by Ellis Veen from Backpack Adventures
One of these places where I felt totally disconnected with the rest of the world was at Vijay’s homestay at Monrothuruttu island in Kerala, India. Kerala’s backwaters are the perfect place to relax. The pace of life along the canals is slow and there is nothing more peaceful than sitting in a boat watching the people along the shores washing and fishing. Some of the places are quite touristic though and tend to get crowded, especially around Alleppey, also called the Venice of India.
Monrothuruttu is still an undiscovered gem. Munroe Island is a rural place with some farms and an intricate maze of canals and wetlands in a jungle of palm trees. Vijay can take you in his canoe through the smallest canals and will point out all the birds he sees, including the beautiful kingfisher. This was, without a doubt, the highlight of my stay, but it’s only a part of the experience of Vijay’s homestay.
The other part is being pampered by his mother with the most delicious Keralan food. There is not much else to do on the island, which makes it the perfect place to relax and simply take in the beauty of your surroundings. 
This guest post was written by Ellis Veen from Backpack Adventures. Ellis was born in a small town in the Netherlands, but from a young age dreamed about exploring the world beyond her hometown. She was inspired by her mother who loved traveling to the Middle East and took her on her first backpacking trip to Egypt when she was 14. Since then she took every opportunity she had to travel to unusual places. She is a curious person and her passion for learning about other cultures has led her to study cultural anthropology and psychology. No matter how much she learned at University, the best school in life is the world itself. Her first solo trip was to India. After surviving the madness and chaos there, she believed she could travel anywhere in the world. Follow her on her blog and on her on Instagram for more stories.
IngridZenMoments 