Dear Sam,
I suck!! I'm that lazy little gone-with-the-flow-idiotic-backpacker -.-. I missed the 6:30 am train from Varkala to Alleppey. The next train was at 10:30 and that shifted my whole day plan 4 hours behind :-(. Shoot!!! I really wanted to see the Kathakali dance at Fort Kochi. I arrived Kochi at 8:30 pm, when they're already finished -.- . You can see the Kathakali dance everyday here ... starts around 5 pm, goes till 8 pm. But I can't make it tomorrow anymore. My train leaves from Ernakulam at 1 pm. Fudge!!!
I could have just taken the bus from Alleppey to Kochi and it would have taken only an hour, but as pissed I am that I missed Kathakali, I'm just as glad (may be gladder) that I didn't go to Kochi direct from Alleppey.
I don't know where you did your backwaters cruise, but I listened to Mathieu and went to Alleppey. Unlike a lot and like a few of us Internationals in the campus, I took the public ferry from Alleppey to Kottayam. And God's own country owned me again! I tell you Sam, if I wrote something about the palm-green being magnificent yesterday, that was just a fraction of what I saw today :-O. I was a bit skeptic in the beginning when we were boarding. The man-made canal literally stank like poo. But once we were out in the Vembanad Lake, I was struck by the awesomeness. Have you come across the floating saucers? I mean the small circular bamboo fishing-boats? They are sooo tiny and funny! One day when I have my own lake house, I'm gonna import one of those floating saucers from Kerala :-)
The ferry ride and the views reminded me of Rangamati. It's not in India, it's in Bangladesh. Take a boat ride through the waters and the protruding hills there. I think that's even more beautiful, or may be you can't compare them.
We came across many many houseboats there in the lake. I heard it takes 5000 rs. for a day cruise by a houseboat. Tihi... humble me paying 9 rs. for 2 hours has enjoyed no less than a houseboat dweller :-D.
So we were going; over the different depths/ trenches(?) through the backwaters of Kerala; sometimes with surface plain ans calm like in an aquarium, sometimes with small rippling waves and sometimes with gigantic counter waves "ejected" by the "houseboat enemy front". All of it was thrilling. In the end of the journey the ferry took a right turn somewhere and that narrow not man-made canal with coconut palms bowing down towards us was more than any majestic archway in any palace in India!
The public ferry didn't drop us exactly at Kottayam, we had to take a shuttle bus. This is how things work in India :-D. You don't ask why. You just know how it is and just show some patience (... and at a certain point indifference. Meh).
Oh, about the "we. Wang Yue from China was with me all the time. We met at Alleppey boat jetty. He was coming from Varkala too. And now we are staying in the same place in Fort Kochi. We took a bus from Kottayam to Ernakulam. About Kerala being red! Kollam was not nearly as red as what I saw on the Kottayam-Ernakulam road. Or may be mu Chennai-eyes are just too much used to the many many pictures of Jayalalitha :-P.
If you ask for photos (which you would I know. You did when Jules and I came back from our backpacking in March), I don't have any -.-. My Leica is out of its mojo. I can't find that Lithium 3V battery anywhere. My good friend Lulu told me to draw them instead. Once I'm done with my paintings, I'll hae an "India-scenic-scenes" exhibition and might send you one or two at a really good price :-D.
But still, if, only if, I would have got up early, I could have had all of these AND the Kathakali experience too. I really have to come back to India. If you wanna join, raise your hand!!!
<3 - TZ
10.05.13
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