Coco Bay Resort Kottayam

... Buses here are ridiculously cheap (think just a few cents), but overcrowded and disorganized. With everything in a foreign language, you must rely on asking the right person who must actually understand you as opposed to them saying yes in order to be polite and guiding you to which of the countless identical buses is yours. With a heavy language barrier, this is easier said than done. Luckily the bus is empty by Indian ...

... We finally found the real tourist information centre, a lot of businesses here will advertise themselves as 'tourist information centre' but are just fronts for their private tours. We went in and asked for some information about some well known companies that offer boat trips. But, all the boat staff were on strike because their pay was such a tiny fraction of the total price of a boat tour. We finally ...

... as it is easier to put on and less formal than the Sari. They were able to pick the fabric, the cut, and the collar, everything for about $20 per outfit. I used the time to cruise the town, and despite being the only white guy I saw in 2 hours of walking, I got nothing but smiles and waves, a welcome change from the gawks Anglos garner in some cities. For lunch we all had Thali meals, a south Indian staple. Served on a ...

... tourists walk in. Anyway we made about 40 stops on the way as it is the only form of transport unless you have your own boat or canoe and like I say it was an enjoyable and memorable trip. It cost me 50p too! Kottayam is a bustling town due to its position between the backwaters leading to the sea to the east and the spice, tea and rubber plantations in the hills to the west with the latter being my ...

... nature and protecting nature/biodiversity. However there were no children to teach and few resources. We struggled at first and didn't have a clue what to do, having dashed around like headless chickens for the last month it came as a bit of a shock being in this tranquil quiet setting with only our imaginations to occupy us. I thought i was going to end up mentally deranged by the end of the week- you know what I'm like, I'm not too good at sitting ...

... really untouched. The plane ride was uneventful and the first thing I noticed as we were driving to the boat pick-up was that the men primarily dressed in the traditional diti or sarong that can be converted to shorts but adjusting it..and adjust they do. I thought for sure something was gonna come flying out at some point over the weekend with all the adjusting going on but they must have it down to a science because everything appeared to stay secured. The resort is really off ...

... good. I made friends with an indian girl there in her 20s who told me a woeful tale of not being married because her family couldn't provide a dowry so no man so far had been interested. She was studying engineering I think but working in an internet cafe to fund it. She was very educated and interesting but seemed very bitter. She also warned me to stay away from the local men because apparently they are always looking for rich white women to get them a foreign passport. We agreed ...

... a tea break and i got to finally have some Poori and Idly for brekfast and after a very long (but ok if the truth be told)boat journey i was in Alleppey. I raced off the boat at 6.30 and headed to the bus station straight away - i decided to go straight on as knowhere in the lonely planet looks any good for me here. im off to Ernakulam!

... just really tranquil and beautiful, the sea is warm and theres mild surf you can boogie board or body surf in, its very child friendly, you just have to watch them on the edge of the cliff as its indian style with no rails. Theres lots of yoga bunnies and so on but not the way out hippies (thank god). Lots of food choices. If you decide to join me here fly to Trivindrum, have a sleep and If your not on a tiight budget get an aircon taxi or train and come ...