Carol and Harold's India trip: November 21

After breakfast, the seven of us taking the OAT extension to South India went to the airport and took the 3.5 hour flight to Cochin (now Kochi). We were met by the OAT guide, George, and drove 2.5 hours by bus to Allepey, the starting point of our adventure.

We boarded two kettuvallams (houseboat designed like a traditional rice barge) which were fully equipped with kitchens, two bedrooms each (four of us slept on one, three on the other) and bathrooms with sink, toilet and shower. At the front of one boat was our dining room and the other had a seating area. The houseboats are made from all natural fibers – bamboo, coconut rope, betel nut beams, and wild pineapple mats on the wall, all sealed with burnt cashew nut oil. We got settled in our rooms, and then met in the dining room for a delicious dinner.

Harold had a bad night – the “Ganges Revenge” caught up with him. He spent all day Monday, resting and eating only rice. (But, by Tuesday, he was back to normal). The rest of us had a delicious breakfast (fresh omelets and rice noodles topped with coconut juice and cinnamon), and then our boats set off and we meandered along the lovely backwaters. There is a 900 km network of waterways that fringe the coast and trickle far inland. As Monday and Tuesday were incredibly relaxing but similar days, I’ll summarize both days. Although we slept on separate boats, we all spent the days together on one boat. We stopped several times each day to walk through small villages and talk to the villagers and experience life in rural south India. It is fascinating to see the shop keepers, barbers, fishermen, school children, rice farmers working in the fields and women cleaning their clothes in the river. Everyone, especially the children, was extremely friendly and wanted to know our names and where we came from, asked to have their photos taken and asked for pens (this request was universal whenever we met kids throughout India). This area couldn’t be more different from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. Yet again, we see stark contrasts in the life of a person living in India. Kerala is peaceful and beautiful and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time on the river as we pass impossibly green rice fields, and banana, mango and coconut trees.

The boat crew was fantastic – always seeing to it that there is cold water, hot chai, juice and snacks (such as fried plantains, topped with coconut, cardamom and sugar or chilies dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried) and the meals are wonderful (fish, chicken, okra, potatoes, carrots, beans, lentils, rice, etc all seasoned with the local spices as well as at least five different kinds of homemade breads). The cooks invited us into the galley several times so that we could watch and participate in the food preparation. Tuesday’s lunch was exceptional: we had a huge banana leaf for a plate, and there was fresh fish and 18 different sides plus a wonderful rice dessert. Although we all enjoyed the food in north India, we think the food in the south is equally delicious (and maybe a tad more so)!

The primary language in Kerala is Malayalam which sounds and looks like nothing we’ve ever encountered before. Some of the people we’ve met speak English but it seems that Hindi is a language which must be studied in school but is not practically used here at all. Another difference between the north and south is religion. Here there are many Christians (almost all are Syrian Catholic or Latin Catholic). This is the result of the many European missionaries that came to India. Some of the villages we visited: Punnamadam, Kanjippadam, Thoffappally, Thakazhy, Chambakualm, and Vembanad Lake.

Tara, the youngest member of our group and a wonderful yoga teacher, had some of us on the floor helping us with our poses. Then, it was time for our last dinner on the boat. George, our OAT guide, brought out the boat staff and helped translate as we found out about their lives. Now we are getting ready for showers and bed as we will be “setting sail” at 7:45 tomorrow morning.