Two weeks in Goa and Kerala

Trip Report: 22 February to 8 March 2009

From our first taxi ride, into Panjim from Goa airport, our eyes were assaulted by almost every icon of South India you could expect to see – gorgeous sari wearing women carrying loads on their heads, cows wandering down the middle of the road, erratic driving, a festival in full swing on the side of the road, palm trees, mangrove swamps, giant billboards, dust and heat.

It was hot – sweltering the first day, and we had come straight from the tail end of an English winter to the hottest day in Goa for a long time (40 C!). We sheltered in the Portuguese churches in old Goa and sat in the shade in old ruins.

A day later and a hop down the country by plane later, Fort Cochin wasn't much cooler, especially when we got lost in the Jewish quarter for a few hours in the heat of the day. Local markets across the water in Ernakulam were filled with everything you could ever dream of needing and I could have explored the narrow streets for much longer if it wasn't for the cooking class we had signed up for back on Fort Cochin that evening.

After consultation with Mr Walton who runs the immaculate Walton's Homestay (more of a boutique hotel with secondhand bookstore) we decided to head to Kumily by bus, where we had planned to do some walking in Periyar nature reserve. The bus ride is so slow that even rickshaws overtake us but even with mosquitoes biting my ankles consistently it is a beautiful way to slowly creep up the Western Ghats which are full of dark greens and the lighter jagged lines of the tea plantations.

Our preferred guided trek - the overnight Tiger Trail - was fully booked so we opt instead for two day walks. The border walk was with only three other tourists and three guides and I felt privileged to have experienced this beautiful area with such a small group. Shortly after we started walking the guides think there are elephants around and make us wait while they track them. While we wait the bird-life makes itself known. We don't see many animals (though elephant trunks ripping up vegetation! Gaur on the track we were meant to be walking on! Black monkeys!) but the walk itself is fantastic, and our lunch spot by a corner of the lake really special.

Day two at Periyar we take a bamboo raft tour of the lake with some walking added. Our guide is incredibly enthusiastic and takes us off the path whenever he thinks there might be something to see (usually not a lot!) Justin and I and another girl in the group swim in the lake after lunch.
Another hour on the bamboo rafts before the last bit of trekking back to the boat jetty but its in this time that we spot a herd of 20 or 30 Gaur and then finally when we should really head back we spot two elephants which we can only just see without binoculars. They're fantastic.

Fast bus out of the Ghats. The fact that you're reading this means that we made it in one piece, but a pretty hairy ride especially going down the mountains which we crawled up a few days ago. Crowded vehicle with a dozen nuns standing and at least 4 bums to each 2 person seat.

After 6 hours on a local ferry we ended up in hectic, noisy, traffic filled Alleppey, seeing nothing of the village described in our guidebook. The main business here is house boats and while they look amazing we can't see the appeal for us and instead take a canoe tour with a local guide for a few hours, stopping off for Thali at the same time as a boat full of merry Goans. We follow a road a couple of kms down to a beach in the afternoon where I eat deep fried chillies and we watch locals strolling in the late afternoon sun.

A few shorter bus rides today and we're back in Fort Cochin for another night with the Walton's and we finally make it to the Dutch Palace which has a disappointing museum before heading along the waterfront to spend some time observing the inefficient Chinese fishing nets (each scoop of the net catching maximum of one or two fish) and the slightly more efficient net and canoe based local fishing industry. The same evening we have one of our best meals of the trip at Dal Roti where we are told that we've over-ordered and we should have half of what we're looking at on the menu. They're right, and every mouthful is delicious and the place would be worth another meal if only we had time.

We spend a rare lazy morning in coffee shops and looking in shops before we're on an overnight train back up to Goa where we are sharing a carriage with a grandmother who feeds us snacks like we are her kin, sorts out lunch for us and and answers all of our questions about what we've seen so far and tells us about herself. She's got a real sparkle and is fantastic even if overly concerned that we get off at the right stop so is up every time we get up between 4 and 5:30 when our train finally pulls into a station close to Agonda Beach.

We get to the beach when its still dark and its just us, some cows with sharp horns and a pack of beach dogs until sunrise ...and the beach dogs really want to be our friends.

Justin found us a beach hut at Agonda Paradise, beside a quiet restaurant with an uninterrupted view of the sea. The sea was a welcome respite from the heat and with the beach being somewhat of a yoga retreat, there's cereal for breakfast and a French bakery of sorts, plus fresh fish for dinner at a plethora of beach front restaurants. We even find bicycles to hire for a day. It was a great base for a few days but I couldn't have done it for two weeks - though if Justin could have six swims in the sea every day I think he would relocate. Final trip by tiny minivan was to the airport in the early hours of the morning. We pass a lady riding a bicycle before dawn without lights, people walking to church on the side of the road in their Sunday best, and places of worship so full or hot or both that chairs are laid outside in the courtyard. Later we pass the only real slums I saw in the trip. Another world, again. The airport for our return flight is crowded with package holiday tourists. I feel the urge to tell them what they've missed out on.

We managed to cover a lot of ground, moving through environments which swung abruptly between mayhem and tranquility. I think that for me that was the beauty of India.


Want more? Justin has photos, maps and other tales here.