Alleppey - it's getting steamy

  Alleppey is the city at the entrance to Kerala's backwaters. As a town, it has little to offer. A ten day festival started when we got there. The main street was decorated with overhead streamers, and all manners of gaudy goodies were sold on both sides. Since we stayed at a hotel in town, we were forced to wake up at 5 AM each morning, as the nearby concert venue and its loudspeakers made sure every each one of the town's citizens got their Hindu music fix.

  We opted out of renting one of the houseboats (the to-do option here), since they were so big and cumbersome they cause river traffic. We failed to see how that could be a magical experience. Instead, we signed up for a day canoe trip. The nifty canoes allowed us to easily navigate some of the smaller canals of the backwaters, and from the sidelines, have a look at village life undisturbed. Although we expected to see some more wild terrain, we liked the peaceful experience. Unfortunately, I messed up some of the settings on the camera, so most of the photos came out too light exposed. There's a reason Pawel takes the pictures most of the time.

Diving for mussels

Laundry - don't we have it easy?

Lunghi instead of pants

Lunch at our captain's

  We decided to spend another day in Alleppey, mainly to avoid the rush of moving from one place to another. Randomly after a brief chat with our hotel host, P was able to rent a motorcycle for 300 rupees ($5). What a deal, we thought, until we got on the road, and were faced with the Indian traffic. Keeping as close to the left as possible in order to allow for maximum room for the crazy bus drivers, we set off for Marari Beach, some 20 km out of town. Unbelievably, the best thing about the ride was the number of people we spoke to, most as we rode side by side. We even got a house invite.

My charming on a mechanical horse :)

  The beach was pretty and quiet, devoid of locals and tourists alike.  P took a quick dip and we headed back. We spent the evening with another Polish couple, who have been traveling for five months, sipping on some Polish Okocim (!) beers, swatting the ever-present mosquitos and exchanging “war” stories.

  The next morning we took a ferry to Kottayam and a bumpy bus to Munnar, known for its tea plantations and spice production.