View India To 23rd Feb 2011 in a larger map
Up at 5 (stilled jetlagged) and tried to get back to sleep and eventually managed it but was then woken up by Sahail ringing the bell to my room. He just wanted to say good morning and let me know that he was upstairs. Bless.
I went out for breakfast at the restaurant round the corner - very hot chicken curry today. I wonder if my nose will stop running when I have been eating curry for 2 months in India?
I phoned around several houseboat companies to get the best price (got the numbers from the dockside yesterday). One guy said he would do 3500RS for 2 nights on the phone and I repeated this to him several times. He said "yes yes". This was definitely the best price and so I decided to go with him.
Fawaz came to find me at the restaurant and said that he had tea for me so I went back to the hotel. I packed up all of my things and showered and then said goodbye to Sahail, Fawaz and Tony and took pictures.
Sahail and Fawaz have made a real difference to how I feel in India. They really looked after me without expecting anything in return. I know that I need to be on my guard all the way round India but so far Kerala has been lovely. Several people have warned me about Northern India though and say to be really careful up there.
I decided to bike to the boat jetty to see the houseboat so that I have all of my things with me on board. It turned out that the best offer was only for 1 day and so I renegotiated with the guy from the house boat I saw yesterday. That houseboat was not available anymore and they said that they would do another houseboat for 6000RS for 2 days.
I got on the Houseboat about 12. In some ways it was a shame that I had not paid the £15 pounds extra for the other Houseboat that I saw yesterday as I was much nicer however, £15 is 2 days budget in India and so rather than thinking in terms of UK money I just need to think about it as 2 extra days traveling before I have to go home! I still get to see the same scenery, relax and eat lovely food and so it is not a problem.
On the houseboat there was one driver and a cook - both elderly, small, skinny Indian men. They were both really sweet but did not speak ever much English.
I had a fantastic afternoon. The boat goes really slowly and is really relaxing. There were loads of other houseboats for the first hour or so but then we turned off and went down a narrow part of the waterway and the larger houseboats could not fit and so it was really quiet.
The scenery was different to what I was expecting. I thought that we would be going to areas that were wetlands that could not easily be inhabited my humans. I thought it would be a bit like the wetlands in Australia. Instead for all of the day we where cruising along with houses on either side of the water. There is only a single row of houses next to the water front with rice fields behind. This is because the people need access to the river to wash there clothes, get water and for transportation. Most of the houses do not have road access and so get all of their supplies etc from the boats. Many people have a well for their drinking water supplies and they do have sewage drains etc. Many of the people that live on the water front houses work in the rice fields behind their houses. The houses often flood in the rain season. There is a path in front of most properties meaning that they can walk short distances to their neighbors and to a local shop but as most areas are separated by small waterways in most regions you can't walk very far.
It is very beautiful, quiet and peaceful. There are not many speed boats - only houseboats and local wooden boats transporting people and goods. There are also local water taxis which carry about 50 people. I did not realise it but you can actually see exactly the same on the local water taxis for a fraction of the price. The problem with this is that you need a good map of the area and to work out where you are going and getting off. It is also then a problem to find accommodation when you get off in the little villages. The water taxis are reasonably full with local Indian people and go much faster than the houseboats and so it is a very different experience.
I was served a massive vegetarian curry with rice and 4 different veg dishes for lunch about 2 hours into the day. It was very tasty. While I had lunch the guys tied up the boat on the side of the water way. A couple of young girls from the houses close by walked passed and wanted to come and say hello. I invited them on to the boat and they generally explored and tried to talk to me in English. They were very lovely and took me for tea with their parents. They did not want anything other than to say hello.
It was really lovely to just chill for the afternoon and watch the countryside do past.
At about 6 we stopped and tied up the houseboat on the side of the waterfront with several houses either side on land and a couple of other houseboats either side on the waterway. I took myself off for a little stroll along the path and through the village. The people were very friendly. I popped into a little shop and got some chocolates and pens for the local kids as several of them had been asking for them on he way past.
I was cooked a huge diner by the cook. It was fish curry made from fish caught in the backwaters. It was lovely to have some pineapple for pudding. I sat an read a book for most of the evening and then had an early ish night. The village where we were mored up is the village of the driver of the boat and so he headed off to sleep at home - leaving me with the elderly man cook. I found it very strange having staff and eating on my own while they ate elsewhere. I asked them to eat with me but they said the "staff" (their words) can't do that. The cook slept outside at the back of the boat under a blanket and I had my room - with my bike :-)
There were quite a lot of mosquitoes - which was frustrating but I had a mosquito net so it was ok while I slept.
A really lovely day!
I went out for breakfast at the restaurant round the corner - very hot chicken curry today. I wonder if my nose will stop running when I have been eating curry for 2 months in India?
I phoned around several houseboat companies to get the best price (got the numbers from the dockside yesterday). One guy said he would do 3500RS for 2 nights on the phone and I repeated this to him several times. He said "yes yes". This was definitely the best price and so I decided to go with him.
Fawaz came to find me at the restaurant and said that he had tea for me so I went back to the hotel. I packed up all of my things and showered and then said goodbye to Sahail, Fawaz and Tony and took pictures.
Sahail and Fawaz have made a real difference to how I feel in India. They really looked after me without expecting anything in return. I know that I need to be on my guard all the way round India but so far Kerala has been lovely. Several people have warned me about Northern India though and say to be really careful up there.
I decided to bike to the boat jetty to see the houseboat so that I have all of my things with me on board. It turned out that the best offer was only for 1 day and so I renegotiated with the guy from the house boat I saw yesterday. That houseboat was not available anymore and they said that they would do another houseboat for 6000RS for 2 days.I got on the Houseboat about 12. In some ways it was a shame that I had not paid the £15 pounds extra for the other Houseboat that I saw yesterday as I was much nicer however, £15 is 2 days budget in India and so rather than thinking in terms of UK money I just need to think about it as 2 extra days traveling before I have to go home! I still get to see the same scenery, relax and eat lovely food and so it is not a problem.
On the houseboat there was one driver and a cook - both elderly, small, skinny Indian men. They were both really sweet but did not speak ever much English.
I had a fantastic afternoon. The boat goes really slowly and is really relaxing. There were loads of other houseboats for the first hour or so but then we turned off and went down a narrow part of the waterway and the larger houseboats could not fit and so it was really quiet.
The scenery was different to what I was expecting. I thought that we would be going to areas that were wetlands that could not easily be inhabited my humans. I thought it would be a bit like the wetlands in Australia. Instead for all of the day we where cruising along with houses on either side of the water. There is only a single row of houses next to the water front with rice fields behind. This is because the people need access to the river to wash there clothes, get water and for transportation. Most of the houses do not have road access and so get all of their supplies etc from the boats. Many people have a well for their drinking water supplies and they do have sewage drains etc. Many of the people that live on the water front houses work in the rice fields behind their houses. The houses often flood in the rain season. There is a path in front of most properties meaning that they can walk short distances to their neighbors and to a local shop but as most areas are separated by small waterways in most regions you can't walk very far.
It is very beautiful, quiet and peaceful. There are not many speed boats - only houseboats and local wooden boats transporting people and goods. There are also local water taxis which carry about 50 people. I did not realise it but you can actually see exactly the same on the local water taxis for a fraction of the price. The problem with this is that you need a good map of the area and to work out where you are going and getting off. It is also then a problem to find accommodation when you get off in the little villages. The water taxis are reasonably full with local Indian people and go much faster than the houseboats and so it is a very different experience.
I was served a massive vegetarian curry with rice and 4 different veg dishes for lunch about 2 hours into the day. It was very tasty. While I had lunch the guys tied up the boat on the side of the water way. A couple of young girls from the houses close by walked passed and wanted to come and say hello. I invited them on to the boat and they generally explored and tried to talk to me in English. They were very lovely and took me for tea with their parents. They did not want anything other than to say hello.
It was really lovely to just chill for the afternoon and watch the countryside do past.
At about 6 we stopped and tied up the houseboat on the side of the waterfront with several houses either side on land and a couple of other houseboats either side on the waterway. I took myself off for a little stroll along the path and through the village. The people were very friendly. I popped into a little shop and got some chocolates and pens for the local kids as several of them had been asking for them on he way past.I was cooked a huge diner by the cook. It was fish curry made from fish caught in the backwaters. It was lovely to have some pineapple for pudding. I sat an read a book for most of the evening and then had an early ish night. The village where we were mored up is the village of the driver of the boat and so he headed off to sleep at home - leaving me with the elderly man cook. I found it very strange having staff and eating on my own while they ate elsewhere. I asked them to eat with me but they said the "staff" (their words) can't do that. The cook slept outside at the back of the boat under a blanket and I had my room - with my bike :-)
There were quite a lot of mosquitoes - which was frustrating but I had a mosquito net so it was ok while I slept.
A really lovely day!
No comments:
Post a Comment