Cochin didn't quite happen, much to my happy surprise. I packed up and checked out. As I was heading out the door, I saw Sara, from the night before, waiting with three other people. She said that Geoff and her were asked to join a houseboat group. This was something they had asked me about the night before. I was happy for them, of course, and I said farewell. Enjoy your time, but I need to go to Cochin. As I turned to walk away to the bus stand, Inaki (the "n" has a tilde, so making it "ny"), the other guy waiting there, asked if I wanted to join, saying that it would be cheaper for everyone. I said that I'd think about it, and sat down. I wasn't in a hurry, so I waited. And I decided to go for it. We got the boat for 7000 Rs., and it included two meals and a snack. Unfortuantely, because it was Republic Day, all the boats were taken, and we would have to wait until 2:30pm. Still, 20.5 hours sounded great. And the price was amazing. So, we waited and chatted.
Inaki was a loudmouthed, but very friendly, Basque who imitated the more annoying side of Indians well. Marjo was a French bartender living in Berlin, and she had a kick-ass tattoo on her back. Carole was a slightly more reserved French graduate of culture and communication, and she couldn't eat anything spicy. Claudia was a Swiss teacher on a round-the-world trip, and her job and apartment were waiting for her when she returned (much to all our jealousies). Harold was an Austrian who loved being behind a camera. Sara was the leading world expert in captive Army Ants, though she doesn't have an advanced degree. Geoff was a Ph.D. student in Sociology, studying identity formation in post-colonial states. And Sapan was...
Before heading out, we bought about 1000 Rs. worth of booze, though I only paid for about 100 of it. Kingfisher beers, all the way. The boat was simple but great. It only had six beds, in three rooms, but Inaki and I decided to sleep on spare mattresses out on the deck. Our snack was of fried bananas, chai, and pineapples. I had great conversations with mostly everyone but Harold, and I was starting to get a but frustrated with Sara's brusqueness. At one point, we stopped and a bunch of schoolkids mobbed around us. Claudia gave one of them a Swiss coin, though the rest of us told her not to. And of course, they wanted 'one pen.' Then, at 5:30, we stopped to watch the sun set and to get the spare mattresses. Marjo, Carole, and I went for a nice walk. Thankfully, I brought my flashlight, because it was wholly dark when we returned.
Dinner was amazing! Small filet of a fish cooked in spices. Rice with a hearty mung daal. Chappatis to go with the sabjis: A Keralan style okra, and one made of long green beans. Harold and I asked for raw peppers and onions. And the meal ended with freshly cut pineapple. The food was so tasty (Apu, the cook, did a great job!) that, while I'm often tired of Indian fare, I really needed to force myself to stop. We ended the night by playing two games of Werewold, which Claudia had brought. The game was very similar to Mafia. The first round, though I was a harmless villager, EVERYONE suspected me of being a werewolf. I was able to convince Inaki I wasn't, which, for some reason, saved me until the second round. I must just always look guilty. They blamed the odd smile on my face, which only appeared after everyone started looking at me funnily. Of course, the villagers knocked me out, which actually meant they defeated themselves. The second game, I actually was a werewolf. And yet, people didn't touch me, so Marjo and I easily won.
Carole, who had woken up early with Marjo and Inaki to watch the sun rise on a canoe, was half-asleep by this point. This fatigue spread until we all tucked in for the night. I slept on a single mattress under a mosquito net, while Inaki slept on a double (though he was much smaller than me). As the night progressed, I started getting really cold, and wished that I had a bedsheet or blanket. Then, I realized that I was lying on a bedsheet, which I had only hesistantly accepted in the first place. Thankfully I did. So, I took it off the mattress, covered myself with it, and quickly fell asleep. Sometimes, I awoke to the sound of Inaki slapping at something crazily. Unfortunately, his net had many holes, and he was really getting eaten alive. I really awoke at around 6:45am. Carole was the last to wake up. We all got ready and relaxed. Still, there was a palpable gloom settled over us all. The thought of leaving the boat in only a couple of hours really made us sad. We even considered getting another boat (this boat was already booked), but we all decided against it.
Breakfast was awesome. Veggie omlettes, silver-dollar pancake-sized dosas (Keralan style), thick potato sambar, and boiled bananas.
As we approached the Nehru Stadium, used for the Snake Boat races in August, we saw the end. We arranged the money for the trip and alcohol, exchanged info, and suddenly it was over.
It's hard to put into words how wonderful the trip was, even though it was only a few hours. By this point, I really needed to leave for Cochin. I was the only one of the eight who left town that day. My backwater experience -- the ferry, the canoe, the houseboat -- cost me way too much money (over 2000 Rs.), but it was totally worth it. If any of you come to India, you must visit Alleppey and at least partake in the many canals. You won't regret it.
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