Kerala: Gods own country

So It all left off in Mysore and begins in Mysore. Before our train at 6 pm martin and I went downstairs and got some real good Indian breakfast... Masala dosa and chai. We then walked from our place about 2 or 3 kilometers to the more residential area of mysore and just watched the people live there colorful lives. I haven't been to northern india yet but most people say its a lot more colorful with the saris and the architecture then the north. The people here are also very nice and a lot more friendly then in Mumbai. The train to Bangalore was not as fun. We had a 3 hour layover in Bangalore and decided to get out and walk around as the train station is right near the city center. Compared to Mumbai Bangalore is supposed to be tame but it was still total madness, filth and stentch to me. Whoever told India that open sewers was a good idea should have be forced to spend the rest of eternity in one. After getting fed up with the crowds and stench Martin grabbed some street food and I went with a nicer a/c place. I eat the street food all the time but getting sick with a 12 hour overnight train ride did not seem appealing ( if you have seen an Indian train bathroom you would understand). We arrived in Kochin to the hottest weather I have ever been exposed to. It felt someone was constantly pouring boiling water all over your body. The city was great though. Really old and very european looking. We stayed right by the old fort in a rooftop hostel that costa bout $2 a night. Can't get much better than that. We spent the day on a boat taxi that drives around to all of the tourist desinations. SInce it is so hot we were the only non indians on the boat. There we met this crazy alcoholic catholic indian named sonni and a really nice family from Hyderbad that offered us a place to stay if I stop by the city (I may do that on my way up north). I won't bore you with details but I took a video of sonni downing about 2-3 shots of whisky and yelling wahhhhhh like he did all the time. By the end of the tour he was so drunk he was screaming in Malalaym the local langauge and making up a fake tour of the dutch palace. It was great to have a laugh with this guy untill he got a little rowdy (unfortunatly we went out for a beer with him after and I hope he caught his train home). Aftward we had some fun bargaing with the people at teh seafood market. Its popular with teh tourists to by fish and have a place cook it up for you. We bought and had a full tuna grilled for us for about $2.50. It was damn good. Probably the only time I will eat seafood in India but you know its fresh. Teh second day in Kochi we checked out this other island and walked along the beach. My only problem with Kochi is that the Indians keep there beaches littered with trash. I have come to the realization that indians are really good at making a beautiful area look like shit becasue they just throw the trash wherever they want. There method of trash removal is setting the bin on fire, in most towns you can smell burning as you go through. Its something to hard for me and most westerners to comprehend. Here comes the good part. Martin, this Malteese dude Ivan and I all rented a houseboat. It was probably the single best thing I have done in India. It is a tropical paradise in freshwater. Not only do they cook amazing Keralan food for you but they make you chai whenever you want and the views are spectacular. Our boat had a top deck that I slept on under my mosquito net. I really wanted to do another day. It is so far away from all the cities and and noise. It was a perfect getaway. I only wish Betsy was there.... Today after teh houseboat we had a terrifying 4 hour busride through the mountains and tea plantations to Kumily near the Keriyar tiger reserve. I have never been so scared on a bus in my life. There were multiple times where I thought this was it. THe buses don't slow down aroudn the blind hairpin turns going around the mountians they just honk the horn and hope for the best. It was better than a rollercoaster ride at cedar point. The place we are staying in is really nice, it has a great garden and a view of the park and the surrounding tea planations. i will shutup now and let the pictures do the talking.

---

---