The day had come to depart Fork Kochi and we had no firm bookings, just a recommendation from a small group who were soon to become our rivals! Originally, we were going to join forces and book a houseboat for a group of about 12 people however logistics became more and more difficult until Debs, a wonderfully decisive Scot and a girl eerily similar to myself, helped us ditch the surplus Aussies and hijack their boat!
The boat and farmstay that we'd be staying in was located in a small village near Thuravoor, only 2 buses away. We grabbed our bags and by some stroke of luck, or frequent buses, we didn't even have to wait a minute before we could jump on our first bus! It was a little cramped, a little crowded, but not at all bad! Just as our second bus dropped us off, Megan, who had sneakily lit up, was given a serious lecture and was told, with strong conviction, that her husband should force her to stop!
Thankfully, we were rescued by a high spirited rickshaw driver. He squeezed all 5 of us, his bags and finally himself in to his little rickshaw and took us on a bumpy mud path through beautiful countryside. Finally, we reached our destination.
It was advertised as a "farmstay', but honestly 'paradise' is about the only word to describe such an amazing place. There were around 10 rooms, all with incredible views and modified leg-rest deckchairs to enjoy them from. The 3 families running the business are amazing too, from the gentle, caring Manu who helps run the business, to the tiny terror Abel, who ensures you get your daily exercise playing football or throwing him about as he shouts one of his three favourite words: ball, no and giraffe.
This was the start of four incredibly lazy, soul recharging days...
On the first day, we were taken on a small boat trip around the main lake area, given our first experience of the delicious food, took the first of many canoe trips and had the best night's sleep in a gigantic bed. J.P, a French/Derbyshire wine expert, accompanied me on a ridiculously disastrous canoe trip. After about five minutes plain sailing, we encountered a whole word of problems - for some reason we just couldn't go straight! First were the bushes, then the perfect snake dangling trees, and then, worst of all, the poo pipes! As we made desperate attempts to avoid Cholera City, a small girl on her way home noticed our dilemma and had two helpful solutions:
1) Ask our names
2) Alert the whole village to our situation
As we had only one oar, J.P was at the helm furiously paddling. A little boy kindly explained that was the problem. After more confusion, embarrassment and canoe charades, we worked out that if we spun to face the opposite direction our problems would be solved. We both executed a shaky rotation and set off rowing once more however smooth sailing did not last long! Before we knew it we were back in the poo pipes and I don't know whether it was J.P's hard work, the current or sheer luck that brought us back to dry land!
The next two nights were spent aboard the houseboat. This was probably the most peaceful experience I've ever had! No engines meant we were able to listen to the sounds of the backwaters and spend the days in a state of pure bliss. Vikram and Madhu, our boatmen, were excellent company, supplying us with delicious food and constant giggles. As part of our experience, we were taken to a quiet, peaceful beach with lively waves, introduced to the local liquor - toddy and taken on a tour round the local village. The days quickly passed and before we knew it we were saying goodbye to the two boys - J.P and Simon, who were both on tight schedules, but the 2 other ladies and I agreed it was too good to leave and stayed one more night.
Finally, reluctantly, we made the journey back to Kochi and started planning the next adventure...
The boat and farmstay that we'd be staying in was located in a small village near Thuravoor, only 2 buses away. We grabbed our bags and by some stroke of luck, or frequent buses, we didn't even have to wait a minute before we could jump on our first bus! It was a little cramped, a little crowded, but not at all bad! Just as our second bus dropped us off, Megan, who had sneakily lit up, was given a serious lecture and was told, with strong conviction, that her husband should force her to stop!
Thankfully, we were rescued by a high spirited rickshaw driver. He squeezed all 5 of us, his bags and finally himself in to his little rickshaw and took us on a bumpy mud path through beautiful countryside. Finally, we reached our destination.
 |
| How many people can you fit in a rickshaw? |
It was advertised as a "farmstay', but honestly 'paradise' is about the only word to describe such an amazing place. There were around 10 rooms, all with incredible views and modified leg-rest deckchairs to enjoy them from. The 3 families running the business are amazing too, from the gentle, caring Manu who helps run the business, to the tiny terror Abel, who ensures you get your daily exercise playing football or throwing him about as he shouts one of his three favourite words: ball, no and giraffe.
 |
| : ) |
This was the start of four incredibly lazy, soul recharging days...
On the first day, we were taken on a small boat trip around the main lake area, given our first experience of the delicious food, took the first of many canoe trips and had the best night's sleep in a gigantic bed. J.P, a French/Derbyshire wine expert, accompanied me on a ridiculously disastrous canoe trip. After about five minutes plain sailing, we encountered a whole word of problems - for some reason we just couldn't go straight! First were the bushes, then the perfect snake dangling trees, and then, worst of all, the poo pipes! As we made desperate attempts to avoid Cholera City, a small girl on her way home noticed our dilemma and had two helpful solutions:
1) Ask our names
2) Alert the whole village to our situation
 |
As we had only one oar, J.P was at the helm furiously paddling. A little boy kindly explained that was the problem. After more confusion, embarrassment and canoe charades, we worked out that if we spun to face the opposite direction our problems would be solved. We both executed a shaky rotation and set off rowing once more however smooth sailing did not last long! Before we knew it we were back in the poo pipes and I don't know whether it was J.P's hard work, the current or sheer luck that brought us back to dry land!
 |
| An afternoon in the village pub... |
The next two nights were spent aboard the houseboat. This was probably the most peaceful experience I've ever had! No engines meant we were able to listen to the sounds of the backwaters and spend the days in a state of pure bliss. Vikram and Madhu, our boatmen, were excellent company, supplying us with delicious food and constant giggles. As part of our experience, we were taken to a quiet, peaceful beach with lively waves, introduced to the local liquor - toddy and taken on a tour round the local village. The days quickly passed and before we knew it we were saying goodbye to the two boys - J.P and Simon, who were both on tight schedules, but the 2 other ladies and I agreed it was too good to leave and stayed one more night.
Finally, reluctantly, we made the journey back to Kochi and started planning the next adventure...
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