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Beaches in Kerala:Varkala beach
Flanked on the western coast by the Arabian Sea, Kerala has a long coastline of 580 km (360.39 miles); all of which is virtually dotted with sandy beaches.
Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram was among the first beaches in Kerala to attract tourists. Rediscovered by back-packers and tan-seekers in the sixties and followed by hordes of hippies in the seventies, Kovalam is today the most visited tourist destination in the state.[9][10][11]
Other popularly visited beaches in the state include those at Alappuzha Beach,Nattika beach[Thrissur], Vadanappilly beach[Thrissur], Cherai Beach, Kappad, Kovalam, Marari beach, Fort Kochi and Varkala. The Muzhappilangad Beach beach at Kannur is the only drive-in beach in India.
Kerala Backwaters
The backwaters in Kerala are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast). Kettuvallam (Kerala houseboats) in the backwaters are one of the prominent tourist attractions in Kerala. Alleppey, known as the "Venice of the East" has a large network of canals that meander through the town. The Vallam Kali (the Snake Boat Race) held every year in August is a major sporting attraction.
The backwater network includes five large lakes (including Ashtamudi Kayal and Vembanad Kayal) linked by 1500 km of canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually the entire length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range.
Ayurveda
Medical tourism, promoted by traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Siddha are widely popular in the state, and draws increasing numbers of tourists. A combination of many factors has led to the increase in popularity of medical tourism: high costs of healthcare in industrialised nations, ease and affordability of international travel, improving technology and standards of care.
European prepares to command ISS
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By Irene Klotz
Science reporter |
Franck de Winne (l) will take over command in August
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Next week, European astronaut Frank De Winne will leave Russia's cosmonaut training centre outside of Moscow and fly to neighboring Kazakhstan, where a Soyuz rocket is being prepared to carry him and two crewmates to the International Space Station.
They will be the 20th crew to staff the station, but this time the current residents aren't coming right home.
They'll all live together, six in space, finally fulfilling a plan for full-time science operations aboard the nearly complete orbital outpost.
After four months in orbit, De Winne, who is scheduled for launch on 27 May, will take over as commander, becoming the first European in charge of a crew in orbit.
"A big part of the mission is to step up to the six-person crew," De Winne said in an interview. "We think we're up to the task."
De Winne will be flying to the station with Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk.
They will join commander Gennady Padalka, Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt and Japan's Koichi Wakata.
When Padalka leaves in August, De Winne, 48, a former pilot and squadron leader in the Belgian Air Force, steps into the command post.
He has made one previous spaceflight, a nine-day research mission aboard the station in 2002. De Winne also served as the backup to European astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who lived aboard the station last year to oversee the setup of Europe's Columbus laboratory.
Extensive training
De Winne has received extensive training for his new job, including work in conflict resolution.
"As commander of the space station your biggest job is to keep the crew in a good mood and to make sure the crew is comfortable and well-rested and can do the job to the best of their abilities," he said.
"One of the ways to do that is to make sure that there are no conflicts amongst the crewmembers or between the crew and the ground because then people are thinking about what worries them and not the job that they have to do," De Winne said.
"We have talks with psychologists and specialists about this topic. This is an integral part of this training," he added.
Last updated by BLOCK Oct 9.
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