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Rolling on the River

Ok actually its not a river per-say-its Backwaters but its like a river, kinda.  Today Andy and i left our resort after some tea and toast to board the Backwaters cruiser.. a tourist vessel complete with what do you know, 20 tourists!  This will be our home for the next 8 hours. 

This is honestly one of the best ways to travel.  We have to get to Cochin to catch a bus to Mangalore...then hopefully to Goa..we haven't been able to confirm that far.  The 8 hours boat tour takes us up the bakc waters from Kollam to Alleppy it isn't very far about 50 miles..but going by boat is a indeed better than bus or anyother means of travel.  Basically, its just lots of water, tons of palm trees and a million eagles.  I love the eagles they are red and have white heads and our smaller than ours but I have never seen one in the states..so its fun to see well thousands of them here.  There are crazy fishing nets that they lower at night and lots of activity on the backwaters.  People fishing, swimming extracting sand and minerals.  I also get some sun...lots I am a little burnt, but it is s good first layer for Goa.  I spend the first part of the day with my legs danggling of the side of the boat and taking in the sun.  We stop and 12:30 or lunch.  Tradition Kerelian meal served on a giant banana leaf...it is really good and I eat my firt sea food-soem praws..they are spicy adn so good...I have never had them before.  We eat ice cream and pineapples and then its back on the boat....we have a schedual to keep.  Andy and I end up making good freinds with the man who runs the tour he is really freindly and helpful-like most Indians in the south a bit of a contrast to the north.  He tells us about the backwaters and what people are doing...he is very nice. 

At about 2pm I am quite tired and have gotten a little too much sun, I retire to the under cabin where there are nice cushioned benches and take a nap...so nice.  I awake refreashed and just in time for tea and a fried banana...yum yum. We are almost there only 2 more hours.   The sun begins to  set and on my beautiful.  So lovely..like postcards...well you can see for yourself below.  I am very jealous of these houseboats that keep passing us. This is another very popular thing to do here.  You can a rent a house boat for a few days and all your meals and such are prepared on board and you just cruise around.  I though it sounded cool but then when I saw the house boats oh my they are great....they are like little floating apartments....super nice... I will have to come back and do that for sure.  I mention them here becuase there was a whole fleet on them parked to catch the sunset....how romantic.. well not for me and Andy...I'm not his type :)!

Just after the sunset we disembark and walk to short distance to the bus stand where we catch a local crowded bus to Cochin.  It only takes and hour and when we get there the rickshaws know where we are staying and don't ask for an outrageous sum of money.  We get to our worst hotel room ever..but its cheap and the guy here arranges our bus tickets for us and we will be gone by the evening.  This is Cochin and this is me leaving it.  I can't wait to get to Goa I can hardly stand it.  Though we are not quite sure how we are getting there.  We spent a good part of the afternoon on the boat calling trying to get train tickets whcih apparently are booked for he next three weeks.  We figure out that we can get to Mangalore and from there we can get to Goa but we can't seem to get a hold of any times or whens for sure so we will take this 10 hour bus to Magalore and figure it out when we get there....

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