India || Alleppey

After a great and easy flight with Emirates Air, 

we landed in Cochin, Kerala.

First bit of craziness... the driving.

why have lines in the middle of the road?

They drive on whatever side they'd like (or the middle!) and 

continuously pass cars, scooters, motorcycles and tuk tuks.

Nearly 90 minutes later, we arrived a secluded and beautiful

little homestay, Vembanad House, right on Lake Vembanad.

We were greeted by Sandhya, the owner of the property.

Her husband's family has owned this property for many, many years.

Sandya was amazing and super helpful...

and her son was sweet and quiet! 

The best part of staying at a homestay is the fact 

that you have home cooked meals.

And wow - what an amazing introduction to true Keralan food. 

Pumpkin curry, tiger fish, etc... 

possibly two of my favourite dishes from the entire trip! 

Delish.

Our first day was a lazy one, but we made the most out of our second.

Backwaters tour, quiet beaches and the bustling city!

 We hired a tuk tuk to stay with us for the day. 

five hours = 1000 INR = £10

(first intro of how cheap India is!)

We drove through the madness of the "city"

and found our way to our boat for a three-hour tour of the backwaters.

2000 INR = £20

it was beautiful.

and relaxing.

and humbling.

We had a water-side look into people's lives

and felt very fortunate to have that opportunity.

Children playing football, women doing laundry and cleaning dishes, 

men working on their homes...

or ducks, goats and cows roaming.

After our backwaters cruise,

we headed to a local's beach.

First beach visit of our trip and it did not disappoint

though we didn't stay very long.

The struggle... 

no bathing suits allowed.

I had to be covered at all times - even though it was nearing 30c.

Long skirt, tank top and scarf covering my shoulders and chest.

I was a sweaty mess by the end. 

gross.

But, it was truly wonderful start to the two-week trip.

Couldn't have asked for a better host or more delicious food.

Next stop... Varkala.

xx

the mcgees

(This will probably be a six-part post... sorry for the long one!)