Kerala

The last few days have been wonderfully relaxing. After leaving Pondicherry, we went to the tip of the Indian subcontinent at Kayakumari. It was a beautiful place but alas, I was sick! Very sick in fact. On the sleeper train from Pondicherry to Kanyakumari I was vomiting, sleeping on the floor near the bathroom(and if you saw the floor near the bathroom you would know what a grave statement that is), and getting about an hour of sleep. Luckily, I was able to get better relatively quickly and was able to go out for the sunset in Kanyakumari where it is said that three seas converge.

Since then, however, I have had an idyllic vacation. We were in the touristy but beautiful beach town of Varkala before we headed to Kollam to do a houseboat cruise for two days and two nights. The houseboat was absolutely luxurious by our standards. The boat itself was amazing relaxing with just the other four people I am traveling with staying on it. There was a lounge deck and a second story sun deck. There was also a crew of three including a cook who made us all our food for the three days on the water. The authentic Keralan food was a real treat. It was wonderful to just sit on the houseboat, sleep, read, talk with propel, and swim in the backwaters. We even climbed and jumped off of a palm tree that was twenty feet up hanging over the backwaters. One of the best memories was dinner. We were eating some amazing food with an oil lamp for light listening to the ocean waves in the distance and the Muslim's call to prayer. We were docked on the banks of the river and fireflies were making the crowded palm trees and tropical fauna sparkle. Then we sat on the roof and looked up at what seemed like an endless amount of stars. It was fantastic...

I am now in Cochin, one of the largest cities of Kerala. It is a weird but delightful little town that seems more European than Indian. It used to be a Portuguese and Dutch fort station so there is a heavy Catholic and mercantile tradition. But the atmosphere is relaxed. I walk outside of my hotel to see scores of young men playing cricket in an open field and then go get some coffee from an outdoor cafe. It is a really nice change of pace from th crowded and noisy atmosphere of Delhi streets.

We will lave for Goa tomorrow evening and we will stay there for four days before heading to Mumbai. So far it has been a great trip.