This morning we took a taxi to Allepey, the home of backwater tours to rent a canoe and spend a little more time on the water. The ride was bumpy and the diesel fumes intoxicating during the journey from Fort Cochin to Allepey. We found one canoe to rent and negotiated the rate. We thought we would be canoeing ourselves but the canoe came with a man who did most of the power work. We rode around the backwaters and saw the lovely rattan houseboats and were able to get closer to people who live at the water’s edge.
After two hours of canoeing we were famished and the driver took us to a nice vegetarian restaurant for a quick Keralan bite: two meals, a bottle of water and chai for a mere 66 Rupees (~$1.45). We returned to our home stay in late afternoon, rested a while then set to packing our luggage. I laid everything out on my bed and impressed Tara with my ability to condense it all and make it fit into two small bags. I would have only required one had I not gone on a shopping spree the last week; at least my Christmas shopping is now finished!
We went to Hotel Fort Cochin one last time and ordered a Pomfred cooked in Banana leaf with Gobi Manchurian (spicy cauliflower) and Keralan rice. When we walked into the open air restaurant the waiter ran to meet us “Welcome my friends!” he greeted. We were regulars now- our third time in one week. After dinner we went to a high end hotel for dessert and tea. I did not make it through one paragraph in my book before my eyelids collapsed.
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