Slept well with AC and fan. Breakfast was good, but service poor, and it wasn’t actually ready when I got there. This is a 4* deluxe hotel….not what I wanted but bowed to the Travel agent. Great view of the freshwater lagoon, which is enormous, bigger than a huge lake. I took pics of the coloured waterlilies in the hotel pond, and the surroundings. It was not a cheap hotel. I packed, and left at 11 by a new taxi driver. I was taken aback that I needed to be driven to the houseboat jetty. Turned out that 90 minutes later, and nearly back in Kochi, I reached the houseboat late. Well nothing really runs on time. I was the sole occupant, and we left waited, and at 2:07 pm I was taken thought the backwaters, saw many other houseboats with vastly different designs and passenger capabilities. The backwaters are huge. We returned, about half an hour later, and docked again, waiting for the 2 honeymoon couples, who were late!!! One couple boarded about 4 pm but by 4:30 PM the other couple had not arrived….we wait!! Quite disappointing, and we were supposed to go along the coastline, see the sights, get out, and walk……still waiting.
The second couple arrived 10 minutes later and we left. I was not a happy camper. We left at 4:45 PM, and had missed a whole afternoon of coasting on the houseboat. We saw more boats, more water hyacinth, rice paddies, and 6:23 PM we docked for the night…all the houseboats were in a row. We tied up on a Palm tree of course!! I got off and walked along the path, many people were using. It was getting dark. I met two guys who were decent, and stuck with them as it was getting dark, and I didn’t want to lose my way, and fall into a rice paddy. Mosquitoes were out and hungry with all the waterbodies around. I needed exercise badly. We came back, and the two Rajasthani guys came and chatted on our houseboat for a while, discussed my tour and had interesting conversation until 9PM, when supper was served. I did not enjoy the supper, and ate very little. Very poor food on the houseboat. I am also wary of spices now. I ate with the two honeymoon couples. Well, one was 6 days married, the other couple 6 months. They were very friendly, and I enjoyed chatting to them. No coffee or dessert was offered, and we were asked to go to our rooms at 10pm. Then I saw 2 huge cockroaches in my room. I can’t stand those critters and managed to kill one. ( the other crawled over me!!!!) I have a pic of the beast. Not a good houseboat experience I have to say. The captain, and the cook only spoke Malayalam, and were not very communicative to say the least. Why the itinerary was delayed by the couples, I don’t know, or care……the travel agent will hear about this! Now….to bed….thanks for reading this.
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