Life on the Backwaters of Kerala
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the town of Alleppey, though the reason we visited there in the first place was to cruise through the backwaters on a houseboat. Leaving our posh resort, we boarded this rice barge:
Our captain
View from our boat – plenty of rice barges and palm trees
Backwaters life
Lunch prepared by Chef. This was just for two of us.
We’re on a boat…
…and there’s a goat!
Seeing this from a distance, we weren’t sure just what it was…
I don’t know if duck herding is an actual thing, but these guys sure made it look legit. I have never seen that many ducks in one place before. Literally thousands of ducks!
I had read about toddy, which is a fermented palm tree sap alcohol. I wanted to try it, but knew it was probably not something Indian women did. Lex and I ventured off the boat to a ‘toddy shop’. They are all over the place in Kerala. It had a real speak easy vibe from prohibition years. In retrospect, I’m not 100% sure these shops are legal. Toddy is an acquired taste, and Lex and I together couldn’t even finish this glass.
We also stopped for a coconut.
They are harder to cut than one might think.
As the sun was getting ready to set, our houseboat parked for the night. We were told that a nice spot to watch sunset was to walk up ahead.
We didn’t find much of a view for sunset, but instead had some engaging interactions with locals.
These girls were absolutely adorable
For the record, Lex was pointing to me when he said, “Her English not so good.”
What a cutie!
Our evening consisted of smile-filled conversation and a battle of flying insects attracted to lights on the rice barge. When we retreated to our room, we watched a cockroach scurry across our pillows. Luckily, we were able sleep in the other room.
I arose to our boat starting and chef having prepared another huge meal for us.
Kayaking on one knee
A little morning chanting…
The backwaters in Kerala, where life slows to the pace the water flows.
Land of Infinite Possibilities 
I watched it Beth. Thank you. I would like to watch it again. Great experiences you are living there! Thanks for sharing it was relaxing to watch. Today I have delivery people coming to my house to deliver appliances. This is my excitement nothing like your exotic world.
By the way Rob Noonan is still a travel guide for wilderness travel and he is still single.
Hey Jean, I’m glad you liked it and found it relaxing. You would love some of the colors and textures in India and Thailand – I need to return to blogging about Thailand. India was a brief trip, but Thailand is a day-to-day adventure. Like today, my car wouldn’t start, so I got a ride to work on the back of my South African colleague’s motorbike in the rain. At a stop light we saw a food cart with live fish in a bag. Your baby world is very exciting! Thanks for passing on the info about Rob Noonan, but at the moment I am pretty excited about the guy featured in my India blogs. Thanks for the comment. Whenever I see alizarin crimson I think of you. Enjoy the new appliances.