Backwaters

Day 251-The train ride was great and after a good sleep, I didn't have anymore crazy thoughts about wanting to go home. What was I thinking anyway? We arrived in Alleppey, Kerala in the early afternoon and checked into our simple and cheap room at Johnson's. 

We took the less expensive option by declining AC and it was probably one of the worst decisions we'd made on the trip. The thing about AC is that 'you don't know you need it until you neeeeeeed it!' It's really difficult to explain how hot it was but let's just say I was a constant puddle of sweat. 

I needed more internet time so I found the one spot listed on google that said they had good internet. Dad's Cafe. We searched... high and low. Two tuk tuks and a hot walk later and we still couldn't seem to find it. Nobody had ever heard of it! Although, this was a great chance to see the town we'd be spending the next few days in and it was beautiful. Not to mention my health meter was the highest it had been in a week.

Canals filled with bright green water were a lovely surprise as we explored the city. 

It felt like we had stepped out of India and into a tropical Amsterdam that had been taken over by Indians. The vibe was chill and it seemed we were getting further and further away from the hustle of Delhi. 

We decided to forget the search for Dad's Cafe and instead took a tuk tuk to the beach in hopes of finding a spot with coffee, wifi and AC. On our way, I caught a glance of a cafe out of the corner of my eye but we were well on our way to the beach. Mike walked around when we arrived and determined that there was nothing available so we asked the driver to take us back the way we came. He stopped at the cafe I'd spotted on the way to the beach and lo and behold, it was Dad's Cafe. DAD we found you!! (insert wide eyed emoticon here)

We both couldn't believe the chances and walked into the cafe. The decor was trendy, they had AC, the smell of fresh coffee filled the air and most of all, the wifi was the fastest and most reliable wifi we'd experienced to date in India. It was obviously meant to be. What a find! Turns out the dad who owns it, also works for one of India's most well known tele communications companies, which is why the wifi was so good. We stayed late, uploaded photos, movies and caught up with the family.

Day 252-Alleppey, Kerala is known for their numerous lakes and lagoons that connect to create long chains of canals. Our reason for coming to Kerala was to experience these famous backwaters. We hadn't booked a boat because like the houseboat rentals of Halong Bay, we had heard many horror stories of the boats condition and we wanted to see the product before we paid. Based off of the suggestion of a fellow blogger, we went to the docks in the morning with the intention of finding a boat that we liked for a same day departure. As soon as we arrived, we had many men trying to bring us to their boat, all saying what a great deal we would get. As per the blog tips, we looked at three different boats, walked on them and saw them with our own eyes, discussed a price and then chose our favourite. We went with a boat called 'Why Not?' and it was definitely one of the nicer boats parked at the docks. We paid $160 for one night and two days on the beautiful backwaters with all the meals included. We went home, packed our bags and went back to start our trip. 

Lovely bathroom. 

                          

We were given two coconuts to start the journey and off we went. We put on some Indian inspired music by Desert Dwellers, turned the volume to max and let the sounds wash over us as we departed on another great adventure.

Being that it was off season, we didn't have to share the water with too many other boats and it was truly peaceful and serene. The only other boat in sight was the local fishing boat you see below. 

Lunch was served shortly after. Every meal we received while on the boat was an assortment of  delicious local treats. 

                         

After lunch we went upstairs to the viewing deck to enjoy our surroundings from up high.

How could this be India, it was just so different from anything we'd seen, up to this point.

Mike smoking a stogie with a beer in hand and the world at his feet.  

Great spot to read a book. 

I got an idea for a photo from our friends at Breathe in Life and it was time to create some magic.

Whoaaa hang on Mike that wind is out of control!!!!

We stopped for a break and went for a swim. 

We parked the boat along some rice fields for the night and spent the rest of our time much like the day. Reading, relaxing, eating and talking about life. 

As the sun started to set we took a walk along the rice fields and admired the perfect beauty of our location.

                        

Day 253- We woke up after a solid sleep and began our transition back to land. 

The two day, one night option that we chose for the house boating trip definitely satisfied our hunger for nature. If money was no option we would have loved to go for another night, which would have taken us deeper into the backwaters but for what we could afford, the experience was perfect. 

We took a tuk tuk from the docks and went straight to Dad's Cafe. We had no hotel booked and we were in no rush to get anywhere, so we spent the day at Dad's using the trustee internet. There was a wedding happening next door and about a dozen kids stood in the window behind Mike staring at me for a good portion of the day. It seemed that most of the kids came from their villages to attend the wedding with their parents and many had never seen a foreigner before. They made their many rounds into Dad's to say hello and use the little english they had until they would get shy and run back outside. More than anything they kept asking me to take photos of them.... that's one thing any traveller in India will notice right away.... Indians love taking photos, especially when their in them. Their selfie game is on point! 

                      

Eventually, Dad had to ask them to stay outside because they were coming in and out so much that we couldn't get anything done. So I went outside and took one last photo...or two...or three, four, five.

We had made quite the impression on Dad and Dad's dad for that matter. So much so that he even went home to make us some fresh samosas. To thank them for their generosity, we promised to promote their new coffee shop online. Dad's Cafe, best Wifi and Coffee in Kerala. 

Day 254- After some breakfast and coffee at Dad's Cafe, we hopped on a local train to take us to our next destination. It cost us a whopping 60 cents for a one hour journey. 

We really didn't know much about our next spot other than they had a famous Jewish settlement there and it was near the airport. What else would we find?