Kumarakom part I

Evidently our adventures on the last cockroach infested train weren’t enough and so on Sunday we decided to take the train down to Kottayam from Ernakulam. After a delicious breakfast at Kashi (because they are awesome even if there was no cake this time) we headed out.

The ride this time wasn’t bad and there were no roaches to be found. After a bit of difficulty with our bags, I swear they’re heavier than we are, we found ourselves sitting with a family headed back home to Trivandrum. It was really cute because the grandmother had lived in California for several years so of course we bonded over that and talked about the recession (and how much everyone likes Obama). It’s been really funny talking to people lately because everyone and their mother has been asking what we think about the administration and we’ve been gone for the last 2 months so we really have no idea what’s been going on besides what makes international headlines. Well, that and the ridiculous bonuses being paid for with taxpayer money but that’s a different issue.

We made it to Kottayam with no problems and were picked up and taken out to Kumarakom. Kumarakom is a series of man made islands with canals in the backwaters. Every house looks out onto the canals and because almost all of them have a boat the canals function as through roads. It’s an agricultural area and it’s harvest time before it gets too hot and the monsoons come. It’s a lovely area and unspoiled by pollution, etc. I think you could compare the peacefulness with the rural parts of Tennessee and that whole Appalachian area.

We stayed at a homestay called G.K’s. It looks out onto the rice fields and the guest house is actually separate from the main house. There are 4 rooms and they’ve all been full. George is our host and his wife cooks the best Keralan food ever. The food has been really healthy with an emphasis on fruit at breakfast and fresh vegetables for the other two meals. Yes, we eat with them three times a day because there’s no where else to go around here. But it’s totally okay because it’s so good. Be jealous. George also took extremely good care of us. He organized trips for us and drivers for the trips and when we went out on the ferry, he told us he was calling to check on it and make sure that nothing had happened. He’s a wonderful host and I’ll post his website later for anyone who has any interest in that part of Kerala.

Our first full day here we went for a canoe ride through the canals. It’s a beautiful ride and shows how impressive the canals are. As we drifted along we saw lots of people in the water doing laundry and getting ready for the day. Everyone stopped to wave and say hello as we passed. Of course part of the friendliness could be that there aren’t any other home stays in our area and so we’re the only foreigners around. Kind of like their own curiosity show. To be fair, I haven’t seen many (read any) black people either and so I’ve been getting a lot of love for my hair.

The second day we took the ferry out to go to the Driftwood Museum. It was… entertaining. Basically, the woman who runs the place started collecting driftwood as a hobby 25 years ago and she trims away the branches to expose the natural sculpture. So there’s everything from a crocodile to a rose. There’s even a handicapped family where the members have everything from a missing leg to missing fingers. It’s true! I couldn’t make something like that up. She even said, “This is the handicapped family. See how his hands are twisted backwards.” The museum itself is an interesting concept but the woman who runs it is just a little too enthusiastic and you can totally tell that she used to be a teacher. At every piece she bangs on it with a metal rod to show how fossilized it is and then makes sure that everyone can see her vision before moving on. My feeling is that it was worth it because it is different and the woman has a genuine passion for her art. And if you’re ever in that area I’d say that even if you have no interest in it, just go for the entertainment value ’cause she was hilarious.

Oh. And the children here are adorable. Every time we pass them on walks they stop us to practice their greetings in English. The exchange goes:
Child: Hi. How are you?
Us: Good. How are you?
Child: I am fine!
The exclamation point is important because it’s exactly how they say it. It’s so different from what happens in the States where we don’t really like to practice our foreign language skills with people for fear of being ridiculed.

So we’ve been having fun. I love Kerala. I really like it here and would most definitely come back. I’ll finish up with G.K’s and the rest of our stay there later, it’s bedtime now.