Kerala is everything the guidebooks say, and more. My 40 hour non-A/C ride was far more bearable than I thought it would be, due to the welcoming presence of several Marathis and Malayalis. I brought my own food, which proved only partly necessary, as food was abundant. It got quite warm the second day, but manageable, and never too crowded.
3 am arrival to Trivandrum, and straight to the lodge, which was conveniently next to the train station. Then we woke up early-ish, got ready and headed to the bus (also next door) for the bus to Kollam (A/C).
There, we met our host, who runs a small guesthouse right on the beach. We dropped off our bags, and headed back to town, to catch a ride to Ashtamudi Lake, and a lake islands tour. Not sure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to see a long canoe/longboat, and a few other foreigners. We delicately boarded, and then our guide and canoe driver pushed off the banks with his pole and we proceeded on a lazy 3-hour trip through the backwaters, stopping for tea, fresh coconut water, and several inquisitive young children.
Tonight, on the beach. Tomorrow, we board a ferry for Amrithapuri, for some full body contact with Amma, then on to Alleppey.
So my week-long do-nothing vacation is about to end, as tomorrow I depart for Kerala, in the south of India. I’m taking the train, and will have 40 hours to kill in a non-A/C car. Here’s hoping Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a highly fascinating book.
I’ve spent the past week in Ahmedabad, the biggest city in Gujarat. It’s where my mom grew up (for the most part) and where my closest relatives on her side live. The house used to be a small village outside of town, but “town” has quickly grown to encompass the villages as suburbs. When you look at a map of Ahmedabad, Ranip is now on it as part of the city.
Gujarat has gone hard-core commercial. Shopping complexes, cinemas (71 at last count), and all the various accoutrements are easy to find, at least in Ahmedabad. It’s always been a big bustling area, but now even more so.
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