Kindness
We skipped breakfast to get an earlier train and we were able to get a lift to the station, which made everything a lot simpler. No walking and no crowded bus at rush hour (s) with the bags.
The train left 15 mins late but that was ok. It gave us time for chai! A very quiet train and a beautiful journey through Kerala, God's own country. We jumped off in Allepy, now Allepuzha and searched for food. Easy to find. A small restaurant provided 2 delicious veggie meals. And, the benefit of meals is, they just keep topping them up until you burst!
Very full we left for our 4km walk to our next accomodation. It was now HOT but a lot of our path was under the shade of the new dual carriage way along the beach. The map showed a stream leading to the ocean with no bridge so we did a quick detour to avoid a swim!
A warm welcome with cool water and water melon was delightful. We spent some time chatting about 'everything' before hitting the beach. As we walked we discovered many interesting boats made of covered polystyrene. They were the size of small dinghies. Men sheltered from the sun under the shade of over turned fishing boats. They played cards in the shade...
At a small temple a festival has in full swing, plenty of food and plenty of locals playing in the waves nearby.
We sat and watched and waited for the sun to disappear behind the smog. We quickly returned back to our hosts home before it got too dark.
The evening was spent having a Masterchef cooking lesson. Beautiful Keralan fish curry with lightly spiced cassava. Wow, it was sensational! We ate pineapple, drank tea and talked a lot! A lot about food, a lot about travel. A lot about a lot!
