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Sunday 10 April 2011
We set off from the luxurious Tea Bungalow for the fishing village of Mararikulam -about 56km south of Kochi!
Interesting drive thru rural Southern India - more comfortable if u don't look out the front window and watch the on coming traffic!!
After an hour or so we arrived at the Fishermans Village Resort .... and realized we had plummeted from the lofty heights of the Tea Bungalow!!!
We changed rooms three times until Sabbie settled on the room with a outdoor gravel shower ... which didn't turn out to be such a highlight ... Lol!!
Once we settled in and walked the few paced to the beach, realizing it was a dangerous but very beautiful beach ... fringed with palm trees and white sands ... :((( but maybe not so good for swimming - no Bondi rescue boys here!!
So I booked a massage ... Lol wait for it... Yes it was a total Indian experience ... I knew when big mama said strip off completely in her limited words of English she knew ... as a sat on the stool naked .. while she massaged my head, patted me like a dog, thrust my head into her ample breasts ... I knew I was not in any fancy day spa ... perhaps indecisiveness on my behalf as to whether she was using cooking oil or sump oil was also an indication of my joy ... but really when I progressed off the stool and on to the black vinyl covered bed the fun began ... and in my slick state I had to hang onto the bed tightly so as not to find myself launched through the window by my enthusiastic masseuse!!
Well the next 45 minutes consisted if every and I mean every inch of my body being pinched, rubbed and squeezed!! Lol!!!
THEN, after I paid and left the bungalow tightly wrapped in a skimpy towel ... feeling like an oil slick - I bump into justine, mike, david, Jenny and Rosie - who had just arrived from 24 hours travel ... yes what do they say about first impressions??? Me in a skimpy towel was probably one they could do with out first up!!!
Joseph the manager, who had been really REALLY friendly .. I was the only one to get the call from Joseph saying .." dial 111 for ANYTHING you want madam... anything!!" lol!!
We gad lots of beers, catching up with our friends who had just arrived .. then ordered dinner ... which in typical Indian style was an ordeal in itself!!!
Let me say eventually we all ate something that possibly resembled what we ordered .. but I have to say two prawns on a plate do look lonely ... lol!!
Monday 11 April
Up early to walk down the beach to watch the fishermen bring in the prawn nets from the bigger boats ... what a hive of activity ... more activity involved carefully dodging all the turd piles on the beach ... ah ... So that's what all those men are doing crouching in the sand .... lucky I had already decided I wasn't going to swim here!! I've never seen so many naked arses at one time ... and all before coffee :((
Spent most of the morning swinging in a hammock ...listening to the waves crash in .. pleasant really! Hmmm ..... G & T would make it perfect ... lol ... "WAITER"!!!
Tuesday 13 April
Transferred to our houseboat and plunged back into luxury ... which we are becoming accustomed too!!! The houseboats have three bedrooms with ensuites and a large area at the front to eat, drink and watch India go by ... which is exactly what we did!!
We saw lots of people paddling by as we slowly motored up the backwaters of Kerala as we drank beers, paused to buy prawns for our dinner ... Come 6pm all the mothers were soaping up their children in the river, some were furiously slapping their washing on rocks and others busily preparing the dinner.
Our dinner was a feast if so many dishes all great! We washed it all down with blackberry mead wine ... Gin & Tonic ... beers and neat whisky Ken brought from Scotland!! Big day!!
We moored for the night and woke to the gentle sounds of the morning ... which sadly included blaring Bollywood music from 5.30am!!! Shrug .. one can't have everything!!!
- comments
Patricia Seymour always such fun reading your travel stories - they are never dull. Kepp sending them thru. U know I always like to travel with you via my armchair!
Lyn Do customs eye you off with suspicion when ever to pass thru these days? Can't wait to hear the unabridged version.