Location: Alleppey, Kerala. Date: 04 May 2010.

Tessa Says: Our first experience of the Indian train system was hot, sticky and chaotic. Ordering tickets to Alleppey from Varkala was fairly easy but this was mainly due to the fact the ticket counter person had a good command of English. We chose to go second class, seated, no AC (air-conditioning) 70rp each (about $2NZ). We knew that the ride would be around 2 hours so if it was too full-on at least it would only be so for a short time. The seats were thinly padded bench seats that fit 4 to one. At night the seats convert into a three tier sleeping compartment. The best seat seems to be next to the window which is an open metal grate and gets a bit of breeze through. Luckily I had that seat. On the train we met an Indian man who had the appearance of an Indian rockstar, he told us about a homestay he works at and that if we go there and mention his name we’ll get a discount. Jared and I decided we might as well head there as we had made no plans for what to do.
The guest house turned out to be a cute collection of cottages, bamboo huts and a tree house, but all were of superbly average quality. We opted for a bamboo hut which was 400rp a night and was the first time we chose to go without AC. That night was spent tossing and turning under the mosquito net trying to cool down.
That morning Jared was in contact with Ben, who we had met in Varkala, and he had kindly suggested to help hook us up with a deal on a houseboat to travel the backwaters of Kerala. Initially he was going to come with us but his work did not permit, so off we set on a rickshaw to meet a couple of Bens friends, Shams and Shamzeer, who guided us round Alleppey making sure we were happy and content until they dropped us off at our houseboat “St Thomas” for the night. First impressions of the houseboat and the crew were positive. We had a lovely little cabin and a living area decked out in “Kerala” style which is bamboo chairs, ornaments and furniture. Feeling comfortable and relaxed we motored down one of the first canals of many where all sorts of daily riverside life could be observed. From snakes in the water, women washing their clothes, toddy makers collecting up coconut trees (toddy is a fermented coconut drink, they climb a coconut tree and tap the coconut, then collect the juices the next day), to people harvesting rice in the paddies. There is much to see, all with the back drop of beautiful palm lined canals. The night was quiet and peaceful on the boat but still steamy hot as we didn’t have any AC. The next day we made our way to the train station only to find that our train didn’t leave for another three hours, our rickshaw driver suggested we he take us to a beach so we could relax, we agreed, only to find a Tamil movie being filmed, they instantly took a liking to Jared and asked him in to be an extra! I got the prestige of sitting next to the director and watching a small screen of what was happening. The lead actor was dreamy but the heat seemed to be getting to them all, including Jared. The scene was shot over and over again as little things didn’t come across quite right. The dancing being too quick, the waitress walking through the scene off cue etc. But all in all a really interesting view of how a Tamil movie is made, considering we had only recently heard how the Tamil industry is bigger than both Bollywood and Hollywood.

Jared says: Arriving in Alleppey and heading to the suggested accommodation I was a bit worried about the general quality of the small (by Indian standards) city, but everyone we met was super friendly and after checking into our sparse bamboo hut we were put in a rickshaw to head off to a suggested restaurant for lunch. Immediately from this experience we knew they were on the right track, as we had a quality thali meal for lunch which cost all of 44rp ($1.50NZ) each for a range of curries, bread, rice and chapatti bread.
The next morning there was a bit of stuffing around getting hold of Ben and his Indian mates, but once we were at their shop they were super hospitable and all worries were allayed. Once we got to the houseboat I was stoked with the quality, as good (if not better) than any of our previous resorts, and this was only a mid-range boat. The number and range of boats is hard to believe as they line the canal edges, three to four deep and as we headed out at the regular noon starting time it was like being on a houseboat motorway. But the beauty of the Keralan backwaters is their immense size and quite quickly we head down a side road (canal) where only one or two other boats are in sight. The locals going about their daily life, as one with the waterways, is a sight to see. Local shops, houses with satellite tv dishes, churches and hindu shrines, banana and coconut palms, goats and cows are all nestled on thin strips of land in between the main waterways on one side and the rice fields (often filled with water) on the other. After stopping at one of said shops to pick up some large tiger prawns we headed into a bigger lake and found a quietish spot to stop for lunch. Here we were cooked up fried fish to go with a range of Indian vege dishes and plenty of rice (of course). The rest of the afternoon was spent cruising the myriad of canals and lakes with our skipper taking special effort to take us down some of the smaller less traveled routes. After docking for the night we got to walk around the thin tracks of land and even spotted some youngsters playing cricket in one of the recently harvested rice fields, definitely not one of the flatter pitches I have ever seen.
After a glorious sunset, magnified by smoke in the air from the burn off of some rice paddies, we were delivered an absolutely sumptuous meal of fresh tuna fish curry, our tiger prawns done tikka style and more veges, rice and some quality chapattis. The next day we just cruised it back for our scheduled 9.30 disembarking point where Shams was on hand to greet us and offer any further advice towards our next move. As the Lonely Planet said, the houseboat might be one of the most expensive things you do in India, but at 4300rp ($140NZ) all inclusive for the night it was well worth it for a superbly relaxing time in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. Highly recommend it to anyone coming anywhere near India.
As mentioned by Tess we then headed to the beach to wait for our train time, only for me to receive a request to be in a Tamil movie. I was reluctant at first, but thought why the fuck not, you don’t get to do that everyday. It was a bit of a nervous experience as the scene I was in kept getting re-shot and, as I couldn’t understand anything anyone was saying, I kept thinking maybe it was the fat kiwi bloke in the background doing something wrong. Overall it was a pretty easy gig though, as all I had to do was stand with a wine glass of coke in my hand and pretend to be chatting with an Indian fella who was more than happy to tell me where to stand and let me stay in the shade as much as possible in between takes, as we were in fully 35+ degree heat that even the Indians were feeling. Quite a funny experience all around and I will be keeping a look out for “Happy Happy Ga” when it is due for release in June. I have already googled it to find plenty of press about it so will be absolutely crack up if I do end up in it. After that surreal, but rather sweaty experience an AC train to our next destination of Kochi seemed like a more than relaxing endeavour.
Happy Happy Ga: http://telugu.way2movies.com/?p=29606

Accommo: Gowri Homestay, cheap bamboo hut without AC, 400rp, **1/2.
St Thomas Houseboat, everything very nice but not luxury quality and without AC, 4300rp all inclusive ****1/2.

Eats: Hot Kitchen Vegetarian Restaurant, proper Indian style thali in AC room, 44rp each, ***.
Gowri Restaurant, dhal and noodles for dinner, Idli set for breakfast, **1/2.

St Thomas Houseboat, fish fry lunch, fish curry and tiger

prawns dinner, omelets breakfast, ***1/2.