All Boys India Trip 09: April 2009

After a 4 hour drive from Thekkady, the Three Amigos, (no Merv) arrived at the Houseboat around 1330 hrs. It was a very cool looking boat. (see pics) We had flowers placed around our necks as we got on board by a very pleasant crew of three. Two of them spoke English so we could communicate well. We took off down the Kerala backwaters, a beautiful series of large canals with rice paddy fields on both sides. We pulled over at a random spot for lunch, good Indian food cooked right there in the kitchen of the boat. This boat had two bedrooms, each with a separate bath, a long hallway down one side with a sink and mirror in the middle between the two bedrooms. The front had the wheel, an area for one person to lay and relax, four large chair with a coffee table between and a dining table and four chairs. After lunch, we headed down the backwaters until 1800 hrs where we pulled over to a random spot for the night. I guess I better explain that there are people living all down these canals. Most of them work the rice fields, some the houseboats. It is a very different lifestyle, living on an area of land one house wide, very quiet, having to use boats or canoes to get around. The 3 of us went for a walk with some young kids who live along the canals as guides. We got back to the boat around 1930, another good meal at 2000 and just sat in the dark quiet talking until about 2200. It was pretty hot and muggy (no cuddling) but not unbearable, approx 35 C with 95% humidity. The bedrooms had good A/C units so we had a cool sleep, actually had to use a blanket. We had a great wireless connection on the laptop so we all got some stuff done on the internet before early to bed. The internet connection was so good that I spoke to Pearl and the kids for about 30 minutes on Skype which was very cool! I miss them!!
The next morning, breakfast was at 0700 with a beautiful sunrise, another hour on the backwaters to our final destination of Allepy where Mr. Sashi was waiting for us. The owner of the boat was there as well waiting for us for payment. It was Rs. 9,500 ($190 US).We were back on the road by 0830 heading to Kochi, formally known as Cochin, the Capital of Kerala. Merv had taken the 0500 bus from Kumily so we were scheduled to pick him up at the bus station in Kochi at 1100. On our way there, Mr. Sashi took us to some tourist sights. We saw the oldest Jewish synagogue in India, the Jewish cemetery, a church built in 1503 and where Vasco DeGama was buried. An old Dutch cemetery, some cool Chinese fishing nets where we bought a couple knick knacks. James seems to have a face that attracts vendors because he always gets hounded the most and ends up buying something. The rest of us have no problems moving on. We got to Merv at 1115 but his bus was 10 minutes late so he was only waiting 5 min. After Merv was with us, we had a VERY hot boat ride in the harbor for an hour. It sucked but only cost Rs. 40 or about 55 – 60 cents each. Then we had another good Indian meal before heading to an old Palace that the Maharaja of Cochin used to live in. It was really hot, plus too many people there so we didn’t stay long. By this time it was after 1500 so we headed for the airport. We got there around 1600 where we had to say goodbye to Mr. Sashi. It was very sad. He was a great asset to our week in Kerala. The charge for the SUV for 6 days including gas and driver was Rs 9,200 ($184 US). We really enjoyed having Mr. Sashi as our guide so he got a healthy tip as well!
Our plane got into Delhi at 2300 hrs. We caught a pre-paid taxi to the YMCA downtown, about a 30 min. drive. Pre-paid is the way to go. You pay a booth at the airport, a set amt for where you are going, there is no hassles or haggling, no rip-offs, and the taxi takes you straight there with no run around and gets paid back at the airport. Love it! The ride was Rs 300 or $6 US. We got to bed by about 0100 and had to be up by 0630 for a quick breakfast at the YMCA before heading back to the airport, a different one then where we arrived the night before. Our next destination ……. Kathmandu!