Alright, I know I've written so much in the last few days, but what else are you going to do in Cochin? Don't worry, I most likely won't write much for a while after this, because probably the internet connections will suck in the mountains, where I'll be for the next week or so. This gives you plenty of time to catch up on the blog and to see all the new pictures I've posted on the second Yahoo Groups site.
But now, it's time for my super-lengthy discussion of the Keralan backwaters -- the most amazing time (outside New Years) I've had in India. We'll start with my trip from Varkala to Alleppey. Don't worry, I'll skip over Kollam, because it's a city almost not worth mentioning. Let me just say that my friend Stefano and I took a short way-too-early train from Varkala to Kollam, and then hopped on the ferry boat heading down to Alleppey. The trip down would normally take just two hours by train. By boat, 9 hours. Train would cost maybe 40 Rs. Boat, 300. And it was WORTH IT! Now, let me first explain Stefano's plan: He was planning to head down to Alleppey by the boat, then hop on a bus and head back to Varkala. I didn't think this would really work, but he had thought it through, and he knew that it would. Anyway, Stefano and I arrived on time, which turned out to be too late to get good seats, so we were stuck in the glaring sun, which by 10 o'clock in the morning, can induce heat-stroke. On the way, we met a loudmouth, overly happy, Briton named Jane. We hit it off pretty quickly. In fact, she was the first Britisher I met who did not find Indians to be lacking manners, and in truth she said that they were some of the nicest people she had ever met. After a couple of hours, we stopped for lunch. Having read the Lonely Planet beforehand, I knew to be careful of the food. The lunch was going to cost 30 Rs. Anything else was added on heftily. So, only a water for me. Others wanted everything. Shrimp, definitely! Oh yeah, I need a chappati. Watermelon sounds delicious. I don't know what raitha is, but I'll try it. Yep, big bills at the end. Eyes sticking out and all that.
During lunch, we met a gruff Israeli named Lior, but I really didn't chat with him too much. As we floated along, though, seeing villagers and villages along the way, we came to the Amma Ashram, home of the "Hugging Mother," which in fact looked very much like a set of apartment complexes, not like a place for meditation. On board came a family from British Columbia, and I found out that the oldest daughter actually was living in Surat for a year on some sort of exchange. She was teaching ballet in a convent. Indian ballerinas??? So, by this point, I had Stefano, Jane, Lior, and the BC family to chat with. Plus, there was a group of Indians making quite a bit of racket on board. As we floated down the river, and as the sun sank lower toward the horizon, things settled. Especially after tea. We had quite a bit of relaxed enjoyment. Children constantly yelled at us and ran alongside the boat, all the while wanting "One pen." We saw women washing clothes, men bathing, and people simply chatting it up. Wonderful.
The sun went all the way down, and unfortunately we still hadn't reached Alleppey. We were late. We didn't arrive until around 7:30pm. I hate getting anywhere after the sun goes down. As we left the main canal and entered Alleppey's North Canal, we saw a party boat with festive lights and music and dancing. And alongside was a canoe filled with a samba-style drumming band and a man letting off great fireworks into the night sky. The whole thing looked fun. After we had landed at the jetty, Jane magically disappeared. I was disappointed, hoping to do something with her the next day. Stefano, unfortunately, had to wait until midnight to catch the 2.5 hour train back to Varkala. And I wandered until I found a hotel. Dinner. Sleep.
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