The Lake Village Resort Kottayam

... bright pink, yellow and orange daisy’s. Kerry said her laughter from the dressing room was heard throughout the store. She came back with a Jockey camisole and some shorts which made the perfect bathing costume.

After the swim we went to the hotel bar called Fahrenheit. It was hot - but not because of the action. It was empty when we walked in and the lonely server sprang up to turn on some lights and the giant TV. We ...

... two musicians, a subtle acknowledgment of their pleasure and enthusiasm for the others performance. I found this particularly warming, and was delighted to see these guys enjoying their music and the fluidity of their performance. This was a masterclass of improvisation, a real inspiration. After a day or two we bumped into our friend from Canada, Chad, who we first met in Hampi, a few weeks back. It's always nice when this happens, especially as he had ...

... down into the water. It was amazing to see how vast the waterways really are. It was amazing to see the flora and fauna, granted most of the fauna was birdlife, but nonetheless the scenery was gorgeous. After three hours of cruising through the Keralan backwaters we found ourselves pulling off to the side of the river and lining the boat up with one of those staircases that led down to the water. The ...

We stopped at Allaphey to break up the journey between Varkala and Fort Cochin. Like Kottayam it's a backwater place where you can hire the big house boats. They are pretty luxurious and cost a few thousand rupees to take one out for the day. Some even have Jacuzzis. Paul and I agreed that they were pretty garish things so we decided on the local ferry . We stayed in a really nice heritage hotel, a former doctors home, it ...

... community, with lots of people wandering about, many of them wearing white robes, which was a little un-nerving. We went to the international office where we checked in, read and agreed to the many rules and went to find our room, which was in a huge pink tower block, not unlike an inner-city housing estate you may find in Britain. The accommodation had been described as simple but clean, which was certainly true. The beds were metal bunks (although fortunately we weren't ...

... whether customers ever survive long enough to become regulars), and the menus on offer are often severely limited. Secondly, it's ridiculously hot. (I can only apologize to my Indian hosts for the ridiculous amount of sweat that I've deposited in their beautiful country.) And thirdly, there are very few other western travellers or tourists around outside the resorts. Kollam isn't the worst place in which to find oneself with a day to kill. The ...

The final destination of our trip was Kerala, south India. We spent some time in Cochin looking around the town including the Synagogue before heading down the coast on an interesting bus ride to Alleppy. From Alleppy we took a houseboat for a night, which was a treat with a boat for 2 (plus 3 crew). We lounged on deck, played cards ...

... Before I close, thought I'd share some of the things I've learned so far so here is my own version of a top ten... Top Ten Things I've Learned So Far: 10. It's great to reunite with good friends...doesn't matter how long it's been or where you are, it's so easy to pick up where you left off and have a great time. 9. A whining kid, in ANY language, on a long flight is an ANNOYING kid. 8. Katie and Todd are great - yes, they are still very much getting ...

... on some pavements in Kerala without falling into a hole or stumble over the body of somebody who is sleeping 3. less beggars/richer We haven't seen many beggars, not even in the bigger cities like Kochin or Kottayam. Maybe it's because of the lack of temples. Or maybe people are richer in Kerala. At least prices are higher, since a liter of water costs about 15% more than in Tamil Nadu. 4. wetter It has been raining for some time now in Kerala, and we are ...

We had another long breakfast att he same cafe as yesterday, I was franticlly trying to catch up with my journal for my entries from NZ so I could post it home, and the others were doing some reading. We then caught a rickshaw to Matancherry Palace, where there were some impressive frescoes. the one that particularly sticks in my mind was of Krishna, pleasuring 8 maidens with his ...