Kerala Backwaters - Nedumudi, Alappuzha

The backwaters of Kerala are high on the list of "must sees" for almost every visitor to Kerala so that's where we headed to by car from Kovalam. These backwaters are dominated by the massive 2033km2 Lake Vembanad.  Fed by ten large rivers as well as many smaller ones and interlaced by a network of canals, Vembanad is the largest waterway in India. Stretching from near Alappuzha to Kochi [ Cochin] it is 96km long. 

Separated from the Arabian Sea by a narrow barrier island with another barrier to ensure that the sea water is kept out engineered near Kuttanad, its water irrigates the below sea level rice paddy fields. In the wet season the paddy fields' verdant quilt covers the land.

More than a million people live in the villages along the palm fringed canals, surviving by farming rice and fishing. The tourism economy here is huge with an overnight houseboat cruise being one of the "must do" activities on most visitors' lists. This was not our plan though. Instead we chose to stay in a canal side guest house and to take a shakira ride for a few hours and spend time walking around the canal side villages. 

Nedumudi Central -where I thought we would be located

This was not to be! As we entered the backwaters area it was soon became clear that the place we were looking for was not well known! Not even people living in the area knew of it. Phone calls to the guest house resulted in confusing our driver even more. Google Earth indicated that it was located in the middle of a waterway. I had gone to the ipad to look for alternative accommodation when we came to the end of the narrow dirt road. Waterway ahead! A large four wheel drive vehicle skidded to a halt beside us and two large Indian guys jumped out, strode to the edge of the water and scanned upstream. 

"The boat's coming!" they told the two women who were trailing behind. 

"Are you going to Holly Hock Resort?" I asked, hoping that Google Earth had misled us. " We were supposed to be at a waterside village, not seemingly in the middle of a watery nowhere. "Do you know where it is?

The answer to both questions was "Yes!" so that's how we found ourselves on a boat with two other couples heading upstream to our Backwater destination. No village. No other dwellings. Just a guesthouse on the quiet side of the Kollam - Kottapuram Waterway. Very picturesque. Very quiet. All rooms occupied.

On the way to our guest house

All rooms occupied and the biggest and best located room reserved for the foreign guests. Until we found that the aircon was not working, we appreciated the generous gesture to foreign tourists. After several staff went through the motions of trying to fix it, then trying to persuade us that it was actually working, albeit just a "little bit," the admission came that the problem was a long term one. It was then revealed that the other rooms were occupied by honeymoon couples and that they really needed air conditioning more than we did, hence the room allocation! OK! We'll manage with the fan. A very grinding one!

Houseboat, Kerala Backwaters

The remainder of the day passed very pleasantly, seated on the verandah watching a steady stream of houseboats chugging upstream. Some of them parked for the night a little further upstream, confirming my decision that staying on one was not for us. Travelling just seventeen kilometres before stopping for the night means that most of the time is spent sitting bank side. At first light they start the return trip so as to be ready to leave at noon for their next hire. Although tourism brings major dollars to the Backwaters it also brings problems. Healthy water ways are essential for crop production and fishing and local people are concerned at the high number of them polluting the waterways. In the mornings I observed some staff on the returning houseboats heaving the rubbish off the back. No wonder the banks have plastic drink bottles bobbing around in significant numbers. 

Houseboats moored for the night

After a very nice dinner, served on our verandah, we decided to have an early night and, despite the lack of aircon, we were soon sound asleep. At 1am I awoke feeling thirsty and put my feet on the tiled floor. In less than a second I was right back on my bed. The light of a hastily found torch revealed that the floor was now a carpet of frogs! Jumping shiny frogs! Fortunately my drink bottle was handy so in bed I stayed until morning light sent the frogs back outside to hide. Sam however, did not sleep well after that. He was worried that snakes would be looking for a frog snack. Fortunately one of the honeymoon couples checked out and we were able to move to an aircon and a frog safe room for our remaining two nights.

Evening on the Kerala backwaters

 Mornings on the water are quietly busy with men in dugout canoes crossing their water road presumably going to work.

Fisherman

This fisherman came both early morning and early evening to check his many crab pots. He got only a few tiddlers. Not even enough for a mouthful.

Kollam- Kottapuram Waterway, Kerala

School bus

The school bus was the fastest vehicle!

Patching up the banks.

Behind the fringe of palm and banana trees is intensive rice farming.

Essential items that are always packed for our holidays overseas are a bottle of brandy and the gear to make tea and coffee and a block of cheese. On arrival we get fruit and crackers and some other nibbles to have on hand.  Without those necessities we would have have been very thirsty and hungry at this guesthouse. Once all the honeymooners had checked out, everything on the menu was "finished", promises to take the boat and bring provisions broken without comment. The staff disappeared, reappearing only briefly to serve lunch and dinner before again disappearing again until breakfast! We were literally on our own!

Nedumudi, Kerala

Although this experience was not what we planned we were quite happy to laze quietly, watching the activity on the waterway, the cormorants and sea eagles fishing, the company of a couple of blue kingfishers, ducks and several other types of birds. Cricket was on the TV, I had books and Sudoku to do and a siesta in between.

Nedumudi, Kerala Backwaters

On departure we realised that we had indeed been very lost in getting to Nedumudi. We had been on the wrong side of the waterway and several kilometres out as well. Google maps had been correct though! Our destination was in the middle of a waterway! Give or take a few metres!

An auto rickshaw ride around Trivanduram, Kerala

Tuk tuks or auto rickshaws are very useful vehicles in places such as India and Sri Lanka because they can scoot around in the most unlikely places, are cheap to run and therefore to hire and there are many hundreds of them just waiting for you to hop in and pay for their keep. Hundreds of them, in just a small area. That's the problem, as, while they are efficient in getting you from place to place, even mounting a footpath it there is one, they seriously clog all the roads. At least the driving behaviour is better here.

Poppin and his tuk tuk

One morning we hired Poppin and his tuk tuk to take us to Trivanduram principally to sort out a sim card problem that was causing Sam some anguish and then to have a look around Trivanduram. After a breakfast of dosa we left early, hoping to  beat the heat. 

Dosa, photo from Teresa

It took some effort zipping here, crawling there, in narrow streets, waiting at traffic lights before we finally found the office. Two minutes in the cool and the problem was fixed - the booth at the airport had neglected to give us the correct code as had the people on the end of all the help seeking calls we had made. At last, a happy man and his ipad!

A women friendly auto rickshaw

As I see it the issue of safety from assault, abuse and more is an issue at varying levels for women almost anywhere in the world and arises from the absence of gender equality. While, tragically, women are most at risk in their own homes, travelling, even short distances brings its own such problems. I was delighted to see a few of these tuk tuks displaying their pink women friendly signs. In other countries I have traveled in women only carriages of commuter trains and I am currently advocating for women and children only buses in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. But that's another story.

Here in Trivanduram the pink rickshaws were started by the City Police a couple of years ago after women made very many complaints of abuse, harassment and fleecing.The drivers are usually male and have been carefully selected and trained in how to behave towards women passengers. Men may also use these tuk tuks however women have priority. There are now at least two other women friendly transport options, one of them a taxi service called SheTaxis. As women make up about half the population [ "about" because of reported gender selection practices in this part of the world] I can see these businesses doing very well! There are now a few women driving rickshaws here and in other parts of India - something unheard of and impossible just a few years ago.

For most part of the trip I was hanging out of the tuk tuk taking pictures, very few of which were useful except as a memory of the day. I was delighted to see the wide variety of colours of the school uniforms - so much more attractive than the universal white of the Sri Lankan ones.

Sometimes the streets were so narrow I had the merchandise displays brush my face as we passed!

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Trivanduram

The Sree Padmanabhswamy Temple is a very important religious site to those of the Hindu faith. Housing  gold and precious stones, it is said to be the wealthiest temple in this part of the world, Lord Vishnu is its principal deity, bringing devotees from far and wide to worship. As we are not of the Hindu faith we were denied entrance. This exclusion of non Hindus is apparently quite usual here in Kerala, although not elsewhere, notably at Hindu temples in Sri Lanka.

As we couldn't go inside, we were left to people watch.
 
I wondered if there was a special ritual taking place because all the males in many family groups went into side rooms and later appeared bare chested, as is a requirement for men entering Hindu temples, and wearing new gold bordered sarongs and shawls. The women then joined them for a family photo. They then entered the temple.

Keralan Lunch

After a lovely Keralan lunch it was nap time in the cool for these two plus aged travellers!

Arrival in God's Own Country, Kerala and Kovalam

Welcome to Kerala, God's Own Country proclaimed the sign! 

What a relief it was to get off that Sri Lankan Airlines hour long flight from Katunayake, Sri Lanka to Trivanduram, India and have our feet firmly planted on solid land! 

Unfortunately for us, the welcome lasted just long enough for me to read the sign as, when I placed my passport on front of the immigration officer, I was left in no doubt that I had already outlived any such welcome. 

The problem was that my racial appearance bore no resemblance to the family name on my passport, so the logic of the Immigration authority was that my passport was fake. When I pulled my husband forward and explained that, on our marriage some forty seven years ago, I had taken his name, the hostility moved directly and squarely in his face. While my visa was examined by three other officers, stamped and orders given to me to "Go Away!' he was kept for ten minutes and haranged for marrying an inferior Western woman instead of one of his own race. We were to find out that this marriage was widely disapproved of in Kerala with Sam being treated as a "bought boy" by restaurant staff and two hotels and one home stay refusing to allow us to share a room until we produced evidence that we were, indeed, married. This had happened to us in Sri Lanka when we were younger but came as a huge shock now.

Devi Kripa Home stay hosts

We finally escaped the airport to be met by our first Keralan home stay hosts, Anil and Lekha, whose warm friendliness quickly overcame any surprise at seeing our unconventional partnership.

Devi Kripa Home Stay, Kovalam

Kerala is a Communist governed State, something we decided had both advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is that the tourism sector of the economy is very well organised for do it yourself travellers, something Sri Lanka could well take a look at. I found it easy to find home stay options because every home stay has to be registered, is audited yearly and ranked in a three tier category system. Devi Kripa Home Stay in Kovalam, has a well deserved top Gold Star rating. On arrival we were amazed to see that we had two levels to ourselves. Upstairs was a good sized bedroom complete with aircon and large "wet" kind of bathroom while downstairs we had a kitchen and sitting room. The bedroom was tastefully furnished with a large wardrobe, dressing table and stool as well as in room tea and coffee making equipment. The balconies provided a lovely sit out in the cooler early mornings and evenings.

I was not feeling at all well after eating what I had thought was a home cooked meatball just hours before we left Sri Lanka, so for the first two days I could not enjoy the beautifully cooked Keralan dishes that had been thoughtfully prepared for us. Neither could we put into action our prepared sightseeing plan, instead resting quietly in the aircon and being thankful that our home stay was down a quiet lane away from the main road where smelly rubbish was being swept up and burned roadside.

Our first night coincided with  a religious procession with the Goddess from the local temple being paraded around the narrow streets of the neighourhood. Feeling unwell, I had to give up my plan to join the procession and slept soundly despite the fireworks and music that lasted until first light. In the morning we hopped in an auto rickshaw aka tuk tuk and went around the narrow winding lanes to see the decorations and shrines outside the homes of devotees.

Hindu goddess

The photo does not do justice to this temporary street shrine with its offerings of grapes, apples, pineapples, melons, flowers and garlands. It was a wonderful display of devotion!

After following the procession's route and noting that groups of people were cleaning up the discarded water bottles and food wrappers, we continued to the Kovalam beaches.

Kovalam beach

There are four small beaches, each one separated by a rocky outcrop. As we were there at the end of the tourist season, the many seaside restaurants and shops were having a quiet time. Accommodation here is in the budget range.

Kovalam beach

The Lighthouse Beach seemed to be the most popular one today with quite a few men in the water while the women merely wet their ankles at the edge.

Lighthouse Beach, Kovalam, Kerala

Unlike beaches here in Australia, there were no public change rooms so my lukewarm idea of a sea dip was banished in favour of a very much needed back massage.

Aluthgama and Bentota

Ahhh! Bentota!  That expansive white - yellow sand on a palm fringed beach is an excellent choice for holiday makers seeking sun, sand and a relaxed holiday!

Bentota Beach

A popular destination for holiday package tourists, Bentota, now an easy one hundred or so kilometre drive from Katunayake airport, has much on offer, especially beach and water based activities of snorkelling, diving, wind surfing, water skiing. We travelled smoothly on the new expressway, which, while it is an easier ride,  misses the hustle and sights of the old Galle Road.

Bentota River

Our holiday apartment was in Aluthgama, across the road from the Bentota River, so  I was soon sitting on the river bank watching some jet ski fun, boats returning from cruises a well as small boats adorned with fishing rods heading upstream for a bit of tourist fishing. The river cruise was a great hit with one family who excitedly reported seeing baby crocodiles and water lizards. 

That's a baby one!

As I sat and watched the world glide by, I acquired a curious, but shy, companion who gazed at me with gorgeous eyes until an adult's command had him run safely home.

Kindergarten class

It is forty years since we last visited Bentota and we were here to visit friends who had been targeted in  racial and religious riots some months back. Their homes still in disrepair, they welcomed us so cheerfully and generously that breakfast was the only meal of any day that we found for ourselves. By day, we were taken by tuk tuk to explore wherever we wanted, returning to one of the extended family's homes for lunch and to another home for the evening meal. Despite their ordeal, the reality of living in homes still under major repair and difficulty in knowing whom they could trust, they were cheerful and seemed hopeful of better things to come. 
One morning I was able go with my host family to visit a kindergarten and also a junior class. The kindergarten children start lessons very early and took a breakfast break soon after my arrival so I was able to chat with the teachers about their lessons and hopes. When I visit again, I plan on taking acrylic paints and accessories for the children to have an opportunity to be creative with their art. Such things are luxury in schools here where education is learned so formally. I visit several schools whenever I come here and notice that the curriculum in this country seems so restrictive considering the rapid changes in technology, the elimination of many clerical jobs and high need for coding skills in the future. Of course, those in this country who have money and power have their children in more up to the minute private schools, studying an international curriculum and receiving private tuition before going overseas to University.

Near Beruwala

It was a sobering tuk tuk ride around the coast road from Bentota to Beruwala. This area was very badly affected by the December 26th, 2004 tsunami which took more than 35,000 lives in Sri Lanka. Very many more than that, is my opinion as I had  travelled by train from the South of the country during the week before the tsunami and had been appalled by the seemingly wall to wall shanties, teaming with children, that lined the coast between the track and high tide line from Galle to almost Mount Lavinia. Most of those shanty dwellers would not have been registered and therefore, not counted. I did hear very recently that the numbers of people lost were being raised. While we saw a plaque in the ground and a community centre that had been built with tsunami money, I couldn't bring myself to take photos. Too, too, sad.

Masjidul Abrar Mosque

We found the oldest mosque in Sri Lanka on standing atop the peninsular in Beruwala. Built in 920AD by the Arab traders it is a remarkable landmark between the ocean and the fishing harbour. We spent an informative and peaceful hour here being shown around by a young man who, having noted our progress along the road from Bentota, was ready to offer his services. His tour was very enjoyable so we were happy to respond to his request for payment for his time. I do wish he hadn't given us one of the usual hardship stories though.

Fishing boats at Beruwala

The day was very still and not too hot for our tuk tuk tour. Younger tourists were also out exploring but by bike, scooter or motorbike and we met up at the icecream tuk tuk. I learned that some of the hotels make bikes available for their guests and I think it a great way to explore this flat area.

Beruwala beach

After our cool ice cream stop, we headed away from the beach and soon saw a massive Buddha dwarfing the people and tuk tuks parked below. This gigantic seated Buddha was a recent addition to an ancient Kande Viharaya Temple and is said to be the tallest sitting Buddha statue in the world. Thinking of all the other "Big" constructions elsewhere in the world [ bananas, pineapples, kiwi fruits etc] it would be a shame for such a relevant philosophy that Buddhism is, to be so cheapened by a desire to be the biggest. The recent proliferation of such statues everywhere doesn't sit well with my understandings of the principles of Buddhism which has at its core the fundamental idea that there is no happiness in greed, pretense, ego and so on. In fact most sermons have references to letting go of ego, emotions and the causes of personal suffering. To me, the lessons from Buddhism include the realisation that I am but a microscopic spec in the passing of the ages, my ego is irrelevant.

Samdhi Buddha, Beruwala

Kande Viharaya Buddha, Bentota

As my companion was becoming tired I wasn't able to go inside to see the paintings of the Buddhist stories and I look forward to doing that on another trip.

Bo Tree, Bentota

Just outside the temple gate there is a impressive Bo tree, encircled by shrines.

So, that's a glimpse of Bentota through my eyes! 

Note for travellers: 
Weatherwise, if water sports and the beach is the attraction for you the seas are at their best here from around November to April. There are so many other things here to explore such as the Portuguese and Dutch history. It's an ideal place for day trips to Galle, the turtle sanctuary at Kosgoda and more. There's accommodation to suit all budgets, plenty of restaurants serving all kinds of food - except western fast foods - and a train station at Aluthgama.

Sri Lankan Curry Powder

Although it's the Man of the House who does most of the cooking where I live there are, however, specific cooking related jobs that are all mine. You guessed! Yes! The cleaning up after the daily event! I should add that, after a satisfying meal, I am happy to do that. As the cook also does the time and money consuming grocery shopping, I feel that I have the best end of the arrangement.

Making the curry powder is another of my traditional tasks, so having been reminded just a few times that I wouldn't be served a proper curry until I produced a freshly ground pot or two, today was the Big Day. Fortunately it was also a warm, spring day so I was able to open all doors and windows to allow the neighbourhood the pleasure of the spicy aromas that began to waft from my kitchen.

Ingredients for a Sri Lankan Curry powder

My recipe was given to me more than forty years ago by the most generous, kind hearted and friendly Sri Lankan lady I have ever known, Wimal Perera. Every time I make curry powder I remember her and especially a story she told me, very seriously, when we were talking about having children. I had just produced my third and final baby. It was after one of her famously delicious and traditional lunches and she was sitting with me while I was feeding him when she revealed that after her marriage the babies didn't come and the families were so worried that they took her to the holy Hindu shrine at Kataragama, in Sri Lanka, to seek divine intervention. Shortly afterwards she realised that this had worked and she produced a son, followed in quick succession by three more babies, another son and two daughters. "Enough!" she said. And went back to Kataragama to say "Thank you! But no more babies!" Wimal was considerably older than I and has now passed away leaving me with her recipe and many happy memories.

More ingredients for Sri Lankan Curry powder

To make curry powder you need a heavy bottomed pan which you heat a little before dry roasting the various seeds. I start with the coriander seeds and the heat on high, stirring and shaking the pan as the seeds begin to turn colour and start jumping and popping around in the pan.

Coriander seeds

When the seeds are ready - darker and dry - I spread them over a thick pile of newspaper covered with lunch wrap to cool.

Roasted coriander seeds cooling

I then roast separately the cumin, fennel, rice and black pepper seeds BUT leave the coconut until the very last because it roasts very quickly and also is sticky on the pan.

Cumin seeds dry roasting

I love all of the individual aromas of these spices but the fennel and clove aromas are my favourite!

Fennel seeds

The pan becomes very hot so it's necessary to lower the heat as well as to stir and shake so that the seeds are roasted evenly. The rice is included as a thickening agent for the curry.

I roast the cardomon pods, cloves and broken cinnamon sticks together, adding the lemon grass and curry leaves at the last minute. They dry out in just a few seconds. 

The very last ingredient to roast is the coconut and care needs to be taken not to burn it. 

By now all the ingredients are layered, cooling on the thick paper. I tip them into a lidded plastic box and shake to mix thoroughly and for easy pick up to go into the grinder.

Grinding is the next step. It's not necessary to grind forever to get a fine powder.

Ground curry powder

Smells great! Can't wait for that lamb curry tonight!

Wimal's Sri Lankan Curry Powder

The aroma must have reached my daughter's house a suburb away! She's just put in her order for a bottle! [ Oh! I posted on facebook. Ooops!]