South India

Justine Shapiro travels through South India, an enchanting land of Hindu Temples, hill forts, pigeon English and vegetarianism that has become a favorite destination for your backpackers. Beginning in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu, she masters the art of eating with her fingers. She travels south to a typical market town of Gingee and then further south to the temple city of Madurai, one of south India's oldest cities. Justine joins the locals in one of town's 50 cinemas before witnessing the colorful Hindu Float festival. An overnight train takes Justines west to Quilon in the state of Kerala,sun-drenched coast is pockmarked with little bays and beaches, such as Varkala. Varkala has become a popular destination for seasoned India travelers who are venturing further south now that the old hippie hangout of Goa has been overrun by package tourists. Justine takes a boat trip through the backwaters of Kerala-a system of lakes and waterways that lies just below sea level and covers 350 square miles. On the final leg of her trip, Justine leaves the mainland India and heads west to the idyllic Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.