Thekaddy to Allepey -- Kerala trip continues!

Thursday, January 27

We left our hotel after listening to an INTENSE rain storm this morning – 2 hour downpour – it sounded so good and of course the air smelled fabulous afterward. Our first real rain since October! We’ll no doubt experience more than enough of that in Londontown.

I had a fabulous chickpea curry and Indian bread breakfast, tried the steamed bananas. It changes the flavor so they’re less sweet. I’ll stick to the unmolested fruit.

Ramu says steamed bananas are a popular late morning snack here.

We stopped at a spice garden for a very cool impromptu tour by someone who works there. He walked us around the garden and showed us a wide variety of flowers and plants. Seems like everything grows here – coffee bean trees, cocoa bean trees, huge lemons, baby pineapples (miniatures), 24 varieties of bananas (one decorative, the rest edible), lady slipper flowers, touch-me-nots (the leaves actually curl and move away from you when you touch tem), begonias, orchids, gardenias, candlesticks, vanilla beans, cardamom and so much more. Kids enjoyed it as the guide picked flowers for them, had us smell various plants and the garden cat appeared here and there for entertainment.

He told us some of the medicinal uses for various plants and vegetables and shared information regarding harvesting some. Vanilla, for example, is rather involved – must help pollinate, requires some boiling and drying in specific ways – laborious and time consuming, hence the expense.

Cocoa and coffee beans are similarly laborious to produce.

We saw plants that are good for blood sugar problems, others for stomach ailments, colds, etc.

On the road again, we wound our way down the mountain, enjoying incredible views all the way – oh the colors of green, incredible rock formations on the mountains and lush, deep valleys. We stopped for cheap tea at a roadside stand – according to Ramu, good tea, good price – 62 rupees for ½ kilo – he bought 2 bags too as he’s a tea drinker. (Indians consume a lot of tea – though I’m told coffee is more common to drink in Kerala than in other states.)

Ramu also said there’s more money in Kerala in general – higher value crops (coffee, rubber, tea, spices). Landowners are very wealthy. We saw some of their homes (very nice). He said that tea plantation owners fly over with their helicopters to "check on their crops" periodically.

Ramu also said many people from Tamil Nadu come to Kerala to work in the fields as it’s harder to get Kerala people to do so – he said fewer people here live in grass huts as in Tamil Nadu, where rice is a lower value crop and standard of living is lower.

There are more Christians in Kerala too; they don’t follow the caste system and have love marriages. Caste is in the Hindu system – he said some form of it exists in Islam – arranged marriages, etc.

We saw many churches in our travels, some on Tamil Nadu, too, more in Kerala – lots of small chapels and statues of the Virgin Mary on hilltops and mountainsides. All seemed to be well taken care of, painted in white or bright colors.

Ramu left his wallet when he stopped for a coke; thankfully a few kilometers away he received a call fro someone who’d found it so we made a beeline back.

For lunch we stopped at a village and Ramu took us to a Tamil restaurant, one he hits regularly. All veg. Again, not a tourist stop so we got plenty of looks and excellent food – vegetable sauces and rice for him and me. They pour curd or buttermilk over both sometimes; that I haven’t tried given my intolerance for milk (unless it’s melted butter on toast, ice cream or warm milk for my coffee!).

I think Ramu has figured out that it’s good to take us to local lunch spots as he gets his meal paid for when we eat with him. Given the bill was 100 Rupees (roughly $2) for all 4 of us, no complaints on my end. Kids had their fill of rice and chapatti. We all had 7-up – Ramu said he avoids local water when traveling as the variation in water causes stomach upset.

On the subject of bottled water, of which I buy a lot here, the cost range kills me. Same size/type of water can cost 13 rupees or 150 rupees…

After lunch we attempted, in vain, to get more liquid car sickness medicine – stopped at 2 Indian shops – street front affairs. Kills me how they’re “organized” – boxes and bottles stuffed in here and there. (This can be said of numerous shops here; they use every inch of space, send someone up a steep set of stairs or ladder to retrieve all kinds of merchandise, different sizes, etc., dropping them down through holes, unwrapping merchandise madly, making a huge mess that of course is all folded nice and neatly for next customer merchandise explosion).

Re: the pharmacy stores – owners generally go right to the spot for the goods they’re seeking – organized chaos, I guess.

We were dropped off at a canal to go to our hotel, the Lake Palace. Only way there is via boat as it’s on an island. We had the whole shuttle to ourselves so we sat up top to enjoy the view – many homes line the canals with stone walls/walkways around and people moving about in small boats of all shapes and sizes – rafts, canoes, etc. Lots of lily pads and other plants on the surface of the water, and many cool house boats (they look Chinese to me).

Our hotel was very nice – new with lovely grounds – a pool in the middle of a pond. We got a tour via golf cart on the way to our room, nicely situated near the water and overlooking the pool. Recreation center, spa, workout facility, etc.
Our first stop was the pool; we were the only people in swimsuits. Thirty Indian people were milling around watching us – they looked like a fabric store with all those saris. No doubt we looked nude to them.

Shortly after 5 we headed out for a sunset cruise; kids perched on the “roof” in front of the window until rain chased us undercover (back deck and inside were protected from the rain).

As we relaxed on board we saw lots of families washing dishes and bathing along the waters’ edge – lovely views of the sun setting through the clouds.

At one point I glanced down to check on Claire, who was moving between decks (small craft with a very congenial staff). And low and behold she was driving the boat! Ava took a short turn at it as well – both had lots of fun on board.