From the archive record
The backwaters of Kochi are infested with Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) but can afford a lovely cruise that brings up everyday life in South India. The mystical land of Kerala, also known as 'GOD'S OWN COUNTRY' lies between the Lakshadweep sea and the Western Ghats. It has a humid equatorial tropic climate. The eastern Kerala province consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys directly to the west of the Western Ghats' rain shadow. The highest peak is Anamudi at an elevated at 2,695 meters. At the west of the mountains lie the midland plains comprising central Kerala, dominated by rolling hills and valleys. Kerala's western coastal belt is somewhat flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Keral