Our Trip to Kerala

Last week we went on a 4 day house boat trip in the back waters of Kerala. One of the southern states of India and also a communist state. It was just Richard, Dave, Angela and I. . . no children! :)

Day 1

Another 5am wake up call, another "who's stupid idea was this", and off to the airport.

There's never a dull moment at the airport, except for when your flight gets delayed due to excessive pollution and the air is so thick you can taste it, more like choke on it. Richard has dubbed it the cause of BBD, black-booger-disease. Unfortunately, we all suffer from it.

Standing in line is always fun when it comes to India. Indian's love to queue up, it's there way of finding out who gets to be next, first. The backs of my ankles are evidence of that. More than once they were 'accidentally' bumped by eager beavers wanting to be next. Sometimes its comical, but most of the time it's just annoying.

After boarding the plane we then sat on the tarmac for another 3 hours before the visibility was good enough to take off--that was fun, NOT!

Once in Kochi we took a taxi to our hotel--an hour drive in the back seat against a metal support bar whose padding had long since worn out, comfy!

We rented scooters once we checked into our hotel, The Ballard Bungalow.

We scootered the rest of the afternoon stopping to see the giant Chinese fishing nets, where an eager fisherman showed us a couple of very interesting fish, stowed in a bucket for just such an occasion. I wondered how many tourists had seen those same two fish before us. But who cares, they were new to us!

(Stone Fish)

After zooming around on our scooters, running out of gas--not us but D & A, we finally went to dinner at the Brunton Boatyard. The food was delicious and atmosphere pleasant. (Little did we know it was the last good meal we would have until our return.)

Day 2

Once again I'm in the back of a taxi, this time the padding is in tacked and the ride is much more comfortable. We head south to Alleppey where we are going to board our boat house. We left early thinking we needed to check onto the boat by 9am. In reality we didn't need to check in until 12pm. (love ya anyway Dave).

On the drive down we were lucky enough to see 3 working elephants walking along the road carrying large palm fronds and of course there human drivers. The picture doesn't do it justice, it was an incredible site!

We killed our extra couple of hours by walking the town and buying our "lucky" umbrella. (I'm convinced that it miraculously saved our trip; as it had been forecast to rain nearly everyday and it only rained once on our very last day.) Me, superstitious. . . Naaa!

After a minor scuffle with the booking agent about paying for the trip up-front vs. after, we headed out to the boat. (Just in case your curious, we ended up paying in advance. But not before negotiating at least 3 free liters of soda a day!).

We have sailed pretty much the whole day with one short excursion on an island where we saw Hollywood-scary-spiders, and a huge cobra snake skin--at which point we decided to take the quickest course back to our boat.

Dinner was good, definitely Indian in design, but not like anything I have ever tasted. For obvious reasons they use coconut in just about everything. (We ate a lot of fish but also got to try banana curry, bitter gourd and beet root with coconut, just to give you an idea of some of the food we ate.)

After dinner we rested and relaxed. It's been a good first day.

(Me, lounging on the deck.)

Day 3

The landscape is serene and beautiful! It's not hard to understand why it is so aptly nicknamed "God's own country".

The shores are lined with lush greenery and an amazing amount of palm trees. The lake is covered with all kinds of exotic plant life. Huge water lilies and a sea of delicate purple flowers stick up from the dense foliage that seems to grow on top of the water. Occasionally we see a glimpse of a bright pink flower amongst the green & purple but that is rare.

We also got several glimpses of Kingfishers. They are amazingly colorful birds and quick too! They never stayed in one spot for long so we were never able to get a really good picture of one.

The people seem more friendly here than in Delhi--sort of like in the US when you are driving in the country and everyone waves or smiles.

We stopped one more time today at a 500 year old church--nothing too exciting but I guess they feel obliged to have us do something besides lounge all day on the boat. . . I don't have a problem with that!

We now have 2 sick people among us. Dave got sick the first night and now Richard isn't feeling so great either.

At dinner we were joined by a huge cockroach who sauntered up next to Richard and sent me and Ange screaming from our seats to the upper deck and me standing on the nearest chair.

Once again Richard was doing battle with a giant cockroach in defense of his "fair maiden"! Unfortunately that was not the only cockroach we saw that night and for me, a definite "deal-breaker". This is not a trip for pampered city folk.

Day 4

Monday; My toe is swollen from a fire-ant bite I received at the bird sanctuary (where we didn't see any birds, guess they didn't tell them we were coming). It looks more like a sausage than a toe. Have I ever shared my intense loathing for fire-ants. Why they were ever created to begin with is beyond me. Richard ventured that "they are to afflict and torment man". AMEN!

I am feeling some what home-sick today. I told Richard that if they offered to take us back early I would gladly say yes. I am missing the kids and that is not supposed to happen!!!

We are now 3 people sick as Ange started feeling ill during the night. I am not sure why I have been spared thus far from illness, but I am extremely grateful. I'm not a very good sick person.

We just docked and are getting ready for the nightly activities--dinner, movie & bed. We spent the afternoon playing several rousing games of 7 card stud. Which helped tremendously to lighten my mood, I was feeling quite melancholy there for a while.

(The Warrior)

My favorite excursion of the day (actually the whole trip) was when we walked to the spot where the Arabian sea meets the fresh waters of Kerala. Definitely a high point. It was beautiful and we got there just before dusk. There is something incredible about the ocean and a sunset. We dipped our feet in the Arabian sea and tried out a few yoga poses on the beach (pictured above). We soaked up the atmosphere until we looked down the beach and saw an old man hike up his dhoti, squat and take a dump. Nasty!!

Each day I'm here I find myself getting more and more irritated with their cultural idea of 'the world is my trash can', or toilet for that matter. I am saddened that what has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, is in the hands of such a non-eco-friendly society. Every time I see a water bottle float by or trash collecting on the banks, I want to scream out "Don't you people know what you are doing!". I wonder how long it will be before I will say "Yes, I floated the back waters of Kerala, before it was destroyed by trash and pollution." A sad but true reality I'm afraid.

I almost forgot to write about our run-in with the town sheriff today. As we were walking to the beach, suddenly out of nowhere, an old man appeared with a crazed look in his eyes. He was standing there dressed in a dirty white shirt, a dhoti, and his head was adorned with what looked like a rag. He stood there in a ninja-like stance, dukes raised and was mumbling incoherently. I imagine, if I could have understood him, he was probably saying something like "I'm gonna kick your a--!"

At first I thought it was a joke until our guide said he was "mental". Then I realized he was really looking for a fight. We simply side stepped him and kept walking. He followed for a while, mumbling what I'm sure must have been "fight'in words". He eventually either lost interest or forgot what he was doing and stopped shadowing us. Later, Ange asked me if I had noticed the chunk of masking tape plastered on his chest, hand-labelled "POLICE". Luckily that was our first and only run-in with the law.

Day 5

My toe still looks like a little smoky.

At breakfast I had puri, and decided its my favorite food so far! (Smiling, smilings my favorite!)




My other favorite part of the day was stopping to watch some women weave coconut fibers into rope (above). Trust me, its a lot harder than it looks. I didn't win any weaving contest for sure. The little girl working with the older women could have weaved circles around me. But I tried!



We are back up to 3 healthy people again, which is a good thing because I was getting lonely at the dinner table there for a while.

There is definitly no shortage of people, coconut trees, boats or rice patties on this lake. It's been amazing to watch the people go about their daily routines as we float down the lake. The ever present SLAP, SLAP, SLAP of women banging there laundry on stones. Seeing kids taking their daily bath, dishes being washed and water being collected. Seeing boat after boat ladened with fish, sand or people. It is a primitive life but absolutely amazing! I think I have over a hundred photos of the before mentioned activities, it just never seems to get old.











Today is our last day to float the river. Tomorrow morning we are back to Alleppey and begin our back-track to Delhi.

I finished the only book I brought with me a couple days ago (thanks to our 3 hours on the tarmac waiting to leave Delhi) and I wish I would have brought another one. (The Kite Runner)

It has started to rain lightly--a pleasant change in atmosphere. But the air now feels heavy and their is a non-existent breeze. My entire body seems to be covered by an invisible film and I would love to take a cold shower and enjoy some a/c, ain't gonna happen! I am looking forward to getting back to the cooler weather of Delhi.

After playing and losing big at poker once again, we went to bed for the last time on our lounge around, read all day, watch movies, chat into the night, take a million pictures, boating adventure!

Day 6
We docked back in Alleppey, climbed back into yet another taxi and headed for the Ballard Bungalow. This time our taxi driver had some rather hip tunes to listen to and we got to the hotel in record speed. I'm pretty sure he attended the Nascar-school-of-taxi-driving.

Once in Alleppey we rented our scooters once again and off we went to look at more shops, more Chinese fishing nets, and dead fish. A marlin, shark and barracuda to be exact.














The fisherman selling them were more than happy to hold the fish next to you for a great photo opportunity, and if you are a woman, a quick elbow rub across your breasts. Just one of the sneaky moves in the repertoire of every butt brushing, boob grabbing, loin grinding Indian male desperate to touch a white women. It's pathetic, but unfortunately very common.

We ate dinner at the Brunton Boatyard once again. It was delicious. . . and for the first time in 5 days, no coconut was involved in its preparation!

Day 7
We all had a first-time-ever-experience today when the travel agency called and told us our flight had been pre-poned. What is pre-poned you ask? Well, its when your flight has been moved up an hour, you have to change your plans, turn in your scooters early, and head to the airport.

So we called a taxi and headed out. We boarded our flight to New Delhi, which I'm pretty sure was piloted by the same Nascar-taxi-driver as the day before and we were home in no time.

Back at the airport I was feeling a little feisty and blocked a few aggressive luggage carts from being first to get their baggage (aggressive Indians-100, Kelly-1! Every victory counts!).





As with everything in India, this trip was a once in a life-time experience!

Merry Christmas!

Mo, got on the blog site yesterday and in her most exasperated tone said; "Gosh Mom, why don't you ever blog, it's been like 4 days?"
Sorry, its not like I have a LIFE, I'll get right on that!
Although I would never admit it to her, she was right to chastise me, sometimes I do go a little too long between postings.

We have been busy getting ready for Christmas, although I have to admit it took me a while to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm convinced that Growing up in Utah has ruined me for life. If I don't have snow for Christmas well--its just not Christmas. You would think that after years of living in places like Egypt and Florida that I would be used to it by now, but alas, I believe it is inbred and there is no hope for me. It doesn't help that the last few years in Virginia we had snow. But once again, I am forced to face a snow-less Christmas; and the idea of not having a cup of hot chocolate after a crazy afternoon of sledding just doesn't seem right.

But what made Christmas particularly hard to face this year was not the lack of cold weather, but the deep sense of longing I feel for my family at this time of year. The older I get the more I miss the idea of a Christmas at home. Whenever I hear or sing "I'll be home for Christmas" it seems to strike a particularly sensitive cord deep inside.

For me, family is one of the most important meanings of Christmas. At this time of year, as Christmas starts to creep in, slowly at first, unnoticed on the heels of Thanksgiving, the longing for loved ones overwhelms me, catching me off guard and I am seldom prepared for its impact.

So, it is my Christmas wish, to all my friends and family this year, that you know what a powerful impact your presence is in my life. No matter how far apart we are, my life would never be as rich or full of joy, if you were not apart of it! If it were possible I would list each of you by name and tell of the many ways you have influenced my life and made me a better person for having known you, for having been your sister, your daughter or your friend. But it would take me a life-time to compile it, so for now, wherever you are, please accept my sincerest gratitude for all that you are, and all that you have done to enrich my life!

May God bless each and everyone of you with the gift of peace and the knowledge of my love!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To Answer Your Question. . .

. . . of course I made that soccer-if-ic birthday cake!!

. . . no, we are not getting any more bunnies. One sad bunny story is enough for this Momma.

. . . Mo, doesn't kiss the boys, so you don't have to worry about her getting her braces stuck, Grandpa!!

. . . no, we didn't buy a Kashmire carpet. Even as cheap as you can buy them here it is still a large chunk of change!

. . . I know the extra half hour in the time difference doesn't seem right, but it is.

. . . the inside of my house is pretty much square, nothing fancy or elaborate but comfortable.

. . . no, we don't have a dishwasher, but we do have a washer & dryer.

. . . yes, banana's do grow upside down. or is it right side up, whose to say!

. . . to buy the paper mache items, tell me approx. what you want and send me the $. If you bank at AFCU transfer it to my account and Vwallah!

. . . your not a chicken!

. . . no, earthquakes are not a regular occurrence in India.

. . . we are betting that R gets tapeworm first!

. . . no, I really haven't had diarrhea since Easter, that was a quote from Nacho Libre, one of the most quotable movies ever made! Look for more of them throughout my blogs, if something doesn't sound right--its probably Nacho!

"Get that corn outta my face!"

Pushkar Day 2 & 3

I know you've all been anxiously sitting by your computers waiting for the sequel postings on Pushkar; and I'm happy to say, its finally here! :)

I apologize for grouping day 2 & 3 together but when I sat down to blog the last two days I had a hard time distinguishing what happened on which day. . . as my good friend always says; "I think my brain is dripping out my ears!"

Day 2 began with an early morning wake up call once again for a sunrise camel ride.

I thought we were going to ride up a mountain to watch the sunrise. But it was more like riding around the desert for an hour until we ended up on a hill to watched the sun rise over the mountain. It could have been disappointing, but for so many reasons it wasn't. Riding the camel with Mishy was a lot of fun, and watching everyone huddled together atop their camels warding off the early morning chill, was well worth while.

After breakfast we scrambled back into our camel carts and headed for the village (Nacho, we see you from dee billage), where we hiked around the crowded streets, all 100 + of us. To say we stuck out like a sore thumb is probably an understatement and I could see the merchants and vendors licking their lips in anticipation. As if they were a hungry school of fish, and us, the fat, juicy worm dangling from a hook.


(Just in case your wondering what she's carrying on her head...its poop.)

We first wound our way through the fair and to the
Pushkar Lake at the heart of the city where thousands pilgrimage every year to bath in the lake.

After the lake, we walked towards the temple but as we got closer the crowd became overwhelming. I was beginning to fear for our safety or at the very least, of getting swept away by the current of the crowd. So we ducked into a little alley way throwing elbows as we went, where we regrouped and headed back into the crowd. This time going the opposite direction, in hopes to get down to an area a little less jam-packed. We continued to shop for a while and then met up at our designated meeting spot and once again travelled back to the fort by camel cart.

After lunch Dave, Richard and the older kids went to find out if they could forge the path up a neighboring mountain that had a temple perched on the top. When they returned we headed for the village again to do more looking and shopping. We bought a giant bell and a walking stick.

(Richard buying his walking stick)

We had Mo with us on one of these excursions. Which proposed a bit of a challenge. We encircled her with R & I, Dave and Angela, which she was not happy about, but put up with fairly graciously. Our fear was not that she would be hurt or kidnapped, but because she is young, beautiful and blond, it was more than likely she would get groped by the men or boys in the pressing crowd; and then R would have to go all special-agent on everyone and we didn't want that!

We took a ton of pictures. Everything was an assault to one sense or another. It was great.

The evening wasn't much different than the first night. Same entertainers, same puppet show, and basically the same food.

Day 3 began very early for R, T, & M. They hiked up the temple mountain leaving well before sunrise. They reached the top and took some amazing pictures of the city lights and the sunrise. Not to mention the shots of monkeys, people, and landscape.




After a breakfast of much the same as the two days prior, we spent the morning bathing, packing and getting ready for the long trip home.

The trip home was much like the trip there; a long bus ride followed by and even longer train ride. I finished one book on the train ride there and got a good start on another on the way home. The funnest part of the train ride was standing on the platform that connects the two cars together and looking out the open door watching the landscape blur past. I think had there been a ladder, R would have climbed on top of the train to ride. But alas he wasn't able to. Not because they wouldn't let him, there just wasn't a ladder from any of the open door ways we were looking out--as my friend told me the other day; "OSHA doesn't live here".

We arrived around midnight, exhausted. What a Trip!


Day 2


Day 3