Breathe in, breathe out . . . and relax

After a leisurely breakfast we were picked up and driven a couple of hours to Pallathuruthy for our trip on a houseboat. Whilst we drove through numerous villages around the rivers of Kerala we saw some wonderful churches, all different and colourful, some massive and bright coloured houses and many plant/garden centres. There was an abundance of coconuts and limes just growing on random trees by the roadside. This appears to be a much wealthier state, despite the hammer and sickle flags that fluttered in some of the villages along the way.

Pallathuruthy is on a river that runs from Vembanad lake and for just over the next five hours we were treated like royalty on our own houseboat. The boat was huge. Downstairs had the area for the boat driver at front, then a large dining area, bedroom, proper and spotlessly clean bathroom including shower and then kitchen and store room. Upstairs was a huge curved, plush cushioned, seating area with enough seating for twelve. There was also a small table for drinks and snacks, and camera lenses of course😉. As there were only the two of us we had plenty of room to move around.

We had two male crew members obviously hired as they know their way around the operation and mechanics of the boat. However one of them was a wonderful cook and I love a man that can cook! Whilst we were supplied with endless bottles of water we were greeted with two coconuts. Granted it doesn’t take much skill to cut the top off a coconut and plonk a straw in it, but the lunch and fresh cooked fruit snacks throughout the journey were superb. These were all traditional Keralan dishes that I had never had before. I have to admit we were a bit concerned as to whether it was a good idea to eat them, but we’ve survived to tell the tale. We saw the huge 3-5 gallon bottles of water in the kitchen and the separate hand washing facilities for the kitchen. We reckon it would be so bad for business if tourists became ill that all these workers are trained thoroughly in food hygiene so it’s safe to eat on these tourist excursions. I’m assuming they didn’t wash their utensils etc in the river like some caterers shown in the photos.

It was a wonderful and relaxing day watching the world go by. And it is a world, a very different world. Clearly there are people that live on the river and by the river in the same way they did generations ago. But they have been touched by the 21st century as there are numerous pylons just rising from the water like modern steel aliens. When you zoom in on some of the photos you’ll see a homemade fishing rod in one hand, and a smartphone in the other! You would expect people to make a living as fishermen here and the paddy fields next to the river are fertile ground and will also provide work for those that live here. As will tourism, which is thriving given the huge number of boats, including some very loud Indian party boats. There were ice cream boats that played an Indian ice cream jingle and speed boats wanting to take you for a speedy ride in the larger areas of open water. They drove like the tuk tuk and rickshaw drivers, no concern for the larger boats and so predictably there was horn honking on the waterways. You will see some huge homes on the riverbank and I’m assuming they are either holiday homes for people from other areas of India or belong to the owners of the tourist excursions.

At the end of the day and after an hours drive we arrived at our journey’s end, a wellness retreat in Kumarakam. We arrived at 18:15 to a whole family of geese waddling across the lawn to greet us and a perfect sunset. We are on the shore of Vembanad lake and as you’d expect the hotel is not too shabby! The rooms are named after Kerala flowers, animals and rivers and we were in one named after the river Chalakudy. The birds, butterflies, vegetation and flowers are stunning and as our room is elevated in a clearing we have an unobstructed view of the lake, the jetty and the flora and fauna.

To see a video of some dancing butterflies click here

In the evening they have cultural events such as Keralan dancing demonstrations and traditional activities for us to participate in such as kite flying. We’ve been really lucky with the weather in Kerala. As typical Brits we spent our time scrutinising our numerous weather apps as we were concerned that our last week being in a tropical monsoon climate would mean rain of biblical proportions like with our “chillax time” in Durban in March 2020. Despite predicting rain a fortnight in advance the reality is that it’s been glorious. One evening in Kochi we saw an amazing lighting storm, but no rain. For our final wind down week temperatures have been 33C with a feel like temperature of 37C. Occasionally we’ve had a bit of a breeze that has blown a bit more river weed our way so our lake becomes a bit more freckled near the edge.

So being at a wellness resort there isn’t much else for me to write about other than over the last few days I have struggled with some reading, sunbathing, some walks, Indian afternoon tea, the pool and the spa. I am zen 🧘🏻‍♀️