This travel piece—photographed for Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia—took me throughout India’s southwestern state of Kerala with writer Duncan Forgan. In Kochi, we walked spice-perfumed streets and watched the sun set over the Arabian Sea. In Munnar, we hiked over rolling hills and tea plantations in the Western Ghats. Near the Periyar River, we slashed our way through dense forests and watched men climb for palm wine, which we drank alongside chemmeen curry in a small thatch hut surrounded by rice fields. And in Alleppey, where Kettuvallams ferry travelers through brackish backwaters, we steered off course to a hidden restaurant, savoring curries and whole fish on banana leaves while listening to lapping waters and distant birdsong. A memorable trip with great company in God’s Own Country.