end of south 2.

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The final days down south brought us to the Kerala backwaters for a homestay with a local family. The backwaters is a made up of a few dozen islands where canoe transport is necessary for getting anywhere. Here we were really able to spend some time with the locals and learn about their local religion and caste system which we may never have otherwise learned first hand. The caste system involves/separates everyone from the 'dirt diggers' to the 'toti toppers'.

Toti toppers we learned make a local alcohol that one can really only find in the backwaters. That night, our homestay brothers Mathew and Thomas invited Magee and I out for some Toti. We obviously took their invitation and hopped into a canoe with a third new friend paddling and we were on our way. Downpour. I don't remember too many times in my life I have felt water so strong. We thought maybe our new friends would change their minds about our night out together, but we continued on and in Kerala fashion - the boys started singing the most incredible traditional songs. With each call and response, Magee and I tried to catch the drift of their songs, but really only ended up with shouts and hurrahs.

We stopped by the first Toti bar but it was closed. It was quite obvious that they were fresh out of Toti, by the looks of the 15 or so men sitting on a dock outside the shop - their legs dangling into the water while they shouted and laughed together. The rain did not let up but we continued on. We got to a second place and with luck they were still serving.

The bar itself was really just a run down abandoned building full of stools and pieces of wood and concrete blocks that had been made into tables. We sat and were brought 4 or 5 filthy glass bottles filled with what looked like curdled milk. Tasted about the same, a combination of vinegar and coconut milk - delicious. We passed the bottles around as the local alcoholics looked on.

The rain had let up but only long enough for us to hop back into the boats. On came the rain and on came the boat songs. Our moonlit canoe ride back to a home cooked meal and a soft bed was the perfect end to our trip before heading back to the city via a packed local bus the next day.

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