Coir Village Lake Resort Alappuzha

... had some drinks and got caught up on some reading. It was so nice to have a day when we were forced to do nothing at all. I think we could all use a week like that!

That night we played some cards and enjoyed each others company. We were still at the card table when our ships captain came in and told us that it was bedtime. We thought he was letting us know that he was heading to bed and would not be available to get us anything ...

... J Well all the guides books said that a Kerala boat stay would be the most expensive thing you’ll do in India but worth ‘every damn rupee’ and they’re right. For the princely sum of £30 quid each we have a 80ft beautiful straw houseboat for 24hrs, with three staff to tend to our every whim….
We were a bit lazy and got a 2hr rickshaw ride here over exactly the same roads we went down on the ...

... us some cake, which immediately became our first snack on the boat.

We parked the boat and had lunch a little while after setting off. Lunch was served on a big banana leaf, as is common in Kerala. The cook had made a lot of different dishes that were all good and the best part was that nearly everything had some taste of coconut in it. There was more than enough food, and after eating, we were ready to go back on the water again. We waited a ...

... bare til. Vi lavede ikke andet end at slappe af og nyde udsigten. En udsigt som faar naturelskere som os til at tabe vejret. Smukke groenne rismarker, palmer blomster og fugle. Ved flodbredden kunne man foelge med i indernes hverdagsliv. Kvinderne som vasker toej, maendene som fisker, folk paa marken der hoester. Det var fedt. Om aftenen naar vi lagde til fik vi rig mulighed for ...

... expensive and cater to honeymooners. Just what I need during the holidays..."Yes, a table for ONE please". So Lakshadweep is the next best thing to the Maldives...I hope! They are still expensive to visit but I'm making this my holiday present to myself. Hey, don't judge, I'm sure you give yourself a ...

... tabla players. We also took part in a 5 day ayurvedic workshop, taught by ayurvedic doctors who hold masters degrees, giving us some introductory exposure to ayurvedic dietary, lifestyle, hygiene and yoga habits which are meant to improve our physical and mental health. The end of the workshop was celebrated with a wonderful ayurvedic meal served on the floor on banana leaves. Along with a couple ...

... on than an ancient Egyptian. Next they move you to a table ...yes they, there two of them. There is no towel on the table and they use a lot of oil. The fun begins when they flip you over and repeat exactly what they did on the other side. For those of you who have had professional massages, they repeat exactly what they do on the back on the front. They had such a rhythm going and I was so greased up I thought any minute I was gonna fly off the table, out the window and into ...

... had not seen her since she was 7. As you can imagine this was a very special time for Ros. We then drove to a nearby town and visited the parents of some Indian friends we have in the Gold Coast. They were very hospitable to us. All in all, a very special day. At noon the next day we boarded a houseboat for an overnight stay on the backwaters around Alleppey. Very relaxing and lived up to all the reports that one reads about such trips. The meals were amazing.

... was right and that a public space and a holy festival wasn't safe for even the strongest and most resilient of women. We all felt this way. And at the same time, by being aware of our feelings we all silently mastered them, put them aside and brought ourselves back into our bodies. As we walked back towards a restaurant, hoping beyond hope it'd be open, we stopped at one of the Rounds most common wall advertisements. It's a picture of a man in the most form fitting ...

... religious artefacts from churches in the area, mostly now destroyed having been used for stategic military purposes. Still standing, however, was the St Francis Church, believed to be the first church built by Europeans in India, and was the initial resting place of Vasco de Gama before his body was moved back to his native Lisbon fourteen years later. From the ceilings hang huge sail-like fans; a very sweaty crew had to pull constantly ...