After 3 full and active days on the beaches of Varkala, on Tuesday morning February 4th, we grabbed a taxi and took a 3 hour drive to the town of Kollam. In Kollam a houseboat awaited us which would serve as our home for the next 2 nights. After 3 consecutive 12 hour beach days, we looked forward to what we expected would be a time to recharge a bit.
The houseboats sail the Kerala backwaters which are a network of lakes, lagoons, rivers and canals. The backwaters of Kerala, India stretch 1000 miles. The houseboats which now serve as a source of tourism for the region were once the only mode of transportation bringing goods from the backwater region to villages around southern India. Before their conversion to motorized water homes, they were powered by one or two oarsmen and the boats were heavily loaded with rice, coconut and other natural goods. As technological advancements made the boats largely obsolete, a new tourism opportunity evolved.
The boats themselves are constructed of wood, bamboo and coir rope. Since I didn't know before boarding the boat, I will share that coir rope is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. The hull of the boat is a series of handcrafted wooden planks which are tied together with the previously mentioned coir rope. Pretty cool. The frame of the roof is constructed from bamboo while smaller segments of bamboo were used to weave a mat for overhead cover.
The boat.
Let the chillaxin commence.
Captain Reuben stepped aside for Roman and Mabret to take commend of our vessel. Btw, Captain Reuben sorta rhymes with Captain Stubin' which prompted Dad to belt out a horribly off-pitch "Love, exciting and new. Come Aboard, we're expecting you. Love, life's sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you."
Yoga with Dad. If Dad lets that poor excuse for hair grow for another week he will look like the aforementioned Captin Stubing.
We explored some of the canals aboard a canoe.
Another in a long list of amazing sunsets. We are blessed.
As you know, we have been running a few days behind. Trying to catch-up. Next stop...
Dubai.
And Roman's soccer heros, Lionel Andres Messi and his FC Barcelona teammates, playing a home game at Camp Nou on Roman's 9th birthday (February 15th) in front of 100,000 adoring Spaniards. Perhaps they can squeeze a few Americans in if we promise not to call it soccer.
Stay tuned.
