ALLEPPEY Hoseasons In One Day

Nine days in Varkala have recharged our batteries for our west coast odyssey, three-ish months through places like Goa, Mumbai, Rajasthan then back to Delhi, before we leave India for Nepal and, hopefully, Tibet.

Along the coast road we went by early morning taxi, from Varkala to Kollam, passing long beaches, fishing boats and fishermen on one side, canals and lush greenery on the other.

Where the boat comes in.

From Kollam we embarked on an eight-hour boat trip along waterways and canals to Alleppey AKA Allapuzha.

Billed as the Venice of The East, this is a small 'city' involving an interlocking canal system.

Che Guev...?? Yes, Che Guevara. Hammers and sickles are everywhere here.

Off the water, it wasn't pretty, but had some dusty charm with plenty of nice people.

Along the way there we passed all manner of riverlife going on - fishermen, schoolkids, ducks, women washing, men loafing, churches, birds, bridges and temples, plus a couple of stops for lunch and tea, all on the water (or moored to it). And cows.

Ducks! Fousands of 'em!

As we neared Alleppey, the ubiquitous local houseboats began bobbing past us, huge reed- and rattan-clad barges, straight out of Lord of The Rings and definitely not the Norfolk Broads.

Kim took this one of the Captain.

They're spruce and luxurious inside, all mod cons with picture windows and large foredecks with easy chairs for those long, tiring days being piloted up and down the backwaters.

'Sunbed' filter

They cost a good few quid to hire, so an arrival at our hostel we booked a few hours in a smaller canoe, punted along by Captain Cowboy (he had the hat, you see), a lovely man who sang us some songs, chatted to everyone of his many neighbours as we drifted past and kept us entertained until sunset and home.

A jolly way to spend the first of January.

They look bigger further away.