We had set an alarm for sunrise as it could be an incredible sight from a houseboat sitting in a big lake. The alarm went off, I looked out the window and unfortunately the sky was overcast so it was back to sleep. Shortly after eight the engine was fired up and we puttered back to the main dock, taking a shorter route back as we ate some breakfast. We already knew from reading some reviews on TripAdvisor that the morning would be short but we were both still a bit surprised when we docked shortly after 9am as we thought it would be at least closer to 10.
Jobin at the helm:
Naomi at breakfast:
Kids going to school via a canoe:
Oh well. We bid the crew adieu and walked back along the narrow lanes to the main road while we reviewed and critiqued the houseboat adventure. Unfortunately Naomi was less impressed than I was but we were still both glad we had done it. House boating the Backwaters: check.
Glad we didn't get this boat!
Our train back to Goa was at 8pm so we had the day to get from Allepey to Kochi (technically Ernakulam) which was about an hour and a half north. We thought we’d check out a beach at Allepey before catching a bus.
There was a man waiting by the main road arranging rickshaws for those who had just finished house boating. There were three Japanese women about to get in a tuk-tuk when we arrived and we mentioned that we wanted to go to a beach. He made some calls on his cell phone as we waited a few minutes. A second rickshaw appeared but then for some unknown reason, the Japanese who were all loaded and ready to go in the first one were ordered to switch and we were given theirs. They seemed as confused as we did and then the man told us it would cost 280 rupees one way to the beach or 500 return. What? That seems like way too much as Allepey Beach was just 3 kilometres from our guesthouse. He said that Allepey Beach was not very nice with no place for shade and that we should go to Marari Beach, about 14 kilometres north of Allepey and that was what the price was for. He seemed like a dodgy fellow but in the end we decided to go for it. The seemingly shifty guy started asking if we wanted some sightseeing tour and at one point stopped to pull a book out of the back of the tuk-tuk filled with raving customer reviews by other tourists. Naomi and I just weren’t in the mood for this...no, just the beach please.
We stopped at the Gowri Guesthouse where we were instructed to change rickshaws. I decided to go into the guesthouse courtyard and get an impartial opinion of where to go from the guys we met two nights ago when we stayed there. It all seemed legit and Allepey was in fact not the best option, we should go to Marari.
A different, tall, balding man with a big smile was operating the new rickshaw. We hopped in and off we went down the busy main road out of town. Half an hour later we arrived at this pristine sandy beach. Wow...okay, glad we made this decision. There was no sign of commercialism, no beach restaurants, no shops...and next to nobody. There were palm trees spaced out over the flat sand providing nice shade but then the sand fell steeply down to the crashing waves of the ocean. We found a shady spot and chilled out for a couple of hours.
Our colourful tuktuk:
Arriving at Marari Beach:
Chillin:
A lone palm tree trunk:
What a peaceful beach:
Naomi sneaking in a crotch shot:
Sand, surf and fishing boats:
A little creek coming out to the beach:
My artistic attempt:
This are used by fishermen, half boat half surfboard:
Naomi preparing to leave:
A parting shot:
We decided not to backtrack in the rickshaw to Allepey to catch a bus but just continue north in the tuk-tuk with our jovial driver. It would only cost us about 3-400 rupees more and the convenience was well worth it. The driver seemed intent on giving us a sightseeing tour on the way as we stopped outside a large catholic church and then he wanted to stop at another beach but we insisted we continue on to Fort Kochi.
Back in the colourful tuk-tuk:
A nice church en route:
Some more Chinese fishing nets:
The smooth road running along the coast soon turned into a bone jarring bounce fest. I asked the driver how long the pothole ridden road would go on and he replied “Four kilometres”. Well it seemed like a very long four kilometres...maybe he had answered “For kilometres”!
Arriving in Fort Kochi it seemed like eons since we were there but was less than two weeks ago. Travelling does that to the mind if you are moving around and doing many different activities. We stopped on Burgher Street that runs parallel to Princess, the main tourist street. We knew that there were many guesthouses here and we looked for one that would allow us to use a room for 3-4 hours in order to have a shower before our overnight train to Goa.
Dropping our bags off, the first priority was a late lunch. We entered a courtyard of a restaurant we hadn’t tried before and were both shocked and elated that we could dine on continental food with Naomi having a roast beef sandwich and me a hamburger! Both of which were pretty good and especially the French fries...best I’ve had in India!
At 6:00pm we hired a rickshaw to take us to the ferry terminal, one we had used before when leaving to Munnar and we bought our 2 ½ rupee tickets (5 cents!). Naomi chatted to a nice young woman from New Zealand on the super noisy ride over. We were in the back of the boat and just in front of us was the large exposed diesel engine. There was a guy who controlled the speed with a lever directly on the engine when he heard a bell that was rung by the captain at the front telling him to speed up or slow down...seems a bit dodgy. This man didn’t have any ear protection on and I don’t know how he can sleep at night after a day of that racket.
As we waited at the Ernakulam Town station, I joked with Naomi what she thought the odds were that there would be someone already sitting in our seats. So far on my train rides in India it’s been about 50/50. As the train pulled up we got on our designated car (A1) which was supposed to be a 2nd class A/C car. Instead it was a 3rd class A/C car. Well everyone who just got on the train which originated in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram (better known as Trivandrum by us western folk who don’t seem to have the same multi-syllabic skill set as those over here) was in confusion. The difference between the two is that the main compartment in 2nd class seats and sleeps 4 people while the 3rd class sleeps 6. The rail company sometimes does this if they don’t have a 2nd class car available yet there still are only 4 people to each compartment. However, we would later find out that in this case the company just wanted to sell more tickets so they switched cars to fit more people in so they turned it into a proper 3rd class A/C.
This throws off the seat numbering too as Naomi and I were supposed to have the two top berths in a main compartment and now one was a top berth on the side...and of course there were people already in our seats! We decided to just sit in an empty compartment and wait for the ticket inspector to sort it out. He eventually arrived but wasn’t exactly a friendly or helpful chap. He issued us a refund which I was almost certain I wouldn’t be able to claim as I had booked the tickets online (I was right but the amount was only about 600 rupees or $13). There was no other 2nd class car we could move to nor any 1st class. An additional detractor from our situation was that we happened to have a car with no curtains between the compartments which the cars on either side of ours did. Oh well, roll with the punches...it’s only for 15 hours right?!?
The comfy train bed on a side berth...thankfully not mine:
The interior was almost more like a communist hospital from the 60s:
The family that had originally been sitting in our seats moved to our compartment. They were taking the train right up to the state of Gujurat and had 2 full days on the train! Okay, I don’t feel so bad now. It was an older couple with their adult son and daughter in their early 30s. Very nice people so we didn’t mind so much. But there were two more that should show up to complete our compartment. It turned out to be a couple with their 2 year old daughter Lizzie. He was a researcher in leukemia in north England and they both spoke with proper British accents and were very friendly.
Soon all the beds were set up with three on each wall of the compartment. I was the middle “coffin” guy but I didn’t mind. Luckily the scientist guy had been kind enough to switch his lower bunk for the upper one which would help Naomi avoid motion sickness. Across from her were the mother and the 2 year old. The night was a series of interrupted naps as poor Lizzie did not have a good night. I was thankful for my earplugs but they still couldn’t provide full protection from a screaming baby 6 feet away. Everyone just took it in stride though and that is a trait I do love in Indians.
Good morning Naomi:
We're not looking too bad all things considered:
Speeding along on the train...you can't ride on the roof anymore but at least you can lean out the door!
A challenging shot at 60 km/h:
My failed attempt at cleaning off our windows...at a stop I went out side to wipe it off...and it didn't help one bit:
We arrived in Madgaon station in Goa around noon, hired a taxi and headed up to Arambol. Arriving back in Arambol were received a warm greeting from the Olive Garden crew. Ram and Ramesh, waiter and chef respectively, were not here when we left for Kerala and I hadn’t seen them since May up in Manali. Nice to see them again.
Ram and Ramesh of the Olive Garden were excited to see us:
And old Baba Han is back again from last year:
Naomi and I decided to check out the guesthouses on the Cliffside, the area around the corner of the headland at the north end of Arambol Beach. I’ve walked by these places many times but never looked in any of the rooms. As the name entails, being on the cliff side there were many steps to go up and down to look at different buildings. With our packs, the mid afternoon heat and for poor Naomi add the fact she was wearing blue jeans (which were required in the air conditioned train), it got a bit exhausting. We eventually found a room in one of the buildings highest up from the main path...bit of a climb but what a view! We sat and enjoyed a beer at sunset from our new home.
Sunset from our new pad on the cliffside:
Even the monkeys were enjoying sunset:
Oh Goa, it was nice to have a break but it’s also nice to be back.
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