Cruising the Backwaters
Kerala, India, 2008-11-21 12:00 by Martin
Time has slowed down and the hustle and bustle of India seemingly has been eliminated. As we sail in our houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala in the warm afternoon sun, in a pace that is not much quicker than walking, you cannot help but feel calm and relaxed. With Indian music on the Ipod and a view of a palm tree lined shore that we slowly drift by, the slogan of Kerala resounds in my head: “God’s own country”. If I believed in God and heaven, I would probably have agreed. Even my in-law family is calm... three kids playing games, drawing or simply just gazing. Lærke is absorbed in a book on a mattress on the keel of the boat, looking as beautiful as ever. Children are playing around the dwellings on shore, woman washes and men row their canoes. We pass a tiny jetty where a small crowd has gathered; a few moments later the water bus arrives and everyone boards.



After a turn onto another branch of backwater, we hear quacks and flapping. What at first from a distance looked like seaweed turns out to be a huge hoard of ducks, being hoarded by three men in canoes – there must have been thousands of birds. We have a three bed-room barge, finely decked out with darkwood furniture and tiles on the floors. Each room is spacious with a double bed and private toilets, not bad at all :-)