Well, we didn't make it to the Dubai Mall, owing to a number of Arabian miscommunications aka stuff-ups so ended up in a new mall, way on the other side of town from the terminal, verging scarily into Abu Dhabi territory i.e. a long way from the ship.
It was a truly lovely mall but because of further miscommunications from the shuttle driver, we ended up spending most of our time there waiting for the shuttle back -- then panicking when it didn't turn up -- then ganging up with a dozen or so fellow passengers to try and force the mall people to organise a shuttle to get us back before the ship left without us
.
All in all, a very fraught and time-consuming experience with just a toothbrush and a few more white hairs to show for it.
Our day in Cochin also ended with a mad dash to the ship but at least we were on a ship's tour and with a lot of other people so we weren't so concerned about being stranded, passport-less, in a foreign country.
The nonchalance of the constant, near-hysterical humorous patter of the tour guide too had a strangely calming effect, so being 20 minutes late didn't cause as much angst as the surly Arabian experience.
From friends who'd been there before, we knew Kerala was a very beautiful part of India and we weren't disappointed.
The process of getting an Indian visa had been hugely expensive and infuriating, so much so that, if given the chance, we would have refused to go ashore on principle.
But we're glad we bit the bullet, booked a tour and went on what was maybe the most memorable -- and expensive when you include the visa costs -- of any trip we've ever done.
The only place that comes close to this experience would be Sri Lanka where we'd been in the '80s
.
Advice to eat the local grub over dodgy Western food reminded us of that time in Sri Lanka where 11 year old Andy insisted on ordering hamburgers and suchlike -- that always turned out to be awful -- so Dad ended up having to swap his tasty curries for Andy's Sri Lankan version of Western junk food.
Fishermen out early on the beach was the first sight to greet us as we entered Indian waters. Already this had a totally different atmosphere to anything we'd experienced in a long time.
After finally making it through the near endless Indian bureaucracy and escaping the ship, we went by bus, through endless houses, churches, temples, schools and shops lining the road, where life seems mainly to be lived.
A couple of hours later we were dropped off at Alleppey, a narrow lagoon where boats took us along some of the many canals and lakes in the backwaters of Kerala to Kumarakom.
Again, the population lives on the edge, this time of waterways rather than roads, in neat houses with the canal as their front yard -- as well as their laundry, bath and kitchen sink -- with rice paddies behind
.
The lunch stop at the Punnamada Resort brought another unexpectedly good experience.
We'd been expecting a dull, air conditioned room full of boring white table cloths and plastic chairs.
Instead, we pulled up beside a garden edging the waterway, round tables with white cloths scattered with red rose petals under the trees, and traditional-style hotel buildings behind.
Drummers and ladies with watermelon juice greeted us, followed by a delicious curry buffet.
Our impressions of Kerala were of a lush, damp land teeming with plants, people -- and a few animals -- vibrant with the colours of foliage, flowers and gorgeous saris -- and happiness.
Everyone we saw, on the whole, seemed happy but also employed in some way -- bashing their washing on special-purpose stones on the water's edge, fishing or cleaning fish, playing ball games, fixing things, shopping, sweeping.
Men, women, girls and boys all seemed to mix in together, wearing impeccably clean clothes -- despite the earthen paths, mud and the ever-present garbage
.
For a province with such a high level of education and for people with such an eye for beauty, the trash-ridden state of the roads and waterways is a total mystery.
We loved Kerala -- though they really do need to get a grip on their garbage! AND their crazy, punishing, self-defeating bureaucracy. Not many of our fellow passengers would willingly stomach this expensive visa nonsense a second time.
But do that, and it'd come close to a kind of madcap, vibrant tropical perfection.
Living on the Edge
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Kerala, India
Other Entries
-
1Making Landfall
Aug 3152 days priorNewark, United Statesphoto_camera2videocam 0comment 1 -
2Millersburg, PA
Sep 0151 days priorMillersburg, United Statesphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
3DC Capers
Sep 0547 days priorWashington DC, United Statesphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 1 -
4Going Troppo
Sep 1438 days priorKey West Florida, United Statesphoto_camera24videocam 0comment 0 -
5Last Plane to London
Sep 1438 days priorNewark, United Statesphoto_camera1videocam 0comment 0 -
6Stopover UK
Sep 1636 days priorGatwick, United Kingdomphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 0 -
7Santorini Sunset
Sep 2428 days priorMegalochori, Greecephoto_camera22videocam 0comment 0 -
8Bon Voyage
Sep 2725 days priorSouthampton, United Kingdomphoto_camera2videocam 0comment 4 -
9On board the Emerald Princess
Oct 0220 days priorGibraltar, United Kingdomphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 0 -
10Leaving England
Oct 0319 days priorCivitavecchia, Italyphoto_camera4videocam 0comment 0 -
11An Etruscan Feast
Oct 0319 days priorCivitavecchia, Italyphoto_camera3videocam 0comment 0 -
12Down to Earth in Naples
Oct 0418 days priorNaples, Italyphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 2 -
13Venturing to Mt Etna and Discovering Taormina
Oct 0517 days priorMessina, Italyphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 0 -
14Transiting Suez Canal
Oct 0814 days priorSuez Canal, Egyptphoto_camera2videocam 0comment 0 -
15Archaeological Feast
Oct 1012 days priorPetra, Jordanphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 1 -
16Desert Malls
Oct 184 days priorDubai, United Arab Emiratesphoto_camera8videocam 0comment 1 -
17Living on the Edge
Oct 22Kerala, Indiaphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 1 -
18Asian Waters
Oct 319 days laterMuang Pattaya, Thailandphoto_camera28videocam 0comment 1 -
19Back to Bali
Nov 0413 days laterBali, Indonesiaphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 3
Comments

2025-02-13
Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank
Harvey STOCKWELL
2016-10-26
Did you get the visa in advance or on arrival?