ads. While your own experience as a tourist could vary widely from that shown in the ad, it is very much possible to find inner peace and get in touch with “the real you” in the calm environs of Kerala.

P.S.: The motivation behind this post is an IndiBlogger contest sponsored by Lakme India. Lakme is a brand I admire, and more importantly, one that I trust. The latter quality is especially important for a cosmetics brand. To know more about Lakme and the contest, check out http://www.facebook.com/ilovelakme

P.P.S.: Half of the contents above are fictional, but I am not saying which half!