Kerala - Boating and trekking

After my deeply spiritual experience in Tamil Nadu (*sigh*), I decided that I needed more fun and headed towards Kerala, on the West coast of southern India. The place is reputed for its backwaters: a massive network of canals in the middle of rice fields, fish farms and forest, linking most of the state's coastal towns. This is where I headed first as lots of people had recommended that area to me, starting with Kollam. This is also where I came across Sandra a French girl that I had already met back in Darjeeling and we decided to travel together for a bit. Now, OK, I know, I said I'd put a ban on French people in this trip, but I also said I made exceptions for girls... and only idiots do not change their minds... and I don't care about what you guys think...

We went on several cruises in the backwaters, one on a canoe in Kollam, in the middle of small villages, one on a motor boat in Alleppey, to get a better feel of the bigger backwater environment, and finally, a travel between Alleppey and Kotayam, to get to the hills, as it seemed much better than taking the bus (even though it probably took us twice the amount of time...). In Alleppey, we also saw lots of houseboats where people can spend the night and be catered for by a crew including driver, cook and waiter. This seemed very nice as apparently, they fish for you in the canals and cook the fish for you and the houseboats look extremely comfortable. However, we did not do that stuff as it was very expensive and also because it was very expensive.  

After Alleppey, we headed to the hills in Central Kerala, to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. We went on a trek in the natural park, hoping to be able to spot some wildlife. The trek was very good with an overnight stay in the park, in tents and hikes during the day with guides and an armed forest guard. This also included some bamboo rafting on an artificial lake, and my first encounter with leeches, which are simply a pain in the ass and will  try to stick on your shoes to climb your leg and suck some of your blood anytime you walk in a wet area (which happened quite bit during the trek...). We also where lucky enough to spot some wildlife including wild elephants (they came very close to our camp during the night but could not get access to it due to a deep moat separating us form them), bysons, turtles, monkeys and wild boars. Obviously, the tigers were nowhere to be seem, but it seems they only appear once in a while (usually, guides tell you "three months ago" to keep your expectations low). This was nevertheless very good and I had a lot of fun with the guides and the other members of the group. Being in Kerala was also the occasion to see some Kathakali, a local and traditional form of theater, where actors have their faces fully painted and only communicated by moving their eyeballs (this part was actually quite gruesome), dancing and making signs with their hands. This was a cool thing to see, even though I did not fully understand the story that was depicted (some sort of mythological story with demons and gods). Finally, I had an Ayurveda massage one of the evenings I spent there. This is a full body massage where they use all sorts of essential oils that are meant to clean your body and make you feel better. Now, I did not realize that full body massage actually meant full body and I almost fell from the table when my masseur (an Indian dude...) offered me a happy ending! 

After Periyar, we decided to go the Munnar, a quiet town in the middle of the hills, surrounded by tea fields. You can get some very scenic views just by walking a few minutes out of town. We also went on a bus tour of the region, and whilst it was nice to be able to see the local sights within a day, it was bit rushed up and finally not what we expected. After a short stop in Ooty, another hill station, which allowed us to take a toy train up hill for a 4 hours ride that allowed us to see fantastic landscapes, we decided to head for better climates (the evenings in the hills get really cold and there is nothing much to do outside). New destination: Hampi, in Karnataka, but this is for a future post.

Take care,

Matt

And now, some pics:

View of the backwaters 

On a canoe, in the small canals, near Kollam 

Yeah, I had to survive  for a while in the canals and drink  and eat some coconut... 

The houseboats in Alleppey 

I know, this is just another sunset 

The canals in Alleppey 

The lake in Periyar 

It tried to escape, but we finally caught it after running for a few hours 

Bysons: you do not want to get to close, in case they decide to run towards you...  

These  guys are pretty awesome as well