Hi Everyone
Long time no speak so lots to tell!
We caught the overnight bus down to Kochi from Madurai (10 hours) and I did fear for our lives on a couple of occasions. My backside left the seat a few times and it wasn't down to the increased flatulence as a result of a vegetarian diet!! The roads out here are appauling (what we've seen so far) and these guys drive like they're trying to run away from their scariest monster! The bus pulled into (rather screeched into) Ernakulam - Kerala at 5.00am, 2 hours ahead of schedule! We were shaken awake by the driver who promptly told us to jump ship, so there we were, half alseep in the middle of nowhere trying to negotiate a rickshaw to our homestay - we got there eventually having had to ask directions about 10 times!! It was another test of my nerves but we pulled through!!
We stayed in Fort Kochi for 4 nights. This place is a travellers paradise, a little more expensive than other places but still very cheap compared to the UK. For me it's nice to see other travellers around, makes me feel less like an alien! We saw a show at the Kathakali Centre which displays traditional Keralan dance and music, the make up show was great but not a patch on Dawn's work at Clarins! The Chinese fishing nets are quite breathtaking, amazing how these things manage to still work after hundreds of years. The food down here is great too, we're mostly sticking to veggie food still but we've surprised ourselves with how much we enjoy it - so much taste!
We then headed on the public transport to Alleppy in search of a houseboat experience and boy did we find one! It was a little more expensive than we wanted but worth every single rupee! THe onboard crew were lovely (the captain looked like an Indian version of Howie Henderson), the food was very special and it was so peaceful, just sitting on the desk reading a good book and waving at the passers by - We would recommend it to anyone if they're in this part of the world. There are a lot less tourists in Alleppy but I found that the people are far more friendly - a smile goes a long way in this country but you're normally the initiator!
We headed back to Fort Kochi a another couple of days to stock up on essentials and then we're heading up to Callicut, hoping to get a pass into the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
We're doing OK...still a lot to learn about this but we're starting to settle into it a bit more. We think of our family and friends a lot of the time and miss our creature comforts but then thats expected. The time is going very slow for us which is good, we needed to slow down!
When we find somewhere that will allow us to upload photos well put some on.
Lots of Love
Licci
xx
