Varkala – Allepe – backwater canals.

February 14th – 15th

Happy Birthday Alli!!! Where's my dinner?

With great self-discipline we finally wrenched ourselves free of the bosom of somewhat utopian Varkala.

It was time to move on. Kind of.

We decided to book ourselves onto a cruise around the myriad of backwaters that make up the canals between Varkala and cochine. The Good Book had told us it is an experience not to be missed.

We left Varkala at 6am. Our rickshaw was late. Whilst we sat around waiting for it two 12 year newspaper boys tried to sell us Marijuana. The taller one informed us his dad was one the best dealers in Varkala. It seems he was going into the family business.

We took a train from Varkala Station to Aleppe. There was a strike to be held over the the next couple of day for all public transport. We arrived in Allepe and took a rickshaw to the canal boat. It was somewhat smaller than I was expecting and we had to share a room. We spent the rest of the day cruising around these beautiful canal waters. I must say, we could have done the whole thing in an afternoon and not stayed over for a fraction of the cost. It was nice enough though. The food was in abundance and was very good. After the sun went down that evening we sat and drank beer and played cards amidst a cloud of insects that descended on the boat. It wasn’t the most romantic Valentine’s day I have ever had. Marcus’s beard was now reaching epic proportions and try as I might, he just wasn’t my type. My type was over 2,000 miles away in Oxford. We turned in pretty early.

I woke up the next morning to find something had climbed into my bed and bitten my arse so much it had swelled up like a football. Well a pair of footballs to be exact. Over 40 times I could count. I couldn’t sit down, and I couldn’t stop scratching. We did get to see a beautiful sunrise on the canal that morning, although I was more concerned with the contents of my pants for most of it.

We got back to Allepe and we parted ways for a couple of days. Marcus headed to Fort Cochin and I took a bus back to Varkala. I still needed to obtain a crime report for my bag. The bus trip was pretty uneventful. Apart from the fact I couldn’t sit down, the driver was insane, and so many people got on they were sitting on top of each other. The bus didn’t go as far as Varkala. We alighted about 30miles away. I hooked up with a French lass, her son, and her mum, and together we shared a rickshaw then taxi back to Varkala. I managed to get the necessary documentation for my insurance and also laid my hands on some much needed anti-histamine. I wisely avoided the chill-out bar and took myself to bed early.