Getting all romantic about India...ooh la la

I have mentioned my travels to India in a previous blog so I thought I may as well add this short piece I wrote last year for a Guardian travel writing competition. I did not get anywhere with it, however it was great practice trying to fit this experience into 500 words (hard, I tend to ramble).
The piece had to be no more than 500 words long, describing somewhere lovely/unusual you had stayed. I wrote about 'The Backwater Farmhouse' in Kerala, South India, where Carla and I met Manu (mentioned previously too). I think I did get a bit soppy about the place, but it really is beautiful and the family that run it really make it. I have included some pictures at the end.

One of the must-do activities on any South India itinerary is a houseboat tour on the Keralan backwaters; a 900 km cluster of rivers and lakes tucked quietly into land behind the Arabian Sea.

Following a friend’s recommendation, my travel companion Carla and I took a train from Trivandrum, on the south west coast, to Cherthala, in the Allapuzha district. The four hour journey north lilted us hypnotically through palm-strewn landscapes (Kerala translates as ‘land of the palm trees’). We hopped into a tuk-tuk at Cherthala that navigated us down to dusty vein-like roads of the small village of Thazhappu, no other tourists in sight.

Manu, young and striking with warm brown eyes, was waiting for us outside The Backwater Farmhouse. Run by three generations of Manu’s family, the guesthouse comprised three detached bungalow rooms with verandas facing tranquil backwaters. Two wooden houseboats sat moored at the water’s edge.

Our room was spacious, modern and well ventilated with a red chalky floor, a huge double bed with a mosquito net. The ‘ensuite’ opened to the sky. A trip highlight was standing under the trickling cold shower in the morning, hearing the birds sing, the cows rumble and looking up at green fleshy coconuts hanging from bright palm fronds.

We ate a delicious traditional Keralan dinner of fresh fish and vegetable dishes overlooking the water as the sun set. Thick curried coconut gravy had an alluring spicy sweet aroma.  The chef, Lucky, introduced us to Chucky, a wild eagle that visited the branches above his kitchen daily.

In the morning, after masala chai, spicy omelette and fruit, we boarded the kettuvallam (house boat), previously used to transport rice to the port town of Cochin. Many new houseboats, built for tourists are powered by noisy motors but ours slid silently along, punted by two friendly village men with long bamboo canes.

Muted pictures of kingfishers stuck to our beer bottles posed pale imitations of the bright blue and yellow birds we glimpsed flitting through the air and punctuating the greenery.

In the afternoon we returned to the Farmhouse. Manu gave us a tour of his village Thazhappu, introducing us as his English friends. Children boldly greeted Manu in Malayalam, the official language of Kerala, and sidled up to us, with flowers outstretched on their palms. One little boy ran from his house shouting “one pen”. Manu explained that the children like to show off fancy pens to each other at school. Carla dug a pen from her bag for the boy. He thanked us and ran back to his Mum, pen clutched tightly in his fist.

Later, laying in bed on the houseboat the natural lullaby of frogs’ bass-tone creaks, crickets’ maraca-like rattling and fish tickling the water surface soothed us to sleep.

In the morning the family gathered to say goodbye. Manu’s grandparents laughed and shook our hands vigorously. We hugged Manu, Lucky and bid farewell to Chucky.  In India they have a saying: “A Guest is equivalent to God”.

Carla drinking delicious masala chai overlooking the backwaters

 Shower under the trees

Aboard the houseboat (kettuvallam)

Walking around Thazhappu in the afternoon...we also ran into a snake, only a small one, but I was quite impressed that I didn't have a heart attack and keel over (I am petrified of them). He looked quite at home and harmless though.

Manu and Lucky

                                                                                             Chucky!

We travelled to Goa with Manu after staying at The Farmhouse and are still in touch with him. He recently informed me that since our trip, Chucky the eagle has hooked up with a lady eagle! He flew away to be with her for many months and left his daily visiting post in the palm tree above the kitchen. However, he finally came back to visit Lucky and co at The Backwater Farmhouse with his ladyfriend. I loved this - he came to introduce her to the family :)