Our final stop was Keraleeyam, an ayurvedic spa.  We had our own cottage, which was just lovely.  There was, unfortunately, a houseboat repair business (we think that’s what it was) next door, which meant hammering during the day.  Oh well.  Still, it was a step up from anywhere else we’d stayed, and it was right on the canal.  I’ve been missing my big fluffy mattress from home and unfortunately didn’t get the fix here I was hoping for (India’s version tends to be flatter and not springy).  Well, my mattress was damaged in a flood at my storage unit, so technically I don’t have a mattress or a home; so I should say I miss the mattress in my parents’ second bedroom.  Oy vey.

Elissa and I each met with the spa’s ayurvedic doctor and were prescribed one “treatment” per day.  Elissa’s treatment was first, an ayurvedic massage at 5pm, and mine followed at 6:30.  I loved it.  It was in a little cabin with bamboo shades, so I could hear everything outside and see through small open spots, but no one could see inside.  Well, I hope not, since the first thing I was asked to do was take off all my clothes.  I did so without hesitation, much to my surprise.  I lay down on a massage table, and two women proceeded with the massage.  It wasn’t a massage as Westerners think of it; it was more of a slathering of a lot of oil all over my body in long, synchronized strokes.  The sun set during the treatment, which I was unaware of until the electricity went out.  The two women left me in there alone for a few minutes, and it was magnificent.  The birds and bugs were playing a symphony, and I had a moment of feeling present and so grateful that I could experience something like this.  It was one of those “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be” moments.

A short while later we were given juice to drink from the ayurvedic doctor.  I had no idea what it was, but I drank it anyway.  It’s so strange: My judgments and boundaries are so different in India than they are at home.  Drink strange juice?  Sure, no problem!  Take off all my clothes and hop up on a massage table that may not be too sanitary?  Bring it on!  I won’t give any further examples since I know that my Mom and my volunteer program officer are reading this, but there are several.  Elissa experienced the same thing, this suspension of good judgment.  Maybe it’s because so few rules are followed in India?  No, that doesn’t quite explain it.  Gotta think about that one.

Unfortunately, not too long after the massage my tummy problems started.  Well, really I should say re-started.  I hadn’t been feeling well before I left for Kerala, but this was b-a-d.  If I had to be sick while away from home, though, this was the place to do it.  I couldn’t possibly leave the room for more ayurvedic treatments (wah!).  So I slept and read a lot.

Elissa went on a guided canoe ride in the canals.  She described what she saw just opposite our cottage as “slums.”  I wonder what the people living there think of the tourists staying at the fancy spa (which isn't even that fancy by my standards) across the canal.  Their circumstances and lives don’t make my struggles any less real, but it does put them into perspective.  Oh, woe is me that I can’t figure out what to do next with my life.  Hello -- I'm among the most privileged people on the planet to have the education, money, and circumstances to even have the OPTION of choosing what to do, versus having it chosen for me and doing what I can to survive.  And yet… a few minutes later, we were in the dining room, our waiter Abu bringing doctor-ordered steamed vegetables, toast, and tomato soup.  What IS that?  How can I separate my life from theirs so easily?  The older I get and the more I see of the world, the harder and harder it’s becoming to do that.  I’m not sure how yet, but I think this whole experience (i.e. India, not just Kerala) may inform that livelihood I haven’t figured out yet.

Thankfully I recovered by the time we were due to leave.  I flew to Bangalore with Elissa, and we headed out shopping (natch) during my layover.  Elissa was flying back to the States the following day and I was due back in Bhubaneswar, so it was time to say goodbye.  We really had a great time traveling together, and as Elissa pointed out, that’s doesn't happen with everyone.  I rekindled an old friendship, got to spend time with a friend, wasn’t the only white face for miles, got a bit of a break from negotiating everything on my own, and saw a spectacularly beautiful part of India.  Not too shabby.

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After Fort Cochin, we headed to the “backwaters” of Kerala, canals dotted with houseboats and villages.  (Kerala has sometimes been called the “Venice of the East.”)  We arranged for a driver to take us to Alleppey in an Ambassador, one of those cool, white Indian cars that looks like it’s from the 1950s but isn’t.  It was $10 per person and sooo the way to travel.  Everyone was trying to get us to take a bus or a train, which meant an autorickshaw to the ferry to the train/bus, and several hours of traveling and lugging our bags.  (I have yet to ride on a train in India, but I will!)  This was a no-brainer.  We’re so lucky we could pay for it without batting an eye.

The guest house where we were staying for two nights was 10 km outside Alleppey, so we had the driver drop us off at the ferry station to make our way there.  Elissa and I were easy travel companions, naturally trading off when each of us was up for the task of dealing with details and the language barrier.  I had hit a wall, so Elissa took over and asked many questions of many people to find the right ferry.  I suspect more white people are beginning to go to these small villages outside Alleppey, but it’s still a novelty -- so we were stared at, big time.  An amazingly beautiful little boy sat right at my feet, just to be near us.  The ferry ride was beautiful.  We couldn’t believe we were here.  Even though we hadn’t gotten to the guest house yet and we had an incredibly loud engine right in front of our seats, I knew it -- this is what I was hoping for, dreaming of seeing.  It was about 4pm and school was just letting out; at several ferry stops a bunch of children in uniforms got on and off.  This was their version of taking the bus home from school.  After an hour on the ferry, we got off and made our way over to the Green Palms guest house.

We were greeted by Matthew, the brother of Thomas, the proprietor of the guest house.  He invited us into the dining room for chai and delicious cookies, which we devoured.  At sunset, we took a walk with Gaaby, Thomas’ cousin, who’s very knowledgeable about the area.  He’s a real character, and I enjoyed him tremendously.  He ended up being a big part of our experience over the following two days.  Anyway, Gaaby showed us two Catholic churches during our short walk; Kerala is 50% Catholic, while all of India is only 2% Catholic, so it’s a pretty unusual sight.  When the subject of religion came up, we explained that we’re Jews -- clearly the first Gaaby has ever met (or at least that he was aware of).  As we continued our walk we stopped at a bar -- really a tin shack with tables and benches in it -- to have toddie, a local alcoholic concoction.  When Gaaby talked to the other people there it was in the local language, Malayalam, so we couldn’t understand anything, but we distinctly heard the word “Jews” in there.

The next day after breakfast, Gaaby took us into Alleppey so we could check email and buy our plane tickets to leave Kerala (thankfully there’s no seven days in advance penalty in India!).  The only way to get to an autorickshaw is on the side of the canal opposite the guest house.  So, we took a canoe ride across the canal (for 5 rupees, which is about 12 cents) and then got an autorickshaw.  Elissa told me her guidebook talked negatively about Alleppey, disparaging it as full of shops and lacking charm.  Well, if you all you see of Alleppey is this shopping area and never get to the backwaters, of course that’s what you’d say!  The backwaters are the real event, and I was so grateful that we were staying there.  Around sunset, Elissa and I took our own ride in one of the canoes in front of the guest house.  Elissa remembered a few canoeing tips from camp and I knew nothing, which made for an interesting and hilarious outing.  There were no rings to keep the oars on the boat, but thankfully neither of us dropped one.  I hadn’t thought to bring my cell phone to call Gaaby in case we had a problem, and the sun was setting.  Then again, we were two white girls cluelessly paddling around the canals; our presence attracted enough attention that I don’t think we would’ve been stranded for very long if that had happened.

It was amazing.  So peaceful.  We laughed a lot and couldn’t stop smiling.  Kerala is known as “God’s Own Country,” and now I understand why.  A feeling of contentment washed over me.  My thoughts turned to this game we call Life.  Anything and everything is possible in this lifetime -- so what am I going to do with it?  I’m already 37; it’s time to DO something and not just talk about it.  The future isn’t a place.  It’s not as if some magical day will arrive and my life will be in a certain state or stage.  Clearly something about this environment made me feel expansive and inspired.  But I digress.  The canoe ride was wonderful, and we made it back in one piece, with enormous grins and a little sweat on our brows. 

Late in the evening, Elissa and I sat out on the dock in front of the house, looking at the stars, marveling in the quiet and pondering life.  Those of you who know me well have experienced my tendency to wax loquacious about the meaning of life, so I wasn’t too shocked when we realized it was quite late.  We walked to the front door of the house, only to discover that were locked out.  Oops.  Tried the back of the house (no door), and threw pebbles at the one room with a light on, all to no avail.  Finally we rang the doorbell and woke up Thomas, who we knew had to get up at 6am.  He was gracious about it, but we felt bad.  Not bad enough to even consider sleeping outside, but still, not ideal.

The next day at around noon it was time to bid farewell to Gaaby and Green Palms.  Props to my friend Jason who recommended the place.  Despite Elissa and me not feeling well at various times over the past couple of days and having to share a bathroom with a grungy British guy, we had a lovely visit.  We took a canoe across the canal and then autorickshawed it over to Keraleeyam, the next and final stop on our Kerala tour. 

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Reasonably good hotel. Good value. 400 INR (less than 8 euro) for double room with bath. Slightly smelly. Very quiet except for muezzin's prayers at 5 am. Good restaurant.

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Varkala turned out to be a wonderful town to relax and unwind. But as I travel through Kerala, I’m finding that this whole state is simply easier on travelers, at least compared to Tamil Nadu.

At the train station in Varkala I was lucky enough to break my solo streak. I joined up with a trio of cheerful English women who warmly welcomed me into their group. We took the train together to Alleppey, and from there, made arrangements to hire a houseboat for an overnight cruise through the Keralan backwaters.

A houseboat tour through the backwaters of Kerala is the main reason many people venture to this state. I was worried about needing to spend a fortune to be able to do this trip, but split between the four of us, it was perfect.

It’s such a relief sometimes to be able to travel with awesome people. It spreads the responsibilities of everyday life so that everything becomes less stressful, less of a hassle. In fact, I probably would have given up on getting a houseboat if it weren’t for my new friends. As a tourist magnet, the houseboat industry is over-saturated with touts hollering at you from motorbikes as you walk down the street offering the best houseboats with the best service and luxury for the cheapest prices. But of course, when you ask too many questions the whole deal just begins to scream RIP OFF. The entire process can be exhausting, but with the support of fellow travelers, the hassle becomes less stressful and more of a joke shared between friends. Plus, when haggling with these touts, there isn’t just safety in numbers, but more power as well.

After some frantic running around comparing prices and making deals, we finally settled into a gorgeous, roomy, private houseboat complete with food, cooks, and drivers. The staff catered to our every need from serving us chai in the afternoon to clearing one of the rooms of all the bugs that had got caught in the mosquito net. Our meals were delicious, traditional Keralan foods set for us at a shaded dinner table on the comfy deck of our boat.

Houseboats are known to be one of the most expensive tourist attractions in all of India and it’s well worth the money. But when you actually think about it, a spacious, fully staffed private houseboat for four people for 24 hours including all your meals is an excellent bargain at $35 US per person. And of course, cruising through the backwaters at sunset while watching the villagers going about their day and enjoying the wonderful views…. well, it’s pretty much priceless.

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Here we are at the last destination of our trip. Aleppey is a small beautiful town. I did not have a problem finding the tourist information center on the busy street side. The best thing about being in a place where you can speak the local language is that you can bargain on the prices for the services offered to the traveling people. A full day rental price for a houseboat here can be anywhere above 2500 INR. Since we did not have a full day with us before returning to Mangalore I wanted a small house boat for overnight cruise. It is difficult to find such a thing especially if you are reaching there late in the afternoon. Luckily for us there would be one available if we were ready to wait about an hour. You won't believe that I finally struck the deal for 1200 INR for that boat including our night time meal and next day morning’s break fast.

The house boat ride to the deep back waters offers magnificent views. Since it was already 6 PM we gave up our sight seeing plans.

The boat crew included the driver (he was the owner of that boat too... a true gentleman), an assistant and a cook. We picked our dinner menu on our way. One shouldn’t miss the local flavors if you are going to Aleppey. Kappa Kuzhachathu (Steamed Tapioca) and Meen Pattichathu (Red Hot and Sour Fish Curry), Kallummakay (Mussels Fry), Karimeen (Pearl Fish) and chilled Kallu (Toddy - a sort of Palm Wine tapped from Coconut trees) --- this combination rocks! Sitting on a bamboo chair on the deck of the house boat you can enjoy the beautiful landscape and sip toddy until you fall off!

I got up in the morning listening to the motor boat engine sound. Local people use this service for traveling in and around Aleppey. I took a dive into the greenly back waters. The water is a bit on the colder side during mornings and will sure wake you up. After breakfast we returned to Aleppey town.

I wish I had more time to spend in Aleppey but hey I can go back there anytime I want. The boat driver's hospitality was truly remarkable. We made friend with him. If I'm going there next time I'm sure I don't have to search for help.

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12/13/-12-19/07

How do I begin to describe Navilil?  Taking the small ferry 10 km from Alleppey, the diesel sounding engine rumbling us in zigzag fashion between ferry stops, slowly dragging us far from city lights, along the black waterways, into silhouetted coconut trees, the occasional wood canoe drifting past as the light danced golden on the face and arms of its pilot.

The locals, in surprisingly well spoken English, helped us find our stop and seemed truly happy to watch us make our way into their homeland.  At 8:00 p.m. we hopped onto the Island, and with headlamps, found our way, a 7 minute walk, to Navilil, the name of Thomas' guest home.  Thomas is a slight 36 year-old Indian with a soft and gently voice.  His words appear carefully chosen, and his eyes beam through his spectacles with knowledge of Kerala and his deep pride for home and community.  He warmly welcomed us to his home, showed us our room, and minutes later we sat at a large dark wood dining table with a Manchester couple, Simon and Erin.

We talked casually with Thomas, Simon, and Erin and shoveled the tastiest Indian Food I had eaten in a long time down my throat.  Thomas served up rice and dhal and bananas, mostly which were grown in his own garden.  Reflecting back on the last 6 days here, I am most impacted by this nest of relaxation, the sweet smiles we receive as we pass local residents.  Breakfast is prepared at 8:30 a.m., unless we are on a walk or bike, then its serve when we return around 10:30.  Breakfast includes coffee and tea, rice-noodles and coconut, pancakes of banana flour and coconut, boiled eggs. Lunch is the big meal, with rice, dhal, coconut and beans, potato masala, chicken in the most amazing sauce!, onion and tomato salad, chapatti.  Dinner is lighter, but still amazing.  The meal varies daily, and is among the best I had in India!  Best, there are unlimited helpings and everyone is so friendly!

I feel like I have become very close to Simon and Erin.  This couple of 8 1/2 years is traveling the world for a year.  I was fortunate to meet them in the beginning.  Simon is a musician with a soulful voice, who worked as a case administrator for immigration matters before he quit for his travels.  He is tall and skinny with shaggy brown hair, and deep gray-blue eyes.  He has an addictive laugh, sharp mind, and devoured Dan's book "the Art of Happiness" by the Dalai Lama in an afternoon.  Simon's open and warm demeanor perfectly fit the gently meandering of the Keralan Backwaters.  Erin is every bit as wonderful as Simon.  She has pale skin and striking blue yes that stare into you when she alertly listens.  She is sweet and self-assured, surly a rock to all around her.  She is one of those people that puts everyone and everything around her at ease, and I feel comfortable by her mere presence.  Together, both appear to be the "ideal" couple, working together to save money for their trip, peacefully admiring each other, equally contributing to the unfolding circumstances. 

With Simon and Erin, I explored the backwaters by foot, bike, and canoe.  Despite many photos, the backwaters are virtually indescribable in their idyllic peace, timelessness, and grace.  December finds the waters calm and imperceptibly flowing.  Mirrored 100 ft coconut trees slant precariously from mud dykes while banana plants shadow brown water with giant leaves.  Lean men in heavy wood canoes silently paddle through canals carrying fish, mussels, sand, tapioca, and coconuts.  Uniformed school children run along the bangs giggling and waiving to us.  They yell, "Hello, where from, what's your name, school pen?"  The girls giggle shyly while the boys practice English and stare.

There are simply too many magic moments to recount during my 6 night stay.  Thomas guided us; enlighten us with his stories, village successes, and endemic problems.  The culture came alive - swallowing a piece of me with it, as I settled into Thomas's family.  His two charming daughters ever smiling and sweet.  I hate to resort to highlights, but it necessary or I will never get through this backwaters section...


Canoeing: 
1. Dan left to see Prem Joshua in Cochin.  Simon, Erin, 2 of Thomas's friends, and I took and evening canoe paddle around the village.  The 250 year-old canoe effortlessly slipped through the glassy water, with just the sound of the oar dripping to add of the symphony of frogs, crickets, birds, and the occasional rooster.  The sun was low in the sky, which held just few clouds.  Mostly we sat quite, letting the canoe carry us past village homes, people washing clothes in the river, children waiving, and men fishing.  As dusk settled over the rice fields and coconut trees, Thomas sang traditional folk music, which he led while the two men rowing answered.  The beautiful voices were timelessly weaving us through the canals.  The sky turned soft violet as we slipped into the grassy bank of the toddy shop.  We drank the fermented brew of coconut milk and sap inside the dimly lit cell of a room.  Toddy was served in a red plastic measuring cup, which we poured into water-stained glasses.  The bar resembled more of a jail with barred windows and with pained bricks.  From inside the cell, I saw the 20 gallon white petrol containers used to "brew" the toddy.  For bar snacks, we ate chilly omelets and drank fresh and strong toddy.  By the time we left, I was quite tipsy.  We spilled back into the canoe and listened to more traditional singing intoxicated as much by the backwaters as the toddy.  Dinner is a bit blurry, but I know I fell into bed and slept soundly.

2.  Yesterday was Dan and my last day traveling together.  Melanie, Dan, and I did not want to sleep after dinner, so we chilled out front of the house talking, listening to ipods, and attempting to journal.  It was nearly 11:00 p.m., and I was tired.  We revisited an idea we had earlier that day, taking a canoe ride at night.  Earlier in the afternoon, the 3 of us paddled around the island.  It took almost 2 1/2 hours, and we had zigzagged across the canals, unable to keep it straight.  We were a bit apprehensive about taking the canoe, but more so about not having 1st asked permission.  But since it was our last night, we went for it.  With only the light of the moon emanating through a dark cloudless sky and a few lights from the village homes, accented by the flickering Christmas lights adorning homes and churches, we slid the canoe out and edged into the center of the black water.  The air was heavy with humidity which seemed to part as easily upon my face as did the canoe through the still water.  In silence, I steered us up canals, through water plants, and around bends.  To avoid disturbing the homes and drawing attention to us, and in appreciation of the night noises, we tried to be as quiet as possible.  The result was the perceptible accentuation of the subtle sounds:  the oar dripping, water plants scrapping along the canoe as it parted the water-carpet, the percussive sound of an oar hitting the wooden rail.  Dreamlike, we rowed in and out of the canal, before drifting motionless into the middle of the backwaters. 

Dan and Melanie listened to ipods in the front.  I listened to the backwater, then, lying back, dozed for a time.  I thought a lot about our parting, the blur of time that Dan and I spent together, from McLeod to Amritsar to Jaipur, then Rajasthan, to Goa, and finally to Kerala.  7 weeks of a journey wrapping up in silence, but perfectly.  Two individuals sharing lives, together, independent, appreciating life in the same way, but on opposite sides of the canoe.  I was like a small child, not wanting to let the night end, but too overcome by sleep to stay awake.  Clinging desperately to consciousness and the wonder of pleasant memories. 

I paddled in, we settled on the porch where I broke a beer bottle opening it, straining it through a napkin, we shared a beer before bed.  And so ended my last night of India travels with Dan.

(One thing that I have noticed here in India ~more than anywhere else, in good times, bad times, frustrating times ~ is that things seem that they "should be" just as they "are".  Like everything is in its proper place and order.)

Hikes:
I took several hikes in the backwaters; through rice fields, over wood bridges, past doorless one room village homes.  I saw families eating, washing clothes, and children playing.  I sampled Pan (red beetle-nut and tobacco chewing thing).  I ate pungent pepper from its vine.

Chilling:
Sitting on the veranda listening to Simon play "House of the Rising Sun" while Erin, Dan, and I watched on.  Then there was the night Dan, Melanie, Simon, Erin, and I sat on the veranda sharing our favorite music via ipod.  It was the first time ipod became a sharing experience while we all listened to each other’s music.  Sometimes, for all the transitions I make in life, the conversations that pass, there are moments so genuine and raw, such a connection I feel, that I cannot explain or differentiate it by circumstance.  But at this moment, I subsided into myself and connected to Dan, Melanie, Simon, and Erin in an unusually meaningful way. 


ANOTHER STORY:
Through it all, Thomas and his family have been gracious hosts, welcoming all their guests like family.  Thomas telling stories of the village and family history is a blessing and delivers a much needed lesson worth retelling, though I cannot be assured all the facts are accurately recalled.  To summarize: 

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7/07/07
We decided to walk down the boardwalk and have breakfast at Malabar one last time to say good-bye to Maheen, our buddy who is the waiter at the place.  Afterwards we packed up and said good-bye to Krishna, the manager of the Royal Sea Blue Resort who smiled his big grin and said “Money?” as Shanti the dog attacked my feet.  Perhaps he was nervous that we knew he was pocketing the money but we were more than happy to pay for such a nice place.  We walked through the alleyways to the taxi stand only to find that there were no taxis or tuk-tuks.  We ended up having to hoof it a long, steep walk up into the village where we eventually found a tuk-tuk driver who would take us to the train station.

The train crept along for the three hour ride to Alleppy where we grabbed another tuk-tuk to take us to the Keraleeyam Ayurvedic Lake Resort which the driver claimed he knew.  He didn’t and we bounced down dirt roads stopping to ask locals how the hell to find the place.  Finally, we came to a small bridge over a canal and saw a sign pointing the way to the resort.  We walked down the picturesque canal talking to three little school kids and eventually found the entrance (no thanks to the two employees standing there watching us look around for where to go…)  The guy at the front desk was not particularly helpful and really difficult to understand.  He must be the same brilliant guy that I called a couple of days ago asking about transportation who told me to call back the next day.  We finally got him to understand that we had made reservations in a bungalow which ended up being a reasonably cute and clean thatched bungalow with attached indoor-outdoor bathroom.  It sits right on the lake with a nice view of the lush, green jungle and river life.

All in all, the place was nice enough but the employees seemed put out that we were even there.  We did have a nice lunch, after which we were told we had to order dinner now if we wanted it tonight.  We ended up napping a bit and then hanging out on our porch watching life on the river slowly meander by.  The location is exotic and beautiful but there isn’t much to do and the ayurvedic massages we had in Kovalam proved to us that they were nothing too special so we opted out of any treatments here.  We took a long walk into the town of Alleppy where there wasn’t much to see or do other than buy some munchies.  Dinner was less thrilling than lunch and once again, we had to order breakfast immediately following dinner for some strange reason.   The jungle birds were out in full force making a huge racket from dusk until later in the evening and then it started pouring rain.  Luckily our bungalow didn’t leak and the mosquito net seemed to keep out the creepy crawlers and we slept pretty well. 

7/8/07
After breakfast, the front desk guy was actually vaguely helpful and we learned something new - you can’t call 800 numbers from a cell phone in India (go figure…) We were hoping to find out whether we could go to Goa a day early since Alleppy wasn‘t quite as exciting as we thought it would be.  We finally got a hold of the less than brilliant “MakeMyTrip” travel company and, after he finally found our record, the guy on the phone tried to pawn me off to Indian Airlines.  Luckily I stopped him before he transferred me and asked him if he could first tell me whether or not the Cochin - Goa flight was even available on Sunday (it wasn’t).  Issue solved - we decided to check out of the Keraleeyam resort and go back to Cochin.  Now it was just a matter of where we stay in Cochin.

We hired a boat for a couple of hours to cruise us around the backwaters which are truly beautiful.  Lakes are inter-joined by small canals where the locals do their laundry, bathe, swim and fish at a leisurely pace.  Fishing boats, canoes and huge house boats covered in thatch, some fancy, some simple, ply the waterways.  It was actually very pretty and relaxing (but we will take a cruise on Suladan over this anyday!).  We did see a long, thin “snakeboat” which is a racing boat rowed by over 100 men for big races that are in August.  This sounds similar to what we saw in Myanmar last year (although those guys row with their legs!).  The boatman dropped us off at the ferry port in Alleppy where we walked to the bus station to catch a bus to Cochin and instantly decided to opt for the train instead.  With time to burn before the next train, we dropped by a local guest house to try to get on the internet and look into a Hilton stay but were foiled by the Hilton site being down. 

We made it to the train station and booked seats on the next train (even though the funny sign in the ticket window said “System Failure!” , then tried calling the Hilton to find out about staying.  The girl on the phone, while helpful, didn’t quite get that we were trying to book a points stay so I guess we will once again have fun dealing with Indian bureaucracy at the front desk.  The train journey went quickly as we ended up sitting and talking with an Indian woman who teaches English in Kuwait.  While I was talking with her, Cindy was getting accosted by an older woman next to her asking questions like “Are you Christian? Do you believe in Jesus?” since Kerala is a very Christian state and the locals don’t seem to mind asking the most personal of questions.

Well it looks like it is a day of relaxing at the Hilton (perhaps having a “party with our friends!” at the empty executive lounge…) before heading off for our final days in India on the beaches of Goa.   

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If you're in the area, stop off in Alleppey for a walk around the small town to experience the hub-bub of real India and people going about their business.

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Took the all day boat up the backwaters to arrive in Alleppey.  We had a great day with some other tourists.  The first that we have encountered in weeks. All the guide books say that the monsoons are over but it just keeps raining.  It usually rains at night but when we got off the boat it started pouring as we tried to find our way to the train station.

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We stayed in a houseboat, did a cruise and ate. It was loads of fun. Beautiful views.

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I'm from South India and I live in the US now. I went home for a visit and wanted to spend new year's in Alappuzah / Allepey. I tried to book through Kerala.com. The people were pretty responsive and helped us book in Sealapshimmers (previously called Cocunut County) Resort. We paid 2000INR (44$) a night for a cottage room.

That resort is a dump. They were doing constructions during the new years. The bedsheets had blood stains on them. They had no towels or toiletries in the bathroom (not even soap). We had to go to the management office and ask for it. Over the phone they said that resort had Ayurvedic massage & Backwater boating and everything. When we got there, there wasn't any. They told us we have to book everything on our own. They were constructing all night and we couldn't go to sleep. The management was rude. We decided to leave after one night. They were very threatening. We left anyways. Luckily we paid only 1 day rent in advance. So, we just settled one day's stay and left.

Out of all this, Kerala.com took 25% for commission. They were not very cooperative after we booked the tickets. Luckily, we are from the neighboring state and we kind of knew our way around. I pity the foreign visitors. In a country where we are taught to show the greatest hospitality to the visitors, they cheat. I feel ashamed as a fellow Indian.

On the positive side, there was hot water in the mornings between 7 - 10AM. The room service guys were super nice. The beach is not that good. Allepy/Alappuzha is for back waters. So, stay close to back waters. No need to get to the beach.

Eventually, we ended up staying at Royal Park which was a regular hotel and nice. Later I realized one my best friend's in-laws live there and they rent their place for tourists. I'll find out the details and post it here for you to use some decent place.

Hope your stays were better than mine.

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