We finally managed to leave Gokarna after speanding 10 days around the beaches and departed for Mangalore. This was just a stop over city to break up the long journey to Cochin, nothing really to mention apart from the people being noticably friendlier.
A few days later we arrived in Cochin on our posh air-conditioned train (first AC train we have caught) as we usually travel cheaply with the hillbillies in non-ac! The food was noticeably spicier in Kerala so we took advantage of some amazing prawn and crab masala dishes. Fort Cochin was heavily influenced by the Portuguese and we enjoyed our bike ride through the villages and backstreets where the style of architechture was very European. Cochin is famous for having Chinese fishing nets which is a very primitive method of fishing but still used by local fishermen today. We were also lucky enough to see a fish auction with giant tuna and all sorts of other fish coming straight off the boats.
A local Indian festival was taking place whilst we were in town and one night we decided to see what it was all about. We were the only foriegners there so as you can imagine, we received a lot of attention, especially Jo with the repressed Indian men! An elephant procession took place with a drum & horn ensemble, you could reach out and touch the decorated elephants that were at least 12 ft tall, the biggest we have been so close to. After the procession finished were the most dangerous fireworks we have ever witnessed. Little did we know at the time, we were standing metres away from the finale of bangers. It was like burning a dynamite wick that started at one end of the street and finished so near us, the noise was deafening and heat from the final explosion so intense it made the crowd retreat in fear of being set alight with the bangers! This triggered the actual fireworks which would rival if not beat displays we have seen in the UK. Only in India, it was mental.
Kollam followed Cochin, a few hours further down the south west coast. Our main purpose was to catch a canoe boat through the Keralan backwaters around Munroe Island as it's off the beaten track. Our ride through small canals lined with palm trees was so picturesque, we even got shown how to make rope from coconut fibre, life was so simple in these villages.
Allepey was the place most tourists opt for a houseboat tour of the backwaters on pretty much, a hotel on the water. We opted for the local ferry that goes along some of the same canals for 5 rupees as opposed to 5000+ for an overnight houseboat tour. Our guesthouse owner found us a brand new moped (more like a chicken chaser) that wouldn't go above 40km an hour to explore and check out a beach 16kms away. Even the locals were laughing at our hairdryer of a bike and we did break down due to it not having a petrol gauge!!
The 12 hour train across country to Chennai was standard practice, arriving back at our old stomping ground, the Regal Hotel which is far from Regal. This occasion we visited the large market in Chennai where people were keen to get there photo taken throughout the market by Alex. We missed Pondicherry last time we were on the east coast so we decided to make the 10 hour round trip before we flew out of Chennai on our return.
Pondy, as it's often called by the locals, was a bizarre place. Being an old French colony, the French have definitely left their mark. Half of the town's roads are still named in French while the other half are Indian. There is a definite feel of being in a small french town with cute houses along tree-lined streets with locals cycling round past restaurants serving common french dishes and the masses of french holiday-makers. We did resist the steak as we thought it would only disappoint compared to the UK. We can't wait for the massive choice of food we get home, it's often taken for granted!
On the last night we skipped dinner and opted for a liquid dinner and a bowl of cornflakes. Jo got the uncontrollable giggles after just one large beer so we decided to continue and make the most of our rare night of beers.
That wraps up our stay on the mainland as we fly to Port Blair on the Andaman Islands tomorrow morning for a month. We can't wait for some more time on the beaches which are going to be breathtaking and such a relaxing way to finish the trip.
Can't believe we have only 4 more weeks before our return to sunny England. Looking forward to seeing everyone but it's tough knowing the adventure is nearly over!
Love
Alex & Jo xx
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