Kovalam

---

In a daring maneuver, we've circled Kerala and approached from the South, catching it completely by surprise and gaining a foothold in the state! It's not clear whether we'd just panicked and we would have been able to find accommodation during late December, but waiting can't have hurt.

Possibly our best executed piece of travelling to get here - we caught a cheap rickshaw to the bus stand, and the 'government bus' turned up almost immediately. Not enough demand for private buses from here we guess. The government buses look fairly uniform throughout India - ancient, swaying metal tanks with chipped paint and layers of road dust. Luckily, the bus was relatively empty and we found that our packs would fit in the overhead bin. After a few stops it was quite full, but the roads were decent so the ride was not bad (4 hours) and cheap (84 Rs altogether). We only were in doubt briefly at Trivendrum, but found out from the conductor that the bus hit Kovalam on the way back, so we sat tight. (Every bus has a conductor as well as driver, and they're always quite efficient and helpful, if businesslike) Farah spotted our intended hotel from the bus and we were let out just a few steps away. Perfect!

As advertised, Kerala is a giant coconut palm grove. Kovalam is a small resort town and reminds us of Goa being completely centered around tourism and full of foreign tourists. There are a few crowded strips of beach sandwiched between rocky headlands, one sporting an excellent looking red and white striped lighthouse. The sea seems rougher and the swimming is apparently dangerous - there are signs and a guard that directs swimmers to the safe part for swimming. The waves are big enough that a few people have even been trying surfing. Also, Farah believes the stuff for sale looks to be better quality here.

Farah tried out the famous Keralan ayurvedic massage; I'd actually tried it when in Goa and her reaction was the same as mine; somewhat surprisingly exposed and uncomfortably goopy. The procedure is performed with minimal clothing, and involves quantities of oil and herbal-whatnot slathered on. The motion is a sort of ploughing of the flesh in long fluid motions following symmetrical patterns rather than the squeezing and pushing motions you may associate with 'normal' massage. Farah's also featured 'foot massage' which to her surprise meant that the woman dangled gymnastically from a hanging rope while using her feet to massage! Overall, it is undeniably pleasant, but the first instinct following is to shower and change clothes. Apparently you can book into some of these dedicated places and spend days following a detailed treatment program including diet to cure what ails you.

Seafood is plentiful here, fishermen in teams heave on ropes to drag the nets ashore as we saw in Goa. At night the restaurants lay out some of the available catch at the entrance- good looking stuff; huge seer fish, shrimp and crabs, but the heat and lack of refrigeration give me pause.

We've explored the town and are planning our move North to see the chief Keralan attraction - the Backwaters. It's a huge swampy area of channels formed by barrier islands. I expect it to be something like the bayou at New Orleans.

---

Comments

[Steve]

Saying hey
Hey guys! The Boots and I are sitting here on a weeknight whilst I negotiate a fine deal on eBay - a tactic I call the "drop ship from Malaysia special". Like your parcels, we will see if I actually get the shipment. Like Jenny said, it's vicarious living for us - so keep adventuring and the like. On the weather front, our temperature finally doesn't resemble yours - for the first time in months we dropped below 0 deg. C. I can actually use the Ice Skates I got for Christmas without also having to purchase the "Nike/Bauer Global Warming Wetsuit", a device that has been introduced this year to help those that love their hockey cope with the slush like conditions we are experiencing. Sounds like you are having tons of fun. We're watching. Rock on. Steve