On Saturday morning, we woke up with the crows in Calangute for an early flight to Kochi in Kerala, the most south-west province of India. From the airport, we hopped directly on a bus to Allepey. We thought we were lucky having found a straight shot down there - little did we know we'd caught a local bus, which in India means that they ceaselessly cram it full of people forcing us to hold our packs (40 lbs or so) on our laps for the remainder of the three-hour trip (normally 1 hour). Not the ideal mode of transport in the sweltering heat and humidity, which inevitably brings out everyone's funkiest smells.
Once we arrived in Allepey, we planned to catch a houseboat and lazily drift down Kerala's plethora of backwater canals. We immediately met a student working to promote an eco-friendly model at cheap rates. We hopped in a rickshaw (tuk-tuk) and followed him to a 60ft boat made of rubberwood and a thatched roof. We didn't fail to notice that it was the only boat with a sundeck, a necessary amenity for our still pale skins. Grant, the British owner/builder of the boat and professional nomad, explained the eco systems used on the boat such as deisel motor and built-in sewage system, and we were soon sold. We agreed to spend two nights and two days relaxing amid scenic canals, rice paddies, tropical villages, and fresh water for swimming.
Captain JaiKumar, a former fisherman, drove the boat while attempting conversations with us that centered around gerunds such as "looking, seeing, standing, talking." Baboo (a.k.a. "Captain Cook") served us feasts 3 times a day of the best Indian food we have had yet!! Along the route, we stopped to pick up some fresh fish, which he usually fried in cocunut oil and other spices. Occasionally, we would dock at little villages where children and adults promptly stood at the side of our boat and engaged us in staring contests. Other would converse with us, such as a woman who was washing her clothes on the side of the stream. She explained the way her "washing machine" worked - essentially slamming clothes on a rock until all the soap came out. Others simply smiled and exhibited further demonstrations of the "head-wobble", which we have come to love and smile at every time we see it!
After two days of card games, reading, eating, and swimming, we exited the "Green Palm," and headed into the nearest town to catch a bus down south to Varkala. Unbeknownst to us, it is impossible to catch a local bus that isn't already empty. All the locals stand around and wait for the bus to arrive. When it comes, everyone makes a mad dash for the doors and files onto the bus until it is physically impossible to get a foot in the door. Needless, to say, we made two fruitless attempts with our packs on our backs before giving up and bargaining with a cab driver to take us. In the end, we preferred a two-hour ride in the old white ambassador cabs as opposed to standing room on a crowded bus.
We arrived in Varkala mid-afternoon and basked in the beauty of the tiny village set on tall red cliffs overlooking the ocean. Yoga centers, restaurants, vendors, ayurvedic clinics and hotels are dotted along the cliff, and steep stairs lead you down to a calm, serene beach mixed with traces of black sand. For the next few days, we plan to relax, eat lots of fresh fish (on display outside of every restaurant), practice yoga at sunset, and enjoy the rest of (as bobby puts it) "India Part 1: Beaches."
Peace, smiles, and sunshine!
Dimity
