What's that? Oh yes...it is our anniversary. Did you not notice the date???
We got to Kumarakom around noon and boarded our houseboat almost right away. I'd been on one of these houseboats before, when my parents visited me the year I stayed here. And I'd learned that, relative to many Indian accommodations, these houseboats are downright luxurious. You get toilet paper and air conditioning, for one thing. But you also get incredible meals, a truly comfortable bed, and one amazing ride. As far as anniversaries go, I don't know how Brandon and I will ever top this, our first.
We boarded the houseboat and were immediately given coconuts to drink. They say that the purest water on earth comes from inside a coconut. And, although neither of us really likes this "purest water," we took it and made the best of it. Plus, it always makes for cute pictures, standing there holding a coconut!
Once we were settled, we spent the entire afternoon cruising Kerala's backwaters. There really is nothing like it. All around you is water and palm trees. For miles and miles and miles, there is simply nothing else. You might see children playing on the banks, their mothers washing clothes at the edge of the water, or their fathers fishing. But everything is calm and serene, and it all exists as if it were the only place on Earth. Technology is nonexistent; the hurry and bustle of the crowded cities is far, far away; there is just you, your boat crew, and the nature that surrounds you as you slowly cruise down the waterways. And it is absolutely wonderful.
For the entire afternoon, we just let the world go by. They served us fried fish (a Kerala specialty) for lunch and tiger prawns for dinner. We’ve eaten pretty well on this trip, but there have not been any meals like these!!! Plus, you can’t beat the view from this floating restaurant.
We went to bed full and happy, our India trip nearing its end, a full year of marriage behind us, but a lifetime of happiness to look forward to.
As well as we’d slept, it was hard to wake up and get off the boat this morning. But we had another big day ahead of us. We caught a bus from Kumarakom to Kochi, Kerala’s biggest city. Kochi is a place I used to spend a lot of time. It was only about a 45-minute bus ride from Aluva, and I used to go there to shop or just walk around when I felt like getting away. It’s a fantastic place because one part of the city is all tourist sites and quaint shops with old-world charm, where you can buy beautiful souvenirs for next-to-nothing; then, not too far away (a short boat ride and a moderate walk), is a downtown that could be anywhere in the world – big hotels, big stores, big restaurant chains (Pizza Hut, for one).
Brandon and I did all of it today. We started in the old part of town, where we saw a few sites and did some last-minute souvenir shopping. Then we rode the boat to the new part of town, where we walked through the mall, found my favorite bakery (yes, another one), and ended up in a fancy restaurant in a big hotel on the main drag of the downtown. We ate our most expensive meal of our trip there – a fabulous shared entrée of fish curry served over basmati rice and, of course, several beers, all for about 12 dollars. That’s expensive in rupees, but we figured we were still celebrating.
We made it back to Chacko Homes just before they shut the gate for the night, and we are exhausted. Two more thrilling days in India are now a part of our memories forever.
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