Puthenpura Tourist Enclave Kumarakom

... ripples in the wake of a disappearing turtle.

Apart from that experience, it was nice to be out of the towns, eating real Keralan food in small restaurants, appams, which are a sort of aerated pancake made out of rice flour, idlis, which are small cakes made out of rice which are used to soak up sambal, and other things which I'm not sure of the name.

Well that's all about Kumarakom, and the next blog will be coming from Kochi.

... and Kate for breakfast (while Claire got a massage) before deciding to spend the rest of the day with the entire group lounging by the pool waiting for checkout time AND for our boat to arrive (supposed to arrive at 11AM...riiiiight). The pool area was welcome relief from the suffocating humid heat and after a while we all left to pack, check out and meet up in the lobby for our boat pick up...at 11AM...riiiight. While we waiting for ...

... discharge waste into the river, and samples show levels of 1.5 million fecal coliform bacteria per 100 mL of water. This figure should be less than 500 in order to be safe for bathing. An initiative to clean up the river by setting up sewage treatment plants and an electric crematorium (more on that later) have been hampered by many problems. The government, at least, has the problem on its radar screen.

... We attended a private school today that beat every one we've been to in its welcome. At the school, when we "alighted from the bus" we were greeted by 10 young female drummers, then asked to follow them (as they drummed) at least 100 meters down a driveway. The procession included us passing by young ladies every meter (!), elegantly attired and bejeweled, each holding a brass dish of fresh flowers. I must have said "Good Morning" 50 ...

... Needless to say, this came out of the 'luxury fund' and it was well worth it, completely rejuvenating jaded palates and spirits. Fort Cochin has a lovely calm atmosphere, reminiscent of Panjim/Old Goa, but even less like hard work, and we really liked it. A great place to recuperate. Tomorrow we are heading south to Alleppey to try and arrange a last-minute backwater cruise during the pre-Christmas rush. Wish us luck. (T&R)

... lunch we had a big plate of king prawns in garlic butter, and one evening we got some tiger prawns and a couple of big blue scampi. Now this didn't look like any scampi we've seen before, and the restaurant wasn't keen on breading and deep frying it, but it was well tasty. Although, it was one of those that it took a good hour or so to eat as there are lots of legs and things that hold delicious flesh, it was well worth it ...

... kilometres, it however pales in comparison to the US and Germany when talking about length of steel per square kilometre. The booking system and demand for railway services is astounding. Previously we have been booking our train journeys through small, local tourist operators, with the requisite 'small' fee. However, as we have mastered this art, we have grown in the strides we are willing to take. Our travels in North India (coming soon) resemble a whirlwind ...

... rare kind that blooms only once in 12 yrs and it bloomed this year:)..Sadly they had already started withering and only a few patches could be spotted at some places.I guessed these small violet coloured flowers would have made an enticing sight had I visited the Rajmalai a month ago...An hour later as we waited for the bus ,the place darkened as the clouds closed upon the sky.Like the curtains falling before a scene change in a play,the weather underwent a sudden change.It had become ...

... we finally got our money back we asked if there was a wait list for the next day and they said we could buy a general class ticket an hour before the 7:30am train. Finally! We went back to the hotel, disgruntled and tired and went to sleep early to rest up for the next day. It would be fair to mention that our time in Colva was spent adjusting to the time difference, the thin line between hospitality and commerce and the reality of unwanted male attention masked by the very loose term ...

... the past few years (sorry mom). I just prefer to be on a beach, away from the bread and circus of the holiday season. Even in the tropics, a Santa hat is not far away these days. I met up with David, an old partner in crime from high school, in Goa. Dave and I lost touch after we went to different schools and he tracked me down a few years ago. I gasped when he told me he spent time with the C.I.A. I was happy to learn that he meant the Culinary Institute of America ...