So here we are, back on the Kayal. 
This backwater network is used for transport, coir production, agriculture, shellfish farming, fishing and is a major draw for the tourism industry. 
We hired a boat with crew for a few hours and headed out. Not much to do except chat, sip a beer, watch the world go by. 
We stopped at a waterside fish shop to supplement lunch.
We handed over the catch to the galley crew, one man from Nepal and the other from Assam, neither of whom spoke much English nor Malayalam. The tour operator reassured us they could cook in the authentic Malayali tradition.
We set off
After a while I popped down to see how they were doing.
They seemed to be doing alright.
Crab
Chicken. 
Prawns skewered on eerkil, the stalks of the leaves of coconut palms. 
Karimeen fish. 
Chicken curry
Crab curry,cooked almost dry.
Crab, Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti, Pulisheri.
Banana fritters and masala chai to finish.
Bonus pics:
