Kerala – day 1
Kochi – Alleppey
Thursday, 30th March 2023
At the airport, we exchange some money and ask for information about the bus listed on the airport’s website. The guy has no idea, but at least directs us to the bus stop, where a bus to Aluva will arrive in about half an hour. From there, we can take the metro to Kochi (or one of its parts). It feels like a greenhouse outside, even though the sun is just rising. The bus (60 INR per person) is quite an experience. Everyone rushes inside, playing Tetris with their luggage. I sit next to a woman who strikes up a conversation. She works for Qatar Airways and tells me that she has even been to Slovakia. She’s originally from Tripavaduru and is visiting home.
We switch to the metro, and we seem to be a bit of a rarity, as it’s only 7:00 AM and it’s probably unusual to see tourists at this time of day. We get off at Ernakulam South. We immediately go for breakfast. I order Dosa Masala (a crepe with vegetables), and Jozef gets some kind of egg dish. We also have coffee, which is hot instant coffee with milk. We try to find a mobile operator to buy a SIM card, but it’s hopeless. So, we head to the train station to see if there’s a train we can catch. In half an hour, there’s a train to Alleppey (also known as Alappuzna), so we buy tickets and look for some fresh juice while we wait. We end up back at the same restaurant. The train leaves half an hour later than scheduled, but it’s relatively empty. We sit next to an Indian man in a sleeper coach. He’s quite talkative and recommends some places to visit, telling us about India and his job on a cruise ship.
It’s really hot. There are fans on the train, and all the windows are open to let the air flow through. The journey takes about two hours. We arrive in Alleppey and immediately go to eat. We choose the first place that looks good. The owner ignores me and only speaks to Jozef. After we finish eating, we try to find a mobile operator. We do find one, but they won’t sell us a SIM card, so we head to our accommodation. I had messaged the owner yesterday, saying we would arrive in the evening, but we changed our plans and are already there around 1:00 PM. We have no way to contact the owner, so a neighbor helps us by calling him. Our room isn’t ready yet, but he has another one available, so we can stay there. It has Wi-Fi, so we continue chatting with the owner. The room is more expensive, but we’re too tired to move again, so we decide to take a nap instead.
Later, we go for a walk to the beach, which is quite crowded. The waves are big, so we just dip our feet in the water. There are lots of crabs and a dead turtle being pecked at by crows.
On the way back to the accommodation, we buy a watermelon and have it cut since we don’t have a knife. In the evening, we’re still waiting for the owner. Jozef gives up and goes to town to exchange money, visit the liquor store, and try the mobile operator again, but without success. Jibu (the owner) arrives later with Jozef and arranges tomorrow’s trip to the backwaters for us. We’re really tired, so we quickly fall asleep.
