I am sitting on the upper deck of our houseboat, after breakfast of appam (thin rice panckaes) chana masala, the ubiquitous omelette with tomato and onion, toast and jam. The appam is pretty good; since I can't eat the toast I'm puting jam on it and rolling it up like we did with pancakes when we were kids.
Regrettably (too late) the rest of the houseboat is shabby, dirty, and in poor repair. The air conditioning quit at 2 am, a blessing in disguise. The captain who slept on the upper deck last night, didn't notice that the generator had quit. For us it is a ticket off this junk and he is now waiting instructions while the company plans our exit from here and a new itinerary. The cruise through the backwaters is supposed to be fantastic--it is what the afea is known for-- but it might also be a tad boring. In addition to the problem with the air conditioner, the bathroom smells of sewer and diesel, the toolet leaks onto the floor each time it is flushed, and there are gross remnants of the last guests in the shower drain. I won't go on. We insisted we would not spend another night on the boat. Our driver is on his way, and we will stay in Cochin tonight. Enough grumbling.
Sitting here , it's obvious we are in a birder's paradise. The continuous coots and calls, songs and tweets of unseen birds fill the air. Most of the other boats have pulled out already, so the waters have calmed. Purple hyacinths burst forth from weedy patches of green, and up ahead fishermen are stationed on a small island, hard at work. The landscape is dominated by coconut palms, reflecting in the water undisturbed by the gentle movement of the fishing canoes. There is a gentle breeze, but at 930 in the morning it feels like 30 degrees.
The driver has arrived and in lieu of floating down canals we are off on a tour of Cochin. This turns out to be a much better option and we spend the day in the city and end it in a decent hotel. The highlight was lunch: fresh caught red snapper bought from the fishmonger and grilled to perfection at the cafe next door. With french fries 😊 .
PS? Arrived safely in Maldives this afternoon and are at the hotel--just a stone's throw from a pristine white sand beach that feels like talcum powder on the feet. We sail tomorrow at 2 pm. Seems like a nice group of people.
Regrettably (too late) the rest of the houseboat is shabby, dirty, and in poor repair. The air conditioning quit at 2 am, a blessing in disguise. The captain who slept on the upper deck last night, didn't notice that the generator had quit. For us it is a ticket off this junk and he is now waiting instructions while the company plans our exit from here and a new itinerary. The cruise through the backwaters is supposed to be fantastic--it is what the afea is known for-- but it might also be a tad boring. In addition to the problem with the air conditioner, the bathroom smells of sewer and diesel, the toolet leaks onto the floor each time it is flushed, and there are gross remnants of the last guests in the shower drain. I won't go on. We insisted we would not spend another night on the boat. Our driver is on his way, and we will stay in Cochin tonight. Enough grumbling.
Sitting here , it's obvious we are in a birder's paradise. The continuous coots and calls, songs and tweets of unseen birds fill the air. Most of the other boats have pulled out already, so the waters have calmed. Purple hyacinths burst forth from weedy patches of green, and up ahead fishermen are stationed on a small island, hard at work. The landscape is dominated by coconut palms, reflecting in the water undisturbed by the gentle movement of the fishing canoes. There is a gentle breeze, but at 930 in the morning it feels like 30 degrees.
The driver has arrived and in lieu of floating down canals we are off on a tour of Cochin. This turns out to be a much better option and we spend the day in the city and end it in a decent hotel. The highlight was lunch: fresh caught red snapper bought from the fishmonger and grilled to perfection at the cafe next door. With french fries 😊 .
PS? Arrived safely in Maldives this afternoon and are at the hotel--just a stone's throw from a pristine white sand beach that feels like talcum powder on the feet. We sail tomorrow at 2 pm. Seems like a nice group of people.
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