Tuesday, 2/23/16 - Alleppey Houseboat, Moncompu Village

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and could see the light of the full moon through our window shade. I decided to take the opportunity to photograph the full moon reflected in the water. I quietly walked out onto the deck, carefully stepping over the crew member who was asleep on the floor (I think it was Rajendran). The moon was spectacular. It was casting shadows. I could hear birds and crickets, and the moonlight was reflected in the shimmering water. The boat was quiet, and I sat for half an hour taking photos and enjoying the stillness. A Tom Waits quote came to mind: "Nobody's up except the moon and me" (Rosie).

I went back to sleep, and we got up at 6:30 a.m., showered, and went out on deck. Mukul was already there, and we had tea. There were some schoolchildren on the bank waiting for the bus which would take them to school. They ran along the shore to where we were moored to say hello to us. They were quite friendly yet also shy and giggly.

The crew served us a delicious breakfast consisting of idli, curried vegetables, bananas, pineapple, toast with pineapple jam, coffee, and masala omelettes. A school transport boat picked up our new young friends, and as the boat pulled away they al smiled and waved to us enthusiastically.

After breakfast, the boat captain gave us two excursion options for the day: a nearby village at 9:30 a.m., or a church and market further downstream at 11 o'clock. We chose the former because it was earlier in the day and the weather would be cooler, which is better for Craig's MS.

We set sail at 9 o'clock, and then pulled ashore at 9:30 to take a lovely walk through the village of Moncompu with William. We met an 86-year-old man who lived in the village who looks not a day over 50. He was quite friendly. The little road was lined with water hyacinth-choked canals. People were bathing, washing dishes, and washing clothes in front of their homes. We passed water buffaloes, goats, and several cats. Small elevated footbridges crossed the canals, with adequate clearance for motorized canoe passage.

It seemed like we had stepped back in time. Our surroundings were magical.

We passed a school just as the students were gathering before class. The kids were very friendly, and we assume that some of them were probably kids we had met earlier this morning. The boys asked Craig's name. One got up the courage to shake his hand, and the others rapidly followed suit. The girls did the same with me. Mukul was a big hit by drawing pictures and asking the kids to identify them (frog, mango, hibiscus). One of the teachers was ready to ring the school bell (actually a gong) and the kids, giggling, pleaded with him not to ring it yet since they were having so much fun.

This school visit alone made us certain that we had chosen the correct excursion. We loved interacting with those joyous children.

We continued our walk along the paths of the village. Everyone responded in kind when we smiled and wished them good morning. A man in the back of a small truck bed was selling fish in the village. Everything was green and verdant, and we admired all of the colorful flowers that we passed, including a hibiscus with concentric blossoms.

It was getting hot even this early in the morning, but there was adequate shade along the walking paths, so it wasn't unbearable.

We remarked on the redness of the soil here. Mukul explained that clay is dredged from the canals and used for pottery in places such as Cheruthuruthy Potter's Village.

Toward the end of our walk, we passed a wood shop. We showed interest, and the man working there demonstrated his craft, turning a spindle on a motorized lathe.

After a 90 minute walk, we boarded the boat again. From then on, as the sun got hotter, we had a relaxing day of cruising. The crew served us chilled lemonade, and we enjoyed some banana chips, a gift from Jagdishji's sister Jaya. We passed many churches and brightly colored Hindu temples. Many of the houses had a tropical color scheme. Everything is accessible by boat, the transportation lifeblood of the area.

Today's liesurely cruise along the backwaters featured several duck farms. We have never seen so many ducks at once! First we came across several hundred ducklings, who were all swimming together, peeping away. They were so cute! A boy standing in a small canoe was herding them along the canal.






We stopped for lunch at around 1 o'clock, and the crew moored the boat. They jumped ashore and gathered some fresh bananas leaves, on which they served us a traditional Kerala lunch. This consisted of pineapple curry, veggie curry, beets, kingfish, rice, lentils, popadums, pickle, banana flower, beans, and yogurt curry. It was delicious! I particularly liked the pineapple curry - a satisfying blend of sweetness and spice.

As there was nothing planned this afternoon, we got a chance to fully relax after several days of intense sightseeing. There was plenty of shade on the deck, though we would have to play musical chairs occasionally to dodge the sun rays as the afternoon progressed. Mukul took a nap on deck and I started to read my Hindu deities book that he had bought me in Guruvayur.

At 3 o'clock, the crew untied the boat and we set sail again. We snacked on more banana chips and some fudge-like sweets Mukul had bought as a surprise at Best Bake Shop yesterday. It was so relaxing to lounge on this comfortable boat with good company and beautiful surroundings!

At 3:45, the crew served us delicious onion fritters and tea. They take such good care of us! We pulled over to the shore and tied up for around two minutes so that they could untangle some plants from the propeller. They made incredibly quick work of it, and we were cruising again before we knew it.

Fishermen in canoes cast nets, and we passed farmland dotted with white egrets. Red tractors contrasted against the bright green fields, and were reflected in the dark water of the canals.

As the rays of sun grew longer, we came upon several hundred if not a thousand adult ducks, being herded out of the water. They all walked in an orderly fashion up a ramp, down a short path, and into a pen where they would spend the night. We pondered the fact that these were free range ducks, and that it probably wouldn't be too difficult for them to escape. But they must be well taken care of and appreciate the protection of the pen at night, because they were all calmly following their nightly routine.






The captain moored the boat for the night around the corner from the duck farm. We couldn't really see the sunset from this location, but we had a lovely sunset last night. This location should give us a prime location for tomorrow's sunrise. We could hear crickets and frogs, as well as some pleasant music from a nearby temple.

The full moon rose while we were enjoying dinner at around 7:30. The delicious meal consisted of poori and bhaji, Kerala Dry Fry (dry rubbed chicken), cauliflower, gerkhins, rice, pineapple, and Pepsi. Craig and Mukul shared a beer.

We stayed up until 10:30 p.m. enjoying conversation with Mukul. It had been a great afternoon/evening of recharging our batteries after a rather frenetic few days.




Moncompu village
Nobody's up except they moon and me - 4 a.m. on the houseboat

"Nobody's up except they moon and me" - 4 a.m. on the houseboat

Breakfast on the houseboat

Breakfast on the houseboat

Craig with the schoolboys of Moncompu

Craig with the schoolboys of Moncompu

Steph with the schoolgirls of Moncompu

Steph with the schoolgirls of Moncompu

Woman washing laundry in the canal, Moncompu

Woman washing laundry in the canal, Moncompu

Elevated footbridge, Moncompu

Elevated footbridge, Moncompu

Hyacinth-choked canal, Moncompu

Hyacinth-choked canal, Moncompu

Looking to a place to moor for lunch

Looking to a place to moor for lunch

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