Alleppey Boating
Monday 1/14
Today was another water day for us. Not the surf of the Indian Ocean, but the murky backwaters around Alleppey. We had the option to spend a night or more on a houseboat which we decided against as we really had a spectacular time in Vietnam on a cruise and these trips sounded like little more than being a captive piece of meat for a legion of mosquitos.
The day started before 6:00 which we have discovered is as close to legally waterboarding Tara as we can get.
Our launch point was right next door to a Hindu temple. If you will recall our time in Munnar where the temples in the valley we were in started cranking out music at 5:45. From a distance it was an interesting addition to our experience, being right next door about ended my already questionable hearing. About 30 minutes later, when the ringing stopped, Riley and I watched the sun rise from our boat.
Tara and Patti manned the other kayak. Well manned might be too strong a word as they logged almost twice the nautical miles as Riley and I due to the zig zag nature of the paddling style and what few would call steering on Moms part. Tara, in a great mood due rising before the sun, did her best to coach mom by means of ridicule and complaint while Mom persisted in being a hazard to all on the waterway.
The biggest reason we chose the kayak over the big houseboat is that we could get back into the tiny waterways that were only navigable by the most diminutive of watercraft. It was interesting. The folks that live on these channels are rice farmer and fishermen. It was like we were rolling through their backyards and through their homes. We saw them washing dishes, clothes, their teeth, themselves, cooking, etc. All in this water that I am sure would kill me. In August these houses were half underwater and things appear to be getting back to normal. We paddled by a few men that were rebuilding the canal wall. One was handing rocks from land above to a man who would take them in the water, submerge and place the rock in the canal bed, return and do it again. That is a rough job.
While Riley and I won the efficiency award the 'other' boat saw a big improvement when sargent Tara took the rear position. Our relative expertise still did not stop me from getting a little sideways in a wave set while we were navigating a channel where the big boy boats were. We took on water and it all settled in my seat area. I think this is the first, maybe it will be the only, butt print picture I have taken.
We had a nice lunch at a place on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Well, 'on' means across the street, adjacent to a construction site and underneath an elevated highway. But we were still on! After lunch we headed out to Dehli for out last night and day in India.
Images in 2019 Alleppy
Images: You might have to access the images in a different way depending on the size of your screen. For full size monitors the links should appear on the left, for phones and tablets you will need to select the menu drop-down icon on the upper left corner.
Today was another water day for us. Not the surf of the Indian Ocean, but the murky backwaters around Alleppey. We had the option to spend a night or more on a houseboat which we decided against as we really had a spectacular time in Vietnam on a cruise and these trips sounded like little more than being a captive piece of meat for a legion of mosquitos.
The day started before 6:00 which we have discovered is as close to legally waterboarding Tara as we can get.
Our launch point was right next door to a Hindu temple. If you will recall our time in Munnar where the temples in the valley we were in started cranking out music at 5:45. From a distance it was an interesting addition to our experience, being right next door about ended my already questionable hearing. About 30 minutes later, when the ringing stopped, Riley and I watched the sun rise from our boat.
Tara and Patti manned the other kayak. Well manned might be too strong a word as they logged almost twice the nautical miles as Riley and I due to the zig zag nature of the paddling style and what few would call steering on Moms part. Tara, in a great mood due rising before the sun, did her best to coach mom by means of ridicule and complaint while Mom persisted in being a hazard to all on the waterway.
The biggest reason we chose the kayak over the big houseboat is that we could get back into the tiny waterways that were only navigable by the most diminutive of watercraft. It was interesting. The folks that live on these channels are rice farmer and fishermen. It was like we were rolling through their backyards and through their homes. We saw them washing dishes, clothes, their teeth, themselves, cooking, etc. All in this water that I am sure would kill me. In August these houses were half underwater and things appear to be getting back to normal. We paddled by a few men that were rebuilding the canal wall. One was handing rocks from land above to a man who would take them in the water, submerge and place the rock in the canal bed, return and do it again. That is a rough job.
While Riley and I won the efficiency award the 'other' boat saw a big improvement when sargent Tara took the rear position. Our relative expertise still did not stop me from getting a little sideways in a wave set while we were navigating a channel where the big boy boats were. We took on water and it all settled in my seat area. I think this is the first, maybe it will be the only, butt print picture I have taken.
We had a nice lunch at a place on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Well, 'on' means across the street, adjacent to a construction site and underneath an elevated highway. But we were still on! After lunch we headed out to Dehli for out last night and day in India.
Images in 2019 Alleppy
Images: You might have to access the images in a different way depending on the size of your screen. For full size monitors the links should appear on the left, for phones and tablets you will need to select the menu drop-down icon on the upper left corner.
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