Kerala Backwaters

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This is one of the places I was most looking forward to exploring in India and it certainly lived up to expectations. Kerala is a beautiful lush green state on the south western tip of India. We arrived in Kollam and within an hour we had booked our lodgings for the night, a ferry for the next day to take us from Kollam to Alleppey, a homestay on the edge of the backwaters with paddy fields behind, and 24 hours on a houseboat around the backwaters of Alleppey. In Kollam we stayed right beside the beach where Vinny had fun poking in holes for crabs. (check out the photo) The next day we set off on the ferry journey travelling on the major canal route, it lasted eight hours and was very relaxing, watching life in the villages we passed. The ferry dropped us of at our homestay where we had a very tasty home cooked meal. While exploring the backwater canals by foot the next morning we came across a teenage girl walking a young calf on a lead. We stopped, the cow stopped and just looked at each other (Vinny no doubt thought to himself, steak), next thing the cow turned 180 and bolted, pulling the girl behind it. The poor girl could only stop it by wrapping the rope around a palm tree. It was the funniest thing we've ever seen, it reminded us so much of when you see a large dog pulling a small child behind it. Our last day was spent on a houseboat which traveled around the smaller, quieter canals. It was surprisingly roomy with a proper sitting area, bedroom and bathroom with full size shower. There was a crew of three aboard to do everything including the cooking. The local food was delicious - we had fresh rice and is so light and fluffy and tastes so much better than the dried rice we get at home. Whilst on the backwaters we saw so many local people in their canoes - children rowing home after school, a farmer and his milk churns, ducks being herded along, a builder moving a load of bricks - all to a backdrop of palm trees. We had such a wonderful time, we were tempted to stay on another few days but after much debate we agreed it was time to pack up and get going again.

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