Catherine. R. Lee is on her third visit to Kerala. Her former visits had so fascinated her that she can?t resist coming back.

This 66-year-old journalist from Austin, Texas, works for numerous American newspapers, mainly the ?Arizona Republican Gazette?, and has also edited many books. Ms. Lee first visited Kerala in 1986 when she stayed for four months. In 1994, she returned to stay for a longer period. Ms. Lee is attracted to the rich culture and traditions of this land and is particularly fascinated by the people, who she describes as ?extremely hospitable and polite.? She had participated in the Onam festival and liked the Athapoo. Kerala cuisine appeals to her taste buds and she is especially fond of Pulicheri, Koottukari and gooseberry pickle. She also claims to breakfast on idlis everyday.

Ms. Lee who has traveled almost the entire length and breadth of the land is full of appreciation for her natural beauty, cultural wealth and her high rate of literacy that is superior to that of her own country. She calls it a tourists? paradise and a top destination.

Reiterating that Kerala has all the ingredients to contribute to overall tourism development, Ms. Lee hopes that Kerala will maintain her rich traditions in the face of urbanization and westernization. These forces were destroying the natural beauty of the land by encouraging concrete structures and cutting of trees, and had also triggered a change in the choice of clothes from saris and dhotis to salwars and western clothes.  She wishes that the ancient Tharavadu could be preserved.

The foreign tourist, she says, do not want a westernized Kerala or five-star comforts already available in their countries. As a well wisher of Kerala, she hopes that in the future, Kerala will develop her infrastructure, educate the masses on environmental degradation and maintain and strengthen the rich culture and tradition unique to this land.