Living it up in Kerala

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After spending the last week being pampered in the Maldives, it was a shock to our system returning to India and its garbage-strewn streets, animals, traffic noise--the incessant horn tooting alone is enough to drive you crazy--and pollution. After spending one night in Trivandrum, we took the train to Cochin. Kerala is markedly cleaner, less-chaotic, with fewer animals than Rajasthan, but after the Maldives, it still felt like squalor. With one week left to spend in India we decided to leave the backpacker budget behind and splurge. The same heat that forced us into airconditioned hotels successfully keeps most travellers away from Kerala for the next few months, and as a result all of the fancy hotels offer tremendous discounts now (usually more than 50% off). In Fort Cochin we stayed at the Brunton Boatyard Hotel. It is a beautiful property right at the mouth of the harbor inlet by the much-photographed chinese fishing nets, complete with a fantastic seafood restaurant, swimming pool (much needed after a day sight-seeing in the heat and humidity), 4-poster bed, A/C, 'washcloths' and turn-down bed service. Ahhhhh, the nicer things in life. We enjoyed these creature comforts so much we decided to stay a second night. From the hotel we arranged a backwater houseboat (Spice Coast Cruises) for the next two days. Upon boarding the houseboat we learned that Paul McCarney spent his last birthday aboard one of their boats last January. If its good enough for Paul its good enough for us. The boat accomodated two comfortably, with a bedroom (complete with much needed mosquito net), covered eating area and open sundeck with lovely cushions! We had three crew--two boatmen and Jobe, a fantastic chef--who did a great job of pampering us.

The backwaters of Kerala must have narrowly missed inclusion as one of the 'wonders-of-the-world', and cruising through them in your own houseboat is probably the best way to experience them. Narrow canals reminicient of Venice, only agrarian surroundings replace suburban, open into wide expanses of palm-fringed water. Often, the canals are bordered by thin dikes, wide enough only for a foot-path and a string of coconut and mango trees which offer shade. In addition to other boat traffic--mostly other houseboats and dugout canoes, with the occasional ferry carrying locals from Allephuza to Kottyam--the close-confines of the backwaters allow you to watch life as it happens in this unique part of India. Jobe prepared a fantastic 10 course meal, and then we enjoyed the stars from the sun-deck until a hellacious storm blew in. Between the heat, humidity and a vicious lightening storm we got very little sleep. I spent the majority of the night sitting up praying that the lightening would not hit our boat. At one point, it seemed as though lightening struck right beside our boat. The simultaneous crash of thunder and blinding light was terrifying! Jason still has scars on his leg from when I grabbed him. I think this is the most frightened I have ever been of a storm in my life. Thankfully we made it through the night.

After breakfast we disembarked at Kottyam and took a 4 hour taxi ride up winding roads to Spice Village, in the Cardamom hills. Once again we had washcloths and turn-down bed service (services I've decided that make a 5-star establishment). We went on a boat safari on Lake Periyar National Park and saw elephant, boar, samba deer, buffalo, monitor lizard, turle and monkeys but no tiger. It was very relaxing and the temperature much cooler than down on the coast. We attended a cooking demonstration where we learned to cook fish curry and avial. Don't worry, dinner invitations will be forthcoming (once we find a home, that is). Once again a hellacious lightening storm blew in that evening. I think the monsoon season it just around the corner.

Today we went to a spice plantation, and saw first-hand where most of the spices we use originate, and learned why they are so expensive. Unbelievably labor-intensive, spice picking and processing. Pretty much everything short of salt comes from India. When you think about how awful European cuisine must have been before the spice trade(vegtables, a little salt. Meat, I think I'll add . . .salt), it is easy to see why Columbus set sail.

Soon we will be off to Mumbai (Bombay) just long enough to take care of a little business, and on May 1--off to Uganda, where the mountain gorillas are waiting for us!

SB

(photo forthcoming)