Cruising the backwaters of Kerala is one of the most serene, beautiful and peaceful things I have been lucky enough to experience in the whole of India and an highlight of my time in Kerala. The Kerala backwaters is a system of canals stretching 900 km across Kerala incorporating rivers, lakes and lagoons all lined by palm tress of a thousand shades of green, paddy fields and colorful houses and a way of life that seems romantically unchanged for centuries.