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Published: January 14th 2010
It was time to leave the beautiful Andamans behind and board our flight back to the mainland. We had quickly become fans of the languid island lifestyle and were reluctant to return to the frantic pace of the mainland. But the time had come and we were headed for Chennai.
It was a hot and hectic morning and after checking our bags into the station luggage room we stumbled out into the city and into an Egyptian styled bar. It was swanky and we had a couple of hours to kill before our sleeper train to Kochi so we dove in and were amazed at the choices...and the price, such an increase from Little Andaman! We had a strawberry and mint flavoured hookah pipe and a watermelon cooler. This was a popular place filled with Chennai's elite. Time passed quickly and before we knew it it was time to get back to the train.
We had another long overnight journey ahead of us and apart from the annoyingly loud snoring of a neighbour it passed easily. We're getting to quite enjoy the train travel in India.
When we arrived into Kochi our arranged pickup was no-where to be
seen...one decidedly disjointed phone call to Costa Gama Homestay later, it was clear that they had no idea what I was on about! So we decided it would be much easier to do what we normally do and make our own way there, the independent travellers that we are. A couple of quick hops in auto rickshaws and a ferry crossing through the port, dodging the busy shipping channels, and we were in Fort Cochin an old Portuguese colonial town and very beautiful it seemed.
As the auto-driver procrastinated about how far the homestay was from town and how we would be better off staying in so-and-so's or whats-his-names, we politely declined his offers and looked out of the open sided vehicle at the huge whitewashed churches and small cobbled side alleys, so different to to the India we had seen before.
The homestay was in fact very conveniently located, and once the owners figured out who we were, (it took some time) we were shown to a lovely room complete with balcony and en-suite and were greeted by a clean shaved, newly qualified teacher of 'English as a Foreign Language'... Durks! Beers were consumed on the balcony
while stories of 'Almost camping' and 'midnight hotel holdups' were told.
The three trekkers were reunited once again, and we took a leisurely afternoon stroll around the town. The famous Chinese Fishing Nets lined the beach-side, hanging like spiders-webs over the green algae'd water and the fishermen stood plying their wares in-front of their respective nets, a baby shark here and some tuna there. We walked along the shore and looped back into town passing expensive resorts, restaurants and lush green playing fields. It seemed such a continental place, especially with all the western tourists milling from one market stall to the next.
Durks's time in the wealthy cities of Mumbai and Bangalore had given him the opportunity to experience the delights of an Indian institution..."Cafe Coffee Day", and he took great pleasure in sharing this with Lewi and I. Throughout the rest of India we have struggled to find any coffee that even resembles the real thing and so the true caffeine injection was great and the addictive 'Tropical Iceberg' iced coffee fast became one of our favourite drinks.
Lewi was struck down overnight with a terrible flu bug and so, dosed on paracetamol he spent
the next day sleeping it off. Me playing the role of nurse, with tea and toast being brought in at appropriate intervals.
Kerala is famous for its theatrical performances of the traditional art of Kathikali, and while Lewi dozed Durks and I went to an early evening show. Upon entering the auditorium the sight of the 'actors' applying their elaborate make-up greeted us. Paper-mache appendages and brightly coloured paints brought the faces of the characters they represented to life. The narrator gave a rather over thorough explanation (30mins) of how facial expression and symbolic movement tell the story along with the dialogue which is sung, (or wailed as we discovered). The performance itself turned out to be extremely long and draining and after 2 hours Durks and I, laughing at the experience, returned to find Lewi much recovered and ready to eat!
On our last evening in Fort Cochin we sampled some traditional Keralan fare; fish wrapped in bananna leaves and delicately spiced; and coconut curries...Delicious! And the boys got their wish to watch Villa vs Man U at our new favourite joint "Coffee Day", which didn't finish till 1.30am. (Durks is a Villa fan and so was
very chuffed at the win).
The next day we almost drowned in our own sweat and damaged our backs on the long walk to the bus station and half collapsed onto the uncomfortable seats. We were on our way to Allepey.
Sometimes called the Venice of India, Allepey is a small town built on and around a vast network of canals or backwaters. The best way to explore is obviously by boat and many people chose to stay on houseboats. These are arc-like vessels of varying sizes, with bamboo woven sides and are fully kitted out with all the accommodation you could need, a kitchen and staff! Some even have balconies, flat screen TVs and sleep 10 people very comfortably. It is BIG business, and far far too expensive for us budget travellers.
Happily there are cheaper alternatives, and early next morning we headed down to the riverside to check out our options. As soon as we showed any interest in hiring a long boat we were surrounded by a hoard of boat captains and their negotiators vying for our attention. We decided that the best idea would be to ignore all their offers and walk up
and down the canal and pick the boat we most liked the look of.
A medium sized traditional wooden boat with woven canopy and wicker chairs and a chaise-longe stood out to us, and so 'Captain Mango' became our captain. We had six hours to explore the beautiful backwaters and a friendly grandfather at the helm...off we went.
The busy thoroughfare canal into the town center soon opened up into a much quieter and wider canal. We floated gently, down past moored houseboats and small resort bungalows to the entrance of a 16km long lake running from Allepey to Kochi. From here we diverted off down small backwaters flanked by lush greenery, small settlements and rice fields where women stooped tirelessly to plant and pick the tender rice plants. The overhanging trees created some much welcomed shade and we saw a couple of kingfishers (not the beers) perched on a high branch. Along the banks children and women bathed, washed clothes or plates, and older men line-fished while smoking on banana leaf cigarettes. These backwaters are the main highway between all these tiny villages (and used to be for the whole of Kerala) and many expertly manned small paddle
boats taking people about their daily business passed our boat with a smile and a nod of the head.
We stopped at a local restaurant for a delicious thali served on a banana leaf, which we ate with our hands and washed down with a refreshing coca cola. In this tranquil water world it seemed such a shame to stay above the surface. So we asked our captain if we were able to swim, he took us to an appropriate point and in we jumped. It was cool but not cold and felt silky and heavier than the salty sea water we had been swimming in. Feeling refreshed and slightly concerned for the fish beneath him, Durks attempted to clamber back into the boat. Much to our captains displeasure he got the black paint from the newly painted hull all over his legs. tut tut tut.
Time was passing quickly, and the calm and peace of the backwaters had relaxed us completely. The afternoon drifted by in a haze of gorgeous scenery; watery expanses as far as the eye could see and coconut palms silhouetted on a peach sky, it was truely beautiful.
After having explored the
stunning backwaters we felt there was not much more we wished to see in Allepey and so we headed up the coast to Kannur....
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Josho
non-member comment
Kerala
Are you guys planning on putting this into a book on return? great writing. In November me and Courty were one of the people on the boats with the flat TV's out of Aleppey! How beautiful are the backwaters?! Glad you enjoyed it so much - looking forward to reading more...