Kerala Backwaters.....

Yesterday I headed out on a guided Backwaters trip with Mark and Maria on an old wooden boat.... You know Mark?  Mark Lloyd (sounds like Mark Boyd) (Born April 13th, I'm April 11th, he is 37 I am 38) (Mark worked in the financial sector for 16 years before looking for something else.  I did the same) (both think we are funny).  So strange to meet someone with so many similar attributes and working history.

We enjoyed a cracking afternoon.  Our local young guide had a cheeky sense of humour, having developed his well worked wooden canoe stand-up act over many years of guiding, this is also where he learned his English.  Which was absolutely superb.

He was extremely quiet at first, due to a repremanding from Deborah the day before.  Our young guide had managed to upset a lovely American couple the day before with his sharp sense of humour.  He was upset to hear he had offended them.  I think things sometimes get lost in translation between India and the west.  Crossed wires and misunderstandings.... It's definitely nicer to think along those lines anyway.  I'm pretty sure he wasn't intending to be offensive listening to his explanation later in the day.

Natural Leaf Print Tattoo.... Just slap it on.

Mark gets one slapped on.

As we started our paddle, it was 3pm in the afternoon, the rays of sunlight where broken by the overhanging branches and leaves casting a dappled light over the water.  Our guide pulled to the side here and there to show us cloves, pepper plants and a variety of fruits.  He pointed out a snake and numerous beautifully coloured kingfishers.

Backwater Traffic.

Reflections.

Duck.... Or lose your head!

After an hour or so he pulled up to the side to take us for a little jaunt on foot.
He showed us more fruits and herbs, along with a seed pod that he sucked briefly.  We stood for a minute or so watching it as he held it in his fingers. I commented that we were expecting something impressive like it bursting in to flames, then suddenly the little bugger exploded!  Not the guide, that would have been spectacular too, but then we would have had to find our way out of the Backwaters and explain to his parents that their son had spontaneously exploded after sucking a seed pod.  The exploding seed pod was very impressive.  He quickly found another and passed it to me... I sucked it, he told me to make sure it was wet, keep sucking, 'Are you trying to get this to explode in my.... CRACK!'  I guess that's exactly what he was trying to do.  The little seed pod popped in my mouth like a large piece of popping candy, we all laughed like they do at the end of a Scooby Doo episode.  Very funny indeed!  He was very proud of himself.

He then took us to a cashew nut processing plant.... That sounds very commercial doesn't it?  Images of big factories and massive machinery..... Well it wasn't.  The nuts are initially heated in a large metal canister which rotates on a manually turned spindle.  Heat is generated by fire. After the initial in shell roasting was lots of ladies sitting by bowls get to shelling the poisonous outer casing of the cashew nuts, after shelling the nuts are gently roasted again.

Cashews in their toxic shells....

The Roaster.

Shelling.

The final product.

On our way back, our young guide showed us his climbing skills, scampering his way up a coconut palm.
He shimmied down and set me the challenge..... I slipped off my flip flops and got to it  I was pleased with half way  Where upon our little friend enjoyed trying to lift me down from the tree by using his bamboo punt, by almost lodging it firmly where the sun don't shine!

Look closely, you can just spot him!

It may look as though he impaled me and just lifted me up there through the power of my sphincter muscles, but I did actually climb!

Guide - Pleased!

We returned to our little boat as the sun lowered in the sky.  Our lovely boat trip came to an end an hour later.  We walked with our guide to his family home where his mother had spent 3 hours preparing and cooking a fantastic range of local dishes, all served to us on a large banana leaves.  The food was a delight.

Mark & Maria.

New Friends.

I spent the next morning capturing interior shots of the beautifully kept Kaiya house, which is the guesthouse I've been residing in whilst staying in Varkala.  The house is decorated with a variety of carvings and beautiful artwork throughout it's clean white interior.  The rooftop is a wonderful space for yoga, meditation or simply socialising with other guests.  Deborah the laid back yet very attentive owner of the guesthouse has been very kind during my stay, very empathetic and understanding of my emotional position.  Later in the day I headed out walking 45 minutes to get to a point for a few coastal shots.  It didn't pan out how I wanted, although it could have had I brought another battery along with me!

I walked back to Kerala Cafe, where I met Tony and Christine, a lovely couple from England and Mark & Maria again.  We were dining together, it was to be our last night together as we were all heading off to our next destinations.  Tony & Christine insisted on paying for dinner which was very kind of them, they would not take no for an answer, such lovely folks.  We even indulged ourselves in a couple of bottles of beer and two cocktails each, which will be my last alcohol for some weeks to come.

I've decided to head back to Auroville.  It's going to take about 16 hours all in all. A bus ride from here to Trivandrum followed by a 13 hour train trip from Trivandrum on the west coast to Varkalum close to Pondicherry on the east coast.  From here I'll take the short trip to Auroville, the last place Amanda and I spent together in India before beginning our journey home.  I was hoping to stay in the same place Nilitangham, in the green belt of Auroville.  I hope to sit, to reminisce, to daydream about my love.  But sadly our little hobbit house is booked for the week.  So I'm thinking of camping on the grounds of Nilitangham where the little hobbit house along with three other properties reside in beautiful gardens.
It's a long way to go..... But I just feel I need to head there even if it's just for a few days. Auroville has a special feel about it.  It will be another place I can feel close to Amanda.

Love to you all.