I am an American citizen planning to move to karalla in India as soon as possible. if any one has been to kerala or happen to know anyone there would highly appreciate the feed back as to living there and all aspects of life one has explored.
Thanks
Camden

Kerala is certainly extremely beautiful but it depends really on what you are looking for & how long really you want to stay. To get a decent grasp on the place if you have never been I would recommend staying a few nights in Cochin , the airport is quite nice & only about an hr away from the town, taxi?s are cheap. You can book a hotel online, [I liked Fort Cochin] The town is very historic but all of this you can find out in the Lonely Planet Guide. The town of Ernakulam is a very cheap ferry ride away & worth a quick visit if only to get a feel of life in an Indian mini city, [if its a quite & peaceful time your after stay away from built up area`s]. You must take the backwaters tour, that leaves from Allepey an hr south of Cochin or better still book online to stay at a residence on the backwaters, [Emerald isle] is a nice homestay, run by a very nice Syrian family, you can find them online]. If it is a quiet & peaceful beach you are after that gives you nothing to do but imagine you have drifted back in time 100 yrs & doesn?t cost that much then I recommend taking an 8 hr train ride from Ernakulam [ there are 2 stations so watch out that you are at the right one] North to Tellicherry or Thallasary, [same place] then a 10 minute tuk tuk ride to Muzhappilangad beach. The tuk tuk can drive along the beach until you come to The Beach Pavilion homestay, when there ask for Mohan the owner,[ tell him that Paul recommended him & you may get a discount] The beach is approximately 2.5 miles long, wide with gentle surf, the water is quite warm & very safe although after the rainy season can get a bit polluted. Although cars etc can drive along the beach they are rare except on holidays usually you find just the fisher men hauling in their nets & local boys playing cricket [after school]. The homestay provides meals which are basic but not bad & you get some wonderful characters staying there long term, i.e. Geri the German, Big Brian the English man & his Norwegian girlfriend Ingeborg [February- March]. You wake up to the sound of the women beating up the washing on a rock then walk down to the fishermen?s hut where you can buy a cup of Chai for about 3 rupees or stay in bed until one of the staff wakes up & opens up the kitchen. Its a funky place & you may find a property to buy on the beach & end up living there [the worlds cheapest beach property] the Indians with money prefer to live close to the road [go figure]. There is a very good Indian restaurant in Tellicherry on Logan st called [Ra Ra Revis] don?t ask me why. Good luck. Mysore is a nice city the others are best avoided until you are used to India. Don?t drink the water but you knew that. When in Alleppey, there is a cafe next to where you catch the boat for the backwaters cruise, DO NOT EAT THERE. [ I did unfortunately it ruined the next two days.
Thanks
Bennett