Thrivandrum - Day 4

Monday.
Overnight 1am storm .. usual procedure as follows:
1. Massive Crash of thunder
2. Firecracker noise as coconuts fall from trees onto metal roofs.
3. Hailstorm of torrential rain
4. Earth shattering bang as power substation explodes, plunging place in darkness
5. Humans run outside to escape heat/get soaked
6. Animals, assorted, creep inside to escape rain.
Some time later…
7. Precarious power restored, rain stops, animals and humans bed down together for remainder to night, ready to clear up debris at dawn.
Simples…ssss.!!
So this morning I take the crowded bus to the city, to brave the morning crowds to purchase a new rucksack (my one has finally given in under the strain of the Indian public transport system), and found one for 500 rupees with a free lunchbox/flask.
Probably cheaper in the souks, but the heat drove me into a ‘store’, the procedure to purchase anything in India is so complicated, even I can’t be bothered to get a bargain.
I had a delightful breakfast of ghee dosa/poori at the main Indian Coffee House, housed in a tower where the benches line the spiral staircase and waiters in uniform run up and down…the system even here depends on who you know, not what, luckily I’d sat by a friendly young woman who ordered for me, so got mine (minus cutlery) on the local time scale, rather than the western one…that involves waiting for hours, and getting plates and a spoon, and I’m fine with my fingers when I’m gasping for sugar/hot coffee.
There is one more tiny beach here, just around the corner, so now I’ve recovered in my little room and escaped the lunchtime heat, I shall wander around to find it….unless my legs give way in which case I shall treat myself to a rickshaw…amazing how short distances seem so far in 40 degrees-at least that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!!

Thrivandrum - Day 3

I am typing by torchlight, as the power is out-this time the regular evening 30 mins, but as its Sunday, its moved by half an hour, so at 8.30 its late-better early in the evening, gets it out of the way, and over the weeks I’ve been in India, I’m now so used to the power going out at scheduled, and unscheduled, times, power will be such a luxury! Even when it’s on, it’s usually unpredictable-unless one is staying in posh hotels with generators, so not me then…
This morning began with a longer than usual lack of power, so I set off a dawn to walk to the fishing village past the lighthouse, through village shacks and coconut groves, watching women fill brightly coloured jugs from the village tap, and cook breakfast inside the huts
The tiny shack enroute provided sweet Marsala chai down the hill and up again, much to the amusement of the local men.
Most tourists frequent the restaurants on the beachfront, but I’m relishing the chance to eat on the hoof for a change, as my friends have departed.
The locals invited me inside (with the flies and the smoke, seemed rude to refuse though) and insisted on plying me with fried goodies (15 rupees for two large teas, deep fried banana. Papaya and a doughnut, as opposed to about 200 rupees for toast and jam on the beach)
Having watched the fishermen mend their nets and pottered about the harbour front, I wanted to find the rock cave temple, the oldest in India, apparently, but despite asking the locals, no one knew where it was….I had to go back to Lighthouse Beach, and pick up a rickshaw, only to find, after a 30 minute and 250 rupee return ride, that I’d been in sight of it the first time, typical.
Despite the locked gate, the rickshaw driver, obviously concerned I wasn’t going to pay him, insisted I clamber over the metal fence, ignoring all the warning signs….and there it was, a fascinatingly eerie carved rock, in the middle of nowhere dating from the 18th century, according to legend, and now a protected monument.

(I expected to be shot at any minute as I shinned back over the fence-the temple in Thrivandrum is protected by armed guards, due to the gold/wealth inside, as is the palace….but the history gods protected me, although I had a narrow escape tripping over and nearly in to a very deep well!)
The heat is intense here; see pic of me looking exhausted standing by the path to my little room off the beach!! I’d stopped to chat to friends-everyone recognises everyone very quickly-including the hawkers, peddlers and stall holders, who have now stopped asking me to buy anything, eventually even they’ve given up!

This afternoon I took the rickshaw again to nearby Sanuda beach, my original choice of destination, until I decided to stay with the populace… It’s tiny, and the high surf has wiped out the sands, leaving sun beds balanced on a narrow walkway, and even the restaurants are closed due to the waves. I found one open for a wonderful cold orange lassi, drunk with a mouthful of salt as the crashing surf splashed over the rocks!
I walked through the coconut groves, past the swish Taj hotel and golf course, and into the local villages which line the seafront. The backwaters wash down to the coast here, kingfishers dart about amongst the trees, the lagoon on one side and the pounding surf on the other. Children rush up wanting pens and money (neither of which I had) and women sitting in the shade weaving coir for rope invite me to join them, although I refused as nothing in India comes free.
Back to the evening sunset, watched with the Sunday crowds at the lighthouse-see pic of me looking suitably exhausted-and a paper cup full of stall cooked veg and hot nuts for supper…the surf is so high here now there are flood defences going up along the sidewalk, which is reminiscent of Lewes! Storm clouds gather overhead-but as I finish this, the power is back on, at least for the moment!

I decided again a long day trip to the southernmost tip of India, and to spend my last couple of days absorbed in the teeming mass of seething crowds in the city rather than in an a/c taxi looking out of the window, despite the noise, smell, heat and dirt. At least, that’s the plan as I write this……

Thrivandrum - Day 2

Saturday-not poisoned yet!

Somewhat to my surprise, I am not ill! The heat is intense again, and the surf massive, the lifeguards have closed it for swimming, and there’s no room even for sun beds…

I went again off to the city, this time discovering the maze of bazaars and markets to the rear of East Fort, the central bus stop, and also the discount supermarket….

It’s a weird system, you buy, pay, and then have your items checked off one by one and packed again…

I treated myself to a rickshaw the 4 kms to the zoo, not because I’m a fan of them, in fact the opposite, but having seen Life of Pi in Goa, I wanted to see where it was based.

Despite the primitive caged conditions, the colourful gardens were swarming with children and families, and I had fun…see pic of me assuming position in the hippo enclosure…feel like one after so much fried food.

The city is great fun, I’ve found the Indian Coffee House-or at least one of them, and had the usual hot coffee served by waiters in full regalia, and so many chai I’ve lost count-at one shack I was given poor and fried bananas gratis by an elderly gentleman who insisted I must eat, bless him.

Off for a walk in the breeze before the evening sunset, and probably another storm, from the feel of the humidity, oh joy, no power again.

Thrivandrum - day 1

Freak storms:
Thursday night, an incredible storm hit the coast, wiping out the power even in the city, flooding the restaurants (and my balcony), with incredible winds, so loud it was impossible to sleep.
Sadly, two fishermen at least downed in the freak weather. Having watched them line the skyline twinkling each evening, and seeing them set off in droves in tiny boats from the harbour as the sun sets, it’s really upsetting.
The weather continues to be changeable-the Hindu times has made much of it, not least as it another problem for the declining tourist trade, which is dismal this year, apparently. I’ve spoken to a number of ‘regular’ winter-ers, who say Kerala has declined, become more poverty stricken/dirty, and who don’t intend to return.
The Hindu times (in English) is available in many cafes, and I’ve read a fair amount about the economic problems here, the state ‘elections’  (its run on communist lines, so its people standing, not parties, as I understand it) is being fiercely fought, the streets are full of banners, loudspeakers and campaigning groups.
The main area of contention, like England, is public transport-the trains are ‘too late, too crowded, under funded’…and yet state money is being poured into an infrastructure when the daily schedule is not working….sounds familiar to me!
I’m fascinated by the city, and its great now to have a chance to see Indian culture-Varkala’s beach stop was fab, but being absorbed into the life of the people is more my thing than sand and sea, however tiring, fraught and manic.
The bus journey from here to the city is a 30 minute bone shaker past temples, villages, shacks, and the odd modern hotel/supermarket/jewellers and hospitals…along the new ‘by pass’ (all of 3 minutes worth) and then traffic jams, narrow roads, potholes…..the bus stopped all the time to let off schoolchildren going to the government schools which line the route, and they love to chat!
I went first to explore, and get my bearings, before spending a final day on the beach front with the lovely James and Julie from Canada, who have been wonderful companions, we’ve had intellectual conversations from Phillip Pullman, state education across the world, politics and the pope….great fun to have academic debates, I miss them.
Off this morning on the bus to see the famous Sri Ananthapapadmantbba Swampy Temple, see pic of me standing in front of it…..the huge 16th century temple complex is the heart of the city.

The place swarmed with colourful devotees, and whilst obviously not allowed in, a wander around the outside –takes ages-were spectacular, looming white carvings and murals.
I tempted fate by having an ice cream with ice (see pic)…a cashew nut syrup based breakfast, and also the local mixed fruit drink, which turned out to be made with water, so this may be my last blog for a while if I’ve finally poisoned myself!!!

Then to the Palace Museum , where a very funny guide gave us a potted history of the massive complex, in English (and wanted a large tip, we all did a runner as it was compulsory to have him, and as usual foreigners pay three times as much)…
The pic is of me outside pretending to be royal….no photos allowed inside, obviously, which is a shame as it is full of fantastic heritage, and exquisite wood carvings. It was built by a well known King, poet and musician, who died in his thirties, and the family then deserted it as it was bad ‘karma’.,…although apparently the current ‘King’ (no power, only title now) lives somewhere around –he’s 91, most of the vast complex is deserted…a sea of wooden buildings.
I did discover though that the descendants to the throne are always the nephews, as the land belongs to the maternal line……feminist India after all!  And on coming out I was caught up in yet another march, but this time brightly coloured  schoolgirls campaigning for education, a long snake of feminist women weaving between the rickshaws and crowds..
This afternoon I treated myself to my first ever Indian full body massage. That was weird…stripped naked and covered in oils, slapped and pummelled from toe to head….and then washed down with sandalwood powder which well and truly cleaned my skin!
An extravagant treat by Indian standards, 800rupees for 70 minutes, but as that’s around £10 I reckoned it was good value!!
This evening, energised by my massage, I strode off through the darkening skies to see the festival at the mosque beyond the lighthouse. The loudspeakers carry sound across the entire village, on every lamppost, and colourful stalls lined the narrow alleys….I was given samples of numerous foods, all fried, one so sweet it dripped fat and sugar. It’s delicious, but my salad craving is growing, and the odd one in the tourist restaurant is a few tomatoes and cucumber, and costs a fortune. So supper is a 10 rupee deep fried pastry and 5 rupee halva and cashew nut bar.......!

Kovalam - Day 2

After asking around last night, I found a small room near the beach (the paths in the dark are very dodgy, walking back last night through the village was authentic but scary, as the men cut down coconuts around me for the family supper and the wildlife bit my feet to pieces…..I have fed the mossies here well and truly!
So this morning I left my smoke filled room, waved goodbye to the family (sweet but totally unintelligible) and moved to a small little place with a balcony over a shop.
It’s the first time I’ve braved a true ‘room’ rather than a guesthouse, but the chap who runs it lives nearby and the shopkeepers seem friendly –the woman who was here yesterday gave them a glowing review, and she was also my age and English, so I’m taking her word for it-she left me a kind note in the room, with a hand made bracelet, bless her.
I’m sitting in an internet café, run, also as usual, by Tibetans, post lunch-the portions here are huge, but they do ‘doggie bags’!! My Canadian friends told me to ask for a parcel, and sure enough, the rest is put into foil container….what a find.
Though I prefer the spicy egg pastries for 10 rupees from the stalls, personally….the days here really do revolve around food……
I’m planning to base myself here for my last week, and visit the city etc…..time here is an odd concept, it either stands still or it disappears, so whatever I decide today may have no bearing on tomorrow…………………watch this space!

Kovalam - Day 1

And so……off yet again on the bus, this time the ‘modern’ a/c type, rare to find! But going from varkala at 9 am (in theory-it came at 9.40….) and marginally more comfy, although the a/c plus windows=same heat as no a/c and no windows!
The public strikes as usual brought the road to standstill much of the way, so 2 and a half hours later, double the expected time, we crawl in Tivandrum bus station.
Instead of the peace of Varkala beach, I found myself in a mad manic mayhem of stalls, peddlers, beggars, buses, animals, ….
Luckily, I spotted a british couple grabbing a rickshaw to Kovolam, who agreed to share the cost-14 kms in a rickshaw with three people and luggage took almost as long as the bus….
The room my guest house host Tina in Varkala has recommended is tiny, and in a family house set amongst palm groves and a labyrinth of paths away from Lighthouse beach.
The room is next to the family’s lounge/kitchen, and very noisy, dogs and children bound up as I open the door, and there is smoke everywhere from the village shacks burning rubbish for fires and cooking.
But the beach is lovely, people are friendly, and I had a great supper with a Canadian couple, teachers, from Toronto, where we passed several hours discussing intellectual authors and the state of education!

Contrasts

Varkala is the usual Indian blend of sharp contrasts….its an important pilgrimage site, and watching the holy ceremonies at paranasha beach yesterday is bizarre when the beach sands merge along into tourist hotspots, bikinis and cliff top restaurants.
Meanwhile the locals camp under the cliff by ‘their’ beach, washing in the sea and the stream descending from the cliff, which apparently washes away sins and cleanses the soul.
Today my two young friends left, and so I had my morning chai with Martin and Susan, from Alleppey, before hopping on the bus to the town to buy more moisture cream (half the price of the tourist shops here on the beach), fruit and some yummy savoury spinach pastries for lunch (10 rupees each)….all the food here seems to come fried or bathed in sugar/spices, not sure how I will get used to English food, but……..I do crave a salad!!!
One more day of walking –running even-along the sands, paddling in the surf, and watching the sunset, and then tomorrow I shall move on to Kovolam…Tina at my guest house here has recommended a friend’s place there which seems better value and better placed than those I researched in England, so I’ll see…..I’m having, of necessity, to go with my instincts, as nothing here is as it seemed from the comfort of home.
Last night I watched a free Indian musical on the beach, an Indian version of amateur dramatics, very over the top and loud, and then the fire dancers practising on the sands-I shall miss the sense of freedom –and, for this country, almost ease- of Varkala….tis indeed a spectacular site…a mecca for tourists as  much as pilgrims.

Varkala (contd)

I have been running along the golden sands-yes, running! After weeks of fabulous Indian food everywhere, of every possible kind, my legs feel and look like elephant limbs.
Too much travelling and too little exercise-India broadens the mind but its also broadened the body!!
I’m off on a hunt for oranges…I’ve already today had an enormous breakfast, ,only… a pineapple pancake for lunch, and an enormous Fruit smoothie with cardonmmon/nuts and chocolate-plus the usual chai, which here is always made with milk, and sugar!!  
The sunsets here are so gorgeous, I genuinely feel as if I’m on holiday, though as soon as you leave the beach/cliff top, the town is as ‘hard’ as ever….the temple itself is worth the visit, up hundreds of steps and always crowded, with the usual main inner sanctum and then other ‘chapels’ around for alternative devotees….
Coming on the bus from Alleppey, I sat next to a young man with good English, who asked me my religion as we passed diverse fantastic temples, but trying to explain Anglican religious to an Indian turned out to be impossible, though an interesting conversation..
My room here is tiny, well decorated, two steps from the beach and quiet, but the wildlife have a habit of coming in through the bathroom vent….last night there was a green swamp like creature spread eagled across the wall. Alas, I only saw in when in the shower, and shot out wrapped in a towel. Luckily a kind elderly gentlemen also staying there chased it back out with the brush…but ever since then I’ve been using the mosquito net!
The birds are beautiful, the dogs friendly, there are puppies at the guest house I’m staying at, only a day old, very cute, the monkeys and spiders bar for the course, and geckos and cockroaches seem like furniture now, but…………….I’m not too keen on the giant green thing!!!

Varkala cont

As it’s a weekend the Indians pour into Varkala and stay at the far end of the beach where local holy men gather set up their sand stalls and take offerings…..
For a small sum, at the stall of your choice, one can be blessed, accompanied by chants, incense and drums, and you then take your offering of leaves full of bananas, flowers, and sweets, and walk into the sea, throwing it in behind you.
Despite not being Hindu, here anything is possible for a price, and the holy men seemed very happy to bless me and Debbie!!

Varkala is so relaxing after the heat and intensity of both Kochi and Alleppey.
I had not realised just how tired I was, but the humidity in Kochi was oppressive, as was the constant lack of power there
Even the art cafes and heritage sites, fascinating though they were, and the breeze with the ferry trips and in the evening walking the ‘promenade’, I spent my entire time literally dripping.
Alleppey too was humid, this time accompanied by horrendous storms, rainfall like sheets of glass, and constant thunder and lightening.
Much as I loved seeing the backwaters, and I shall remember my days on the waters as absolutely perfect, sitting on boats isn’t easy on the body, and no Indian bed comes with a soft mattress.
By the time I’d arrived here post three hours on an Indian pubic bus, I was exhausted.
Now, after a few days of walking, swimming (well kind of, so far each time the surf has defeated me, knocking me into the water-confident swimmers go beyond it, me I just get soaked and crawl back to the sand!!)…and meeting friends for lunch and supper, I feel so much better.
With Hannah, Debbie and I tried the cliff top restaurants, enjoying palak paneer, Kashmiri something or other-potato, nuts and fruit, very weird, with breads and juices.
But last night Debbie and I wandered along to the gaggle of very local tiny shacks by the temple gates, and has a superb supper of dosa and tomato curry with water for the princely sum of 50 rupees each, half the cost of the cliff top.
The local places have no menu, you have to eat just what is on offer, and there is no cutlery-I am now a dab hand at mixing, pulling and dextrously using my right hand only to eat and entire meal!
Yesterday I was aware that, as usual, we were the subject of curious staring by the locals, but I am so used to that I ignored it-then, to our surprise, as we finished our meal and got up to wash our hands in the communal basin, the elder men smiled and clapped….normally men don’t smile, so we were very pleased that they genuinely seemed to appreciate our ability to ‘be‘Indian.
Debbie is moving on today, and Hannah left yesterday, but I plan to have another day of being solo, just walking and relaxing….I hear mixed reviews about Kovolam, but who knows, I’ve learnt to expect the unexpected…..

Varkala - Day 2

A superb South Indian breakfast of wheat maize rolls, which I mix with banana, honey and warm milk-Indian porridge, essentially, but fabulous, and an enormous pot of tea (though tea here is always milky or black-impossible to get a British tasting one, I’ve forgotten what pg tips tastes like )

And off for a wonderful walk along the sands, before retiring to The Juice Shack to send updates to one and all. I’m at a place called Fusion Beach Resort near the Helipad, North Cliff, Varkala, …it’s just like the google pictures –red cliffs and wonderful beaches.

Varkala - Day 1

I am finally getting my confidence travelling…rather than pay a small fortune for a taxi, I clambered into a rickshaw this morning and headed to the bus station.
Hauled my luggage up into the ancient bone shaker public bus (commonly known as the ‘pubic’ express) and rattled the 3 hours into Varkala.
For 100 rupees, as opposed to about 2,500…….!
The lack of windows (Indian a/c) at least meant it was relatively cool, and I had a good view of assorted temples, towns, massive power stations, rivers, backwaters, you name it, I saw it.
And on arrival, I took the rickshaw to my pre-booked hotel, decided it was too posh, and too pricey, and got the driver to take me to the beach, where I found a tiny, but delightful room, for 600 rupees, in a family run guest house just a minute from the steps down the cliff to the beach.
Met up with my friend Debbie (Geman) from Alleppey to stroll along the amazing sands/surf (and recover the sensation in my limbs) The breeze is great after the intense heat inland and at Kochi, and I swam in the surf as the sun set.
On the beach I met another girl from Aleeppy (Hannah, the US student from my first ferry ride) and together we went out for a wonderful supper at a beachfront restaurant under the stars.
.

Allepey - last day

my last day in alleppey, and thunderstorms from daybreak onwards...the light is hazy, dark clouds threaten, and lightening flickers across the sky.
my last trip around the backwaters, this time by the very utilitarian public ferry (turns out sunday's was the weekend special)....the barge sits low in the water, the locals, huuman, animal and machinery/transport/jugs/fruit, you name it, and I , chug along, watching village life in its everyday more work like form.
this boat runs along the more industrial banks, where clay bricks are piled high ready for water transport, school children clamber on and off, families pile in with heated lunches to drop off at the next stop....
I truly feel as if I have seen every aspect of the backwaters, and am ready to move on...
though I ate a final supper at a recommended local shack, a fantastic veg curry with rotis, with Michelle, for 70 rupees, and will miss the food here.
Tonight the storm broke, torrential rain knocked out the power, and everything else...for  three hours we gathered under the stone verandah at the hotel, before finally it abated, a shaky low power resumed, and we could crawl into bed -alas, despite the rain, the heat is still as intense as ever....its like trying to sleep in the bath.

Alleppey - Day 4

Day 4, and another mode of transport, another aspect of backwater life.
Another single traveller, Michelle, and I teamed up to book a ‘village’ tour by canoe, a six hour trip which was worth every penny of the pricey 700 rupee price tag.
Lull, our guide, (exhausted from his first dawn 6 hour shift) rowed us out at noon from alongside the lake, and within minutes we were drifting along tiny narrow passage ways, past banks just wide enough for a tiny shack before descending into rice fields.
An hour later, we stopped at one such shack, where the family ‘offered’ us chai –though in fairness it was only the usual 10 rupees-the long wait due to the women literally milking the cow for us! The animals are tethered along the narrow bank, chickens, cows, goats, and friendly kites who sat low in the trees and surveyed us whilst we drank the delicious, and certainly fresh, tea.
On we drifted, watching kingfishers, stopping to drink coconut milk, and chatting about England (and our bunions-middle aged English women abroad!) until we stopped to walk across the banks to islands even further afield, away from the narrow canal, divided by clay walls built high above the paddy fields.
One family kindly invited us to sit, use the washroom and drink more chai…without any payment-the elder women love having their photos taken, and women want their babies photographed everywhere.
The sun set through the palm trees as we glided back into Alleppey, and despite being forgotten by the taxi supposed to collect us and having to flag down a passing rickshaw in the dark, it was the most perfect day.

Alleppy - continued

And so…yet another wonderful day, full of experiences….Alleppey as a town is a dump, literally, but within ten minutes by boat the backwaters embrace me, with cool breezes, stunning rice paddies, shore villages lined with locals fishing, washing, chatting, canoes draining the silt (taking it ashore for fodder for the animals as well as keeping the canals clear)..Kingfishers dart among the reeds, flowers of every colour line the banks….
I wandered early into the Indian coffee house for my ‘usual’ breakfast-tis amazing how within 2 days in every town a schedule/routine appears…and got chatting to a French Canadian couple, about my age….within half an hour we’d been persuaded into a 4 hour boat trip for 500 rupees each.

So off we went, sitting under a bamboo canopy, past the crowded rice boats and ferries leaving the jetties and into the backwaters. At first we covered similar ‘paths’ to yesterday’s public boat, but soon we were under the narrow bridge and into the smaller canals, drifting along watching the backwater life.
It is as beautiful as a postcard, just as I imagined before I left England, and certainly has not disappointed, lush, diverse greens, paddy fields, full of surprises-banks lined with more ducks then I’ve seen gathered together in England, Hindu temples, village convent schools… (Far more Hindu here, still many Christians, and apparently less Muslims, though the mosques wake me up every morning at dawn so there must be plenty of them).

We stopped in a tiny village to buy water and the inevitable crisps (curry flavour), and a local kindly offered to allow Gabrielle and I to use his washroom. The house was another surprise, spotless, tiled throughout, just a hall with three rooms’ off-in one the tiny baby was sleeping under the fan, in another the grandmother slept too…and a splendid western bathroom! The owners were very proud of their house…apparently he manages a gym in Saudi Arabia via online business, so has money by Kerala standards.
The couple swam in the lake, though not for me…the snakes are notorious, and I’m A) not that brave and B) didn’t have a cossie….
Returned reluctantly to a late lunch at the usual place (see above),before returning for a cold shower, and a long walk along the beach as the sun was setting….
India is a magical place…yet even today, as I stared at the reddening sky and the stars above the palm trees, I had to jump over birds feasting on the bones of decaying animals…I’m learning to accept that for every high there is always a low, but the heights as well as the depths as phenomenal.

 

Alleppey

DAY 1

The day from hell-the worst one so far for me personally.
The taxi ride from Kochi, which should have been a luxury, turned into a nightmare, as public strikes (by Hindus moved from land into another neighbourhood, apparently) caused massive traffic jams.
The home stay I’d booked from England was a building site, up a tiny noisy smelly alley, and I was showed to a bamboo hut on the rooftop with no shower, and only an Indian loo. Not surprised that I refused, the owners then asked a rickshaw to take me to an alternative.
This was worse, about 20 minutes away, a ramshackle collection of huts where the ‘bathroom’ was a hole in the ground (some had a toilet bowl perched on top) open to the sky, no shower at all, where all the inhabitants were Indian families with many children…
And so…having taken the phone number of where my friends Michael and Susan were staying, I persuaded the driver to take me there!! The whole ‘run around’ gave the driver an excuse to rip me off exorbitantly (although only £2 English money, so I’m trying not to care too much).
This heritage home is more, 1000 rupees as opposed to 400, but well worth it. Still not much in the way of mod cons, but it has a clean bathroom, secure locks/doors, and a shady courtyard on a quiet street.
I collapsed next to a surprised but bless them not too horrified couple and decided I hated Alleppey!!
But later on I walked the 10 minutes to the beach-this is half way between town and the beach, spent a pleasant hour recuperating, found the chain of Indian Coffee Houses recommended by the lonely planet. Shacks still, but with waiters in full uniform, and very cheap prices for delicious food.
And then, despite the heat, the mossies (I have been bitten to pieces!!) I had the best night sleep for days.

DAY 2

Alleppey isn’t all bad underneath its ghastly township exterior. The public jetty men directed me to a ferry which, for 25 rupees, this morning took me an hour upriver, and, after a brief village stop for water/banana/biscuits, an hour back…..passing very very expensive houseboat trips enroute.
Alas, no camera (as always),  but a chance to sit and gaze at the villages which line the banks, watching locals bath /trade/ talk-as the boat stopped frequently to pick up/drop off-past rice fields, fantastic birds, skirting the lake staring across its vast expanse of water.
Everyone shared food and chatted as best we could –and there was even a clean English loo onboard.
Our arrival back in town was delayed by catching the tree branch and going aground, much to the amusement of those of the banks!
An American student I’d befriended onboard, who'd been working on a project with widows in rural Tamil Nadu, and I went for lunch (at the town branch of the aforementioned Indian coffee house) where I had my first masala dosa –a south Indian speciality, with fresh lemon drink, a superb meal for all of 40 rupees.
Post cold shower, I decided to climb the lighthouse to sit in the breeze and stare over the treetops of lush Kerala backwaters, before wandering with the Sunday throng to see the sunset. The beach here isn’t nearly as polluted as Kochi, and whilst the surf is too strong for me, the breeze is wonderful, and the sunset superb, as good as those in Goa.