the houseboat post

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The nautical experience on the houseboat has been nth short of cosmic, very staggering indeed. We waltzed thru’ the convoluted corridors and alleys that defy even GPS technology! This is something really nonpareil for me; doing the 2 day slowboat ride from chiang khong (thailand) to luang prabang (laos) before was unprecedented, but nothing like the therapeutic poise and repose that a ride thru’ the backwaters of Kerala engenders. The ride lulls you into a reverie, an almost comatose induced by the sun-kissed waters, and the very rudimentary way of life that almost suspends disbelief as i think about the disparate urban jungle i have to embrace reluctantly in about in 6 weeks. As we traipsed through the waters, it is a world away from mainland/town allepey; where we are far extricated from the raucous and strident blares of the autos, and the heat wave that threatens to consume us all. The only audible soundbites we pick up are the thuds & striking from local folk, of their (wet) laundry, as they lay siege on slabs of concrete, launching salvo after salvo to dry their laundry (as opposed to wringing it haha). It resonates emphatically thru’ and the ensuing rhythm is very groovy, very much like the proverbial Indian head-wobble (universal language of love; which can mean yes/anything/can do/etc) that we groove to as well haha.

Its almost chimerical, seeing the patterning of religious, family, school (etc) routinal life unfold on the keralan backwaters; and how it has withstood the test of time. From the likes of toddy-tapping “microbreweries”, to the mandatory and socially-binding (haha) bath and dish-washing in the river, even folks with their machetes hewing into trees for banana leaves (then using it for thali meals), to tiffin-wallahs plying the straits, it all makes for a very idyllic dreamscape. No wonder they say that kerala is ‘god’s own country’. Words cant quite do it justice and will prolly not ever suffice, so enjoy the visual feast! we'd be headed to cochi in awhile to soak up more of kerala!

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Photos

pimp my ride
cue sunblock (for me) and suntan lotion (for her)

iron chef
iron chef in hell's kitchen haha

river taxi
venice of the east, not quite venetian gondola ride though.

fishy business
angling, old school

dabbawallah
tiffin-wallahs, wet and wide.
did anyone say macs delivery??

microbrewery
pump room? brewerkz? red dot??toddy tapping in the house yo. moonshine from coconut and palm trees la, the original organic

layeth the smackdown!
haha they dont do wring or spin dry. just a good ol fashion clobbering. anger management, anyone?

wash-a-teria
this was long before the dawn of laundromats and launderettes

tools of the trade
hammer & sickle, communism, kerala.

grim grub
haha washing the grain in the river; hungry already??

wanderlust
walking about a village after we anchored for the night. b with an endearing kid!

obligatory ghats
ubiquitous in india. whether down sacred water tanks in hindu temples, or the humble everyday shower.
bar soap and shower sponge added, for good measure.

doused in magic water
banana leaf for your briyani rice anyone?
dont worry quality control not compromised haha

Comments

[Rebecca]

I'm in tears