[Edit: Candy’s update arrived 26 Oct – scroll down to read it]
I’ve not heard from Candy today, presumably they’ve got no WiFi, but below is what was on their original schedule for today.
It’s just a short cycle ride this morning to introduce us to a few of Alleppy’s colonial and cultural charms, before we board our houseboat this afternoon.
Occupying the alluvial plain between the Indian Ocean and the Western Ghats, Alleppy is the ideal spot to enjoy a little something of the area’s famous backwaters. Aboard our traditional ‘Kettuvallom’ we’ll enjoy home-cooked Keralan cuisine as we cruise through the stunning network of canals and channels that make up this remarkable region.
Boats are the villagers’ lifeline, used as taxis, mail delivery, school buses and cargo vessels. It’s possible we’ll see big pyramids of coconuts or even the occasional buffalo being carried along in this time honoured fashion. Along the narrow channels the industrious villagers survive on narrow spits of land, keeping cows, pigs, chickens and even cultivating vegetable gardens.
Our total cycling distance today is approximately 20 kilometres
Candy’s update – received on Wednesday evening
After another leisurely start to the day, we boarded our houseboats – our accommodation for tonight. On arrival we were each greeted with a young coconut prepared for us to drink.
After half an hour or so we moored on the banks and were served a delicious keralan meal – rice (grown in the paddy fields amongst the backwaters), a variety of tasty curries, and sear fish steak. It was finished off with fresh pineapple. Some crows, such impolite and very unwelcome guests, kept making an appearance eager for a share of the meal and had to be chased away.
We are currently sitting, relaxing whilst we cruise the backwaters of Kerala watching life pass us by (or is life watching us pass by?)
I’s soooo soporific. I nodded off for a short while (probably helped by the fact I was woken at 4:50 by the Muslim call to worship. And that was with windows closed and ear plugs in. My roomie Sarah’s comment was “Oh you have got to be kidding me!” I’d said to her when I heard it the night before that I hoped we wouldn’t be woken at 5am by it – she thought I was kidding!
It really is very peaceful here. A complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the markets and towns we’ve cycled through. I could get used to this. Better not though, tomorrow is our final day of cycling in this challenge. Another long ride.