Kochi Backwaters

Kochi

Kerelan backwaters and more......

After an exciting night and morning riding the train to Kochi we finally arrived at 3 pm. We were hot, tired and exhausted but glad to finally be at our destination. I was glad to have left Goa and be starting a new adventure. We got a Rickshaw to the guesthouse in Fort Cochin, an area of Kochi. I didn't have a reservation and repeated emails to the owners brought no response. I hoped they would have room for me or I'd be out looking for a bed. Luckily, when we arrived she said they could put another mattress in the double room Morgane and Deniz already had booked. I was so glad to not be separated from my friends. Unfortunately, they didn't have our room for that night so Morgane and I slept 2 doors down at another Guesthouse while Deniz stayed in their daughters room. After settling in and showering we decided to take a walk into town and get some food. It was a nice walk and the area was very quaint. There were typical Indian style streets with no sidewalks and smelly sewers with the occasional garbage fire burning but otherwise the houses were clean and well maintained and there was an air of comfort. When we reached princes street, the main road in Fort Cochin, we found cute little shops on an old fashioned feeling road. Right away we all felt really at home there. We ate a lovely dinner and explored a small time before heading back for bed. Morgane and I slept like rocks and awoke early in search of breakfast. For a small amount, Marianne the owner of the Guesthouse, provided a continental and Indian style breakfast. It was lovely, though I found the spices of the curry a bit much for me that morning. I was just starting to feel better so ate mostly toast and some fruit. We waited to check in at Reds Residence for most of the morning and when we saw our room we were happily surprised. They had moved the beds over to fit a mattress on the floor but the piece de resistance was the lovely tiled bathroom with a privacy curtain for the shower. It was so lovely and clean. And there was toilet paper supplied, an extra bonus! We finally left our new home just before noon and started out to explore the centre of Fort Cochin. On our way a Rickshaw driver offered to take us on a tour for 100 rupees, that's less than $2. We accepted, though I was a bit cautious, and started out. It was so hot and we were soaked with sweat within minutes. It was nice to have the breeze of a moving vehicle but it was stifling when stopped. Our first stop were the chinese fishing nets that line the water's edge of Fort Cochin. They are huge wooden contraptions that look like catapoults. They lift a claw like arm out of the water and the net is filled with fish. It's the off season so not much of a catch, but they continue to fish for the tourists. We wandered the boardwalk taking pictures before deciding to stop for lunch. We ate at a small cafe in a square and at plastic patio tables. The seafood was fresh. I had shrimp and french fries and by the end of the meal I was feeling weighed down by grease. I really miss salad! In India, because the water is unsafe to drink, it is recommended not to eat anything washed or watered unless it can be peeled or is cooked. Not many veggie options. After lunch we set out in our "Ferrari". We turned up the AC by driving faster and enjoyed a tour of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry. We saw a spice market, a view of the area on top of a building, a ginger factory, the Dutch palace, a Hindu temple (from afar), a fruit stand, a laundry centre, and a clothing emporium. By this time we'd been touring for 4 hours and we were overheated and over tired. We got dropped off at our Guesthouse and gave the driver a generous tip. After a nice cold shower we wasted away a relaxing evening catching up on our wireless devices. Fruit made a lovely meal and then it was an early bedtime for all of us.

The mosquitos in India are invisible. You never see them but after they've bitten you, there are huge bites to prove they've been around. I don't react badly usually but the bites were loonie sized welts....and so itchy! Today Morgane decided to go to the Folklore Museum with an older guest staying at our Guesthouse. Deniz and I decided to go as well but opted for the cheaper transportation, the local bus. The museum was a lovely building made of something like 5 temples and was filled with old artifacts from a bygone era. Did you know that saris are actually quite a new traditional outfit, started in the late 1800's? They used to wear only wrapped skirts and no top at all. They would occasionally wrap a scarf over their breasts but usually just had nothing on top. I can see why things changed. The wood in the museum was beautiful and dark and so intricate. And the artifacts were so interesting. Jewellery, gods, pictures, dishes, and even clothing were all on display. After touring the small houselike structure we caught the bus back to town and stopped for lunch. We then walked back to the Guesthouse. After a couple of hours of cooling down and resting we went out for a lovely dinner. The restaurant was just a shack on the street with tables in front but it was delicious. And they had an article written about them in an airline magazine which they proudly displayed. Afterwards we went to watch a show. They played a traditional Indian instrument called a Sitar that looks like a giant guitar as well as a set of drums called tabla. The drum player was amazing. The sitar player was also good but it was a different sound. Like a guitar with an extra set of cords to play. We wandered back and relaxed for what remained of the evening.

Deniz and I went on a backwaters tour the next day. It was a beautiful peaceful boat trip with the sounf of birds singing, waves splashing and cell phones ringing. Wait what?!? We had a group of Indians on our tour who were on vacation and their phones rang constantly. It was a real interruption to what we were experiencing around us. At one point Deniz asked why they bothered at all. They were better after that. Haha. One couple only did a half day tour and they spent the whole time on the phone. It was a lovely day otherwise. We stopped to see how lime is made and to watch rope being made out of coconut fibre. We had lunch on an island and then took a smaller canoe style boat to a spice plantation....albeit a small one. Afterwards we headed to see a traditional Kerelan show called kathakali which is about movement and facial expressions accompanied by music. We went to eat dinner and found Henrika and Rachel! We visited for a while before they head to their place.

Morgane and I left the next day around noon. Deniz was staying 2 more days and then heading to Sri Lanka. It cost just over $1 for both of us to take the local bus one and half hours to Alleppey. What a deal! We arrived only moments before the other girls did. The hostel had a beautiful garden and was new but the guy working was a bit rude and had no idea what he was doing. He had us pull up our reservations on our devices to check the prices and then only had some of us pay. We settled in and went out for lunch at a little restaurant that actually said hotel. A bit confusing but very common in India apparently. They make only a few dishes so your choice is veg or non veg....but it was delicious. And only cost $1.....Ican NOT believe the prices! We met our room mates when we went back to the hostel. Four Indian girls on a girls weekend away. We all decided to take rickshaws to the beach. Our driver was crazy! He took off like a bullet, swirving around potholes while we were thrown around the backseat. Thankfully we were squeezed in so tight we couldn't move much. We just held on for dear life. The beach was much cleaner than Goa and we found a nice place to sit. 5 girls decided to go swimming, clothes and all. We sat watching the sun set before taking off. Us four travelling together stopped at a fruit stand and that was our dinner since we'd eaten a big lunch so late in the day. The power at our hostel was constantly going off as was the router for the wifi. It was so frustrating. And the bugs! It was so bad that it was nearly impossible to sit outside at night. We spent the night chatting away with our room mates. It was so interesting to compare cultures, expectations, and talk boys! :-) The next morning we went back to the hotel restaurant for a delicious meal. We went out to look around the town and book a houseboat. We saw many day boats that we could take but decided to look into the overnight boat since that'swhat we had really wanted to do. We booked one after all and Rachel went off on a motorcycle with the owner to have a look at it. She came back saying it was beautiful and we put down our deposit. We wandered the town in the extreme heat and then decided to see a movie. We saw Romans....not in English nor with subtitles. We had most of the plot down with only a few confusing parts. Three convicts escape from the train and find a hill station in the south where they are mistaken for priests. One priest misteriously looks like a priest who had dies years before. We enjoyed the 3 hours of AC at least. After we stopped for a big lunch in town and then had fruit for dinner again. We chilled for the night and then heard the confusion as 7 guys tried to check in. The hostel had given away some of their beds and didn't have enough so some had to go elsewhere but then the guy wanted full payment even though there weren't enough beds. Oh boy!

I'm glad my time at this hostel was short as they really didn't know what they were doing. The next morning we were picked up and taken a short jaunt to our hoseboat. We arrived at an area called "starting point" and saw rows and rows of boats. We were on a 3 bedroom boat and had the whole top floor to ourself while an Indian couple on their honeymoon had the bottom room. We had a relaxing day spent sun bathing on the boat and enjoying the scenery. The meals were the best I've eaten in India so far. We were waited on hand and foot. At night we docked near a village and they hooked up a satellite dish. Since it was Valentine's day we decided to watch a romantic movie. We watched Home Alone 2 while eating dinner and then finished the evening with My week with Marilyn. It was a great day.

The next morning we woke early had a quick breakfast and then went to catch a boat to our next stop! We said goodbye to Henrika who went to the beach instead.

The beach

Still Goa......

Riding the rails India style

Well I finally said goodbye to Goa. Although I didn't know if it was going to happen. We called for a taxi to come only to find out there was a misunderstanding and one wasn't coming. No problem, there's tons of cabs in Anjuna so one came swiftly to the door. As we drove through the Goan countryside I noticed how beautiful and green everything is. The plants seem to over take anything in their path and so there's a very jungle like feel. Unfortunately the beautiful Portugese homes are run down and many vacant and falling apart. It creates a desolute, overrun look. It's beautiful just the same. And just as I'm thinking how I haven't quite explored enough of the area, the taxi gets a flat tire. Is this a sign? We eyed each other nervously whilst checking our watches. Another save, the driver changed the tire in less than 10 minutes, sweating profusely in the heat and everything. We finally arrive at the station. We sit to wait and talk about trying to get our seats all together. There's an announcement that comes on and informs us our train is 20 minutes late. OK. Then another 20 minutes later that we understood to say 25 minutes delayed. I went to ask the station manager who informed me it was 5 hours delayed. 5 hours! Meanwhile we're sitting on an outdoor platform on wooden benches. The only thing to eat is a small shop selling greasy food and chips. Denise doesn't believe them and we continue to wait. Sure enough, a short time later, an announcement is made that the train will be arriving at 10 pm. That's 4 hours late.... In actuality, just as I m ready to crawl out of my skin, the train arrives....it's about 11:45 pm. Over 5 and a half hours overdue! We jump on board and all head together to find our seats in the one coach are filled with sleeping bodies. We push our way to the other car where we have more seats, 5 coaches back, and find them empty. The ticket man comes and wants us to move but Morgane and Denise flat out refuse and we go to sleep. It's no problem because Indians sit wherever they like so no one is in their assigned seats. I don't know why they bother with tickets! Even though the train ends up being over 5 hours late, we make it to Kochi a mere 4.5 hours later than expected. It could have been so much worse. And I am so grateful to my travelling companions who found a way for us to share a double room in their guesthouse so that I'm not staying alone. Sleeper class on the Indian train was dirty, hot and it stunk but it wasn't nearly as scary as I was expecting. I can't believe they travel this way regularly! I wonder what they think when they visit Canada and our litter free streets and wide open spaces?

Wednesday is Market Day

Goa

It's true that people arrive in Goa and never leave. It's a trap! You think, yep I'm in India, experiencing the craziness but I'll stop in Goa and then, well, it's a whole other world and you can't help but relax and stay awhile. I originally booked just 2 days, then extended 2 more as I was enjoying chilling at the beach. After a slip in the bathroom I stayed another 2, then spent a night in the bathroom and ended up staying 3 more. I'm finally on my way to Kochi, leaving tonight on the overnight train, in sleeper class....which I have to say I'm a bit nervous about. But, I'm finally getting out of Goa.

Goa has been lovely, but it's definitely not like any other part of India. I think there's more tourists than locals...and more Russians than anyone else. It's easy for time to get away from you as you relax in front of the ocean drinking lassis for less than a Canadian dollar and spending 5 dollars on food per day. I spent 3 days doing just that. Choosing a beach chair and relaxing with an umbrella. It's so hot and the sun so intense that I spent a lot of time in the shade but still managed a tan just walking to the ocean and back. I met other women travellers and we sat together sharing travel stories. One day I had plans to go to the Wednesday market in Anjuna and decided to tag along with a German, a Swedish guy and another Canadian. I planned on taking the bus but they said we could walk along the beach so we started n our "trek". And trek it was, only in flip flops. There is Not, in fact, a beach that connects Vagator, where we were staying, with Anjuna. So we climbed rocks and in one spot a construction zone to finally arrive hot and sweaty at our destination. Did I mention I had worn a dress? Not my smartest move, but then again I was going to wander the market and then chill at the beach. The 5 minute bus ride turned into a 45 minute or more trek that left us hot and exhausted. We still had about 15 minutes to get to the actual market. We took a quick peek and then needed food so sat in a tree house like area of a restaurant. After about an hour our food finally came. We relaxed on pillows on the floor and chatted. I ran in to the market and made some quick purchases before it closed. After a lassi each we decided to head back, by taxi. It was already getting dark. Needless to say my next few days were at the beach.

On Friday, after a lovely meal I was lounging in the common area skyping family when I got up to go to the bathroom. The hostel has a no shoes policy, which I break in the room but not in reception. The bathroom floor was wet and dirty and I cringed at the thought of touching down on it. There was a rug placed a little in front of the toilet so I leapt over to it but it slid away from me and I fell really hard, right on my bum. I sat stunned for a moment before standing up gingerly. I couldn't stand right away but shook it off. A short time late, when I was getting ready for bed, I started to feel sore in my back and my head ached a bit. A friend gave me some pain killers as I couldn't find mine and I went to sleep. I couldn't sleep though and tossed and turned. When I woke up my back was killing me, I felt neaseaus and woozy. Another friend convinced me to go to the doctor after I couldn't eat my breakfast. I called my insurance and headed to the doctors. He told me I didn't have a concussion, though he didn't check my pupils, and that my nerves were swollen and causing my aches and pains. He prescribed some pills and told me "no lifting for 2 days, and lay flat". So that's what I did, I spent the day laying in the common room, relaxing on some pillows. The next day I did a little more walking but still took it easy and couldn't stay seated for too long without needing to lay down. Then....Sunday night I spent in the bathroom. I tried to stay at my hostel but they were totally booked so I moved to Anjuna beach to a Guesthouse. I met some other single female travellers who were heading my way. So we decided to go all together to Kerala. I'm so grateful not to be travelling alone. After deciding that, I could enjoy being in Goa again and let go of the anxiety I was feeling about staying so long.

My tummy is finally feeling better after 3 days of upset so I'm ready for my journey to continue! :-)