Backwaters and beaches

Trip Start Dec 29, 2010
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Trip End Dec 05, 2011


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Flag of India  , Kerala,
Thursday, November 17, 2011

We spent 3 nights at a small hotel right on the main lake in Kerala, near to the area known as the "Backwaters".  It was a wonderful place to watch the houseboats go by, see the typical Chinese fishing nets of Kerala, and watch local people catch fish and mussels.  We spent a day on a houseboat, motoring through the smaller waterways of the area, watching people going about their business, and waving at fellow tourists in other houseboats.  Jamie, Brad and I took a canoe down an even smaller Backwater, the highlight of which was watching a tractor 'ploughing' in the rice fields which were probably 2 feet under water.  This area is one of only 3 areas in the world where farming is undertaken below sea level.  Bizarrely the waterways are higher than the rice paddy fields.

Our second full day in the Backwaters was spent at nearby Marari beach, which proved a great interlude to our week in Kerala
Chinese fishing nets on the backwaters
Chinese fishing nets on the backwaters
.  We based ourselves at a resort hotel for the day, but had to first endure an excruciatingly painful and lengthy tour of the hotel's facilities by an overzealous member of staff, before settling ourselves down on a few sun loungers.  We are all getting a litte impatient of the Indian 'way', and their need to second-guess (normally incorrectly!) what their guests want. And then hang around endlessly waiting for a tip to come their way...or nod their heads incessantly in a 'does that mean yes or no?' kind of way.

Needless to say we all had a great day at the beach.  The water was unbelievably warm, and the sea a bit of a challenge, not least because the 2004 tsunami scooped out a big drop-off, not far from the shore.  But the kids did well and we all had a lot of fun playing in the waves.

Next stop is our last destination in India:  Cochin where we have 2 nights before leaving India for Sri Lanka.
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