Orchid Residency Kottayam

... small waterway - maybe only 12 feet across. There we saw people going about their daily lives, uninterested and unbothered by us. Some were bathing or sitting out in their yards enjoying the day. Women were at the waterside pounding their laundry against large rocks.

Along the way we saw several canoes and a few houseboats with tourists. Hundreds of egrets were watching for fish in the canals and rice paddies. Water lillys with ...

... beds, as fresh coffee was about to be served. We sailed back to port, eating our breakfast, taking in the last of our surroundings, longing for another twenty two hours. This has been one of our most memorable days so far and lived up to all expectations. We will definitely return here for another trip one day and will be recommending this to everyone we meet who is planning a trip to kerala. As it happens, we will be back on the ...

Sunday July 13th Today I woke up late- some of the other students elected to go to a Catholic mass at the old church across the river, but being neither ecumenically minded nor an early riser (it started at 7:30) I elected to sleep past it. Afterwards we sat around and had a bit of breakfast and I had my first real passion fruit, which was a neat experience. We then took a stroll around some of the ...

... all my photos and entries as a word document and shall have a day of mass updating very soon, giving y'all(there's a Texan in our group, it's contagious :) plenty of literature and pictures to enjoy. In the meantime, know that I am well and missing all of you! Take care and check back now and then! Love and Namaste always, Morgan

... there is a proper order, but I don't know it-all I know is that curd comes last) or all at once onto the rice, saving halwa for dessert. Mix with the fingers of your right hand. You know you always wanted to eat finger food, and you've finally arrived at a place where it's considered good manners to do so! 3. Scoop up mouthfuls of rice/curry mixture, with or without the help of a chappati. You ...

Hugh: We had to get up early to get away from Varkala. From the nearby town of Kollam there is a daily boat that travels up the backwaters to Allepey. To get to Kollam in time for the boat we had to get an auto to Varkala train station, a train to Kollam, then another auto to the pier. On leaving the guesthouse, I literally had a tug-of-war with the porter who seemed adamant that he would carry my bag to the road, from where we would hail an auto. I knew that he would want paying ...

... buses dont have boots to put your bag like good auld bus eireann - actually they have no where to put them except on yourself adding to the squeeze! However, there is something magical about having the breeze of Indian (warm humid) air blowing through your hair (rememebr-no windows), weaving in and out from other insane bus drivers and truckers and watching the coconut and banana trees soak up the heat. After 4 ass-numbing hours (by now the bus was ...

... what looks like a rash all over my carves, ankles and feet. On inspection it is about 100 medium sized massivly itchy red bites. I have mozzie bites on my arms too but not in such density so I think this was some other evil little thing who decided it was feast time. So far Kerala is nice, chilled out, with nice lagoons and people but the mozzies here are the worst I have ever experienced. Tonight the plan is to go and see a local dance festival thing, will let you know how this goes...

... saw the unhindered spread of the water hyacinth (aka African moss or Nile cabbage) which clogs many stretches of the canals. For lunch we stopped at an island where we ate fish with tappioca, an essentially flavourless starchy ingredient, or fecula, produced from treated and dried cassava (manioc) root and used in cooking. We drank it with Toddy, an alcoholic drink from the coconut tree. On the way we saw a ...

... that up to the middle class Americans who arrived just after us clad in their standard uniform of sunvisor and shorts) who also asked Leah of all people, to do a reading from the bible which was quire an amusing sight, I managed to stifle my giggles so as not offend... :-) So, back to boat for more reading, and food, such regularity of meals, yet having done nothing to deserve them! We chatted into the night and then I scooted off to bed, tired after my day of nothingness.