1-21-09

In the late morning, we set off on a houseboat. This was the real reason we came to Aleppi – to travel the backwaters of Kerala in a houseboat. It was wonderful. It is clean, comfortable, and totally relaxing. I got in some quality sunbathing on the top deck. The food was incredible and there was lots of it. I was stuffed at the end of every meal.
After we had docked in the evening, but before dinner was served, Dad and I went on a canoe tour of a village. Canoes are really the way to get around here. We saw a group of kids taking the school boat to school, rather than the school bus. The village was simple, but nice. We passed by women doing their washing in the river, children playing, men working. Once we got out of the main canal, the small canal we were on was so overhung with trees that it was quite shady. There were parts that were so covered in water plants that it became extremely difficult to row.
Sunset was extraordinary. I went a little crazy trying to capture on camera the line of palm trees and picturesque houseboats separating the bright, warm colors streaking the sky and the same colors reflected in the still waters of the canal. It was beautiful.
The boat that had docked next to us, unfortunately, left its generator running for a large part of the night. Mom and I drowned out the noise with a fan, which was necessary anyway because it can be so stuffy inside mosquito nets.