One of my favorite ways to save money and time is to take overnight train rides. I can get a good nights sleep on the train, often for less than the cost of a hotel room (or at least avoiding the cost of also paying for a hotel room), and arrive refreshed and ready to sightsee. I arranged my train travel in just this way to arrive in Kollam on the south west coast of India in time for lunch, some travel plan organization and a restful afternoon at the guest house.
I love this guesthouse.
It is located on the shoreline, so instead of the normal busy sounds of
India I can enjoy the surf crashing on the rocks. The constant sea breeze is a
refreshing change to the heat and humidity of everywhere else I have been to.
There is a shaded sitting area with tables and chairs, and it is the perfect
spot to relax, write, read a book, and eat lovely things. I discovered a little bakery that sells
Indian-style cakes and other baked desserts, including a wonderful
banana-infused-cream covered croissant decorated with corn flakes, and brought
some back to the guesthouse to enjoy al fresco.
Today I learned more about bananas. All through south India I have been enjoying
the abundance of fresh bananas. The
street vendors hang clumps still attached to the stalk, and cut off however
many you want. There are yellow bananas
of many kinds, green bananas, red bananas, mini bananas... but my favorite kind
is now the fried banana. Wow.
Apart from bananas and other tropical fruit, this area is a
big producer of spices such as chilies, cardamom, and cinnamon. I heard that there are some interesting spice
markets to visit, but not in little Kollam… but here you can find street
vendors with bags of dried local spices.
The state of Kerala is best known among tourists for its
“backwaters,” the system of canals and natural waterways that link together the
villages of the region. There are
innumerable tour operators who offer boat trips, and Kollam has its fair share
of these. However, Kollam is not as easy
to get to as some backwater launches, so it does not feel like a tourist town
at all.
I signed up for a two hour “village” boat tour, meaning that
our canoe guide took us through the narrow waterways in a rural area. It was very beautiful and peaceful to glide
through the calm waters under innumerable coconut trees.
Although the tour operators called it a canoe, I am not sure
that this is the correct nautical term. In any case, the boat we rode in was
solidly built, held 10 people comfortably, and was propelled and steered with a
pole like a gondola.
The waterways are the primary routes to move goods, but
there are plenty of bridges for small footpaths as well. These bridges are extremely low to the water,
so everyone in the boat had to duck into the boat to get through.
The boat ride was an interesting way to see some
agricultural activities that were not familiar to me. There were several prawn
farms along the route, distinguishable from the surrounding aquaculture by
their big blue nets to keep out the birds.
Also, we saw coconut husk fiber being loaded into a canoe, and later
being turned into rope. How many
coconuts does it take to make enough fiber to fill that boat?
After the boat tour, there was still many hours until my
next train ride, and I was content to spend them sitting outside the guesthouse
again, watching the waves sparkle in the afternoon sun. It was a shame to have to leave such a tranquil
place!
That beach picture looks heavenly!
ReplyDeleteI bet that what you rode in was more akin to a catamaran. Fun fact: The word catamaran is actually derived from the Tamil word "kaṭṭumaram", which literally means "tied wood" (kaṭṭu means "to tie" and maram is "wood" or "tree"). It's generally described as a a geometrically-stabilized rowboat, which from your pictures, looks to be the case. Indians are notorious for calling things by any other name than what they are! LOL... :oP
Thanks for the tidbit, Ramya! I had no idea that any English words came from Tamil roots!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I appreciate you and I would like to read your next post. Thanks for sharing this useful information Guest House In Noida Sector 26
ReplyDelete