Mala Vaishnav embarks on a journey without a destination and romances the river on board the Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda, in the picturesque backwaters of Kerala.

I am in the elegantly appointed Vrinda suite of the Trident Hilton, looking out through a large picture window at a swimming pool, rippling with langourous shapes and a cobbled courtyard, flush with foliage. But since the sun's rays are already dimming into gentler hues of orange and the town's palm-fringed silhouette begs for attention, we grab our cameras and leave the joys of luxurious living for later. Kochi (formerly Cochin), the principal port on the Malabar Coast, is moist with fresh rainfall and at Fort Kochi, the erstwhile European Quarter, we are just in time to watch the billowing Chinese fishing nets, being 'anchored' to the shore against long, slim logs. A trail of kiosks on the seafront hawk shell artefacts, miniature wooden elephants, even fresh slivers of the catch of the day which deftly move from 'you buy, we fry' stalls. A distinctly novel snack from the bhel and bhutta on Mumbai beaches!

Mattancherry, home to the antique bazaar, spice market and the 400-year-old Jewish synagogue, is bustling with western tourists bargaining for traditional, brass urlis (circular water containers) and the ubiquitous silver armband. The synagogue, a lonely sentinel of a prosperous past, when Kochi boasted a sizeable Jewish population, still preserves scrolls of the Old Testament and about 300 exquisite, hand painted Chinese tiles, each unique from the other.

Dinner is feasting on fiery Malabar prawn curry, fluffy appams and a khus seekh kebab at the multi-cuisine restaurant, The Travancore. My colleague, flag-bearer of no-nonsense vegetarianism, sighs with resignation in her usual fashion at my carnivorous tendencies and settles for an 'international' meal of Mediterranean salad and a vegetable noodle nest.

The next morning, the romance with the river begins. Sleek, black vehicles transport hotel guests to the Vembanad Lake jetty in a matter of an hour and a few minutes, where we board the Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda for a two-day sojourn into the tranquil backwaters of Kerala.

For the rest of the article, pick up VERVE’s January-February, 2005 issue