Aagaman Inn Homestay Alappuzha

... point out that ferry is perhaps too grand a word for an archaic wooden tug like floating vessel thing that seats about 40 squashed up but probably carries 140. Anyway the powerful ferry bloke barked back in glee “9.30 cancelled, wait 11.30”. Not something that we had anticipated foolishly enough but it did pose us with a big problem in order to get to Kottayam on time. Thinking fast, err well, trying to think, I looked up bus times (no luck ...

... fog and rain, and to view some building plots………8 of us also spent an afternoon in Vega land. It wasn’t bad for an amusment park –some of the rides were pretty dire ,and I’d love to see how people would react to Thorpe Park or alton towers. But, as with most of India, it’s the whooping atmosphere and journey that’s half the fun. Conor’s hair did ...

... lake (Vembanad) in Kerala and descended into the famed backwaters. Floating down the river was very peaceful and the breeze was much better than any A/C. The Lonely Planet Guide to India has this in one of their top ten things to do before you die list and I (Aman) would have to agree. We all agree with that statement. It is almost like meditating. The scenery is amazing and the atmosphere serene. We've encountered hoards of beautiful animals. In ...

... if we would be interested in hiring his houseboat (we weren't falling for that trick again after our camel-riding episode in Jaisalmer), we politely excused ourselves from the book of comments and images we had thrust in our laps upon arrival and headed into town to scope out other options. The next day we were picked up by our houseboat operators and taken to a small canal where a boat, shaped as an old rice barge was waiting ...

... Saudi tanker taken 400 miles off the Kenya coast at Mombasa). On the walk Matthew explained the originis of the caste system. The Brahmins, of Aryan origin, invented it, with themselves at the top and there were only 4 castes. Then they discovered the tribals, who became the untouchables. That whole system is dead in Kerala. He attributes this to the Christian missionaries who came and educated the people the ...

... and the character factor had gone significantly up as we entered the more historical area of town. Checked into my home stay, got a good whiff of incense, and basically collapsed for about 5 hours. Wandered a bit after I woke up, did some essentials, ATM, water, bookstore (found my India guide!) and had masala chai and veggie samosas at the Teahouse a local place that could have been right in San Fran! Globalization.

... bored of hitting the main stays on the tourist route, we were constantly spotting people who we'd seen as far back as Kovlam! A few highlights: - Picking out lobster, prawns and white snapper for a few quid and getting it all grilled out on a platter for a nightime guzzle. - Yacht trip, kind of a highlight but it was overpriced for what it is, which i think, is a glorified boat ride, vague dolphin spot and breif dip in the ocean which turned out to be a ...

... for some hard stuff, a cheap bottle of Indian scotch. Ooty to Cochin --> The trip from Ooty to Cochin saw us back down the hill, through inumerable villages, dotted amongst the valleys and undulating landscape.. Despite the small size of many places, they still managed to exude "Indianness" with their pace and frantic nature.. More unforgettable tea plantation and valley views were on offer as we slipped into dawn.. (At this juncture I have to profess my undying love ...

... from laughing as I envisioned a troop of monkeys routinely terrorizing this man's household. But then again as is always the case in these hard to understand situations you never can be too sure what is happening. It was around this point that I noticed a series of fireworks lighting up the night sky off in the distance. There were a number of other locals milling about and they told me that there were Hindu festival celebrations going on in a ...

... of town we asked him why we weren't seeing the sites on our itinerary, he responded with a "Yes, sir. Ok, sir." Puzzled and a little frustrated, we found ourselves being escorted to the next town on our itinerary without even seeing the sites of Cochin. What was all that talk about everyone knowing English in the South, I thought to my self. This was going to be interesting. Well, we arrived in Munnar, an amazing mountain-top town about four hours after we left Cochin. As we ...