April 13, 2007

Kerala Day 2 – No one is mightier than the sea


The second day morning washed away all my complaints against Kovalam. I have never seen such waves anywhere else. Dad kept calling to remind me not to get into the sea. Now, I seldom lie as I hate lying. But at times, it’s not a bad thing to be economical with the truth. Now don’t get all judgemental. Mom knew J

After a really refreshing bath, I walked back to take care of the lappie and the cams while Sri, Kushal and Hemant played around in the water without a care in the world. Interestingly, only Kushal knew how to swim. Now, while I waited I figured that in the off season only the really vetti people like us come down to these beaches. Even the international tourists were well past their prime and looked run down and tired. To tell the truth as I sat under the shades of the coconut trees, I did expect a Bo Derek or a Hale Berry or at least a Amrita Arora to come up from the waves but then one should not expect only good things to happen in life.

In most movies I have seen, every fisherman sings the quintessential sad song which the protagonist will listen to and shed a few tears. Rajesh Khanna used to excel in such settings. However, in real life too they sing when they bring in the catch from the sea. In the early morning breeze, it was an amazing experience to sit back and watch them at their work.

In the afternoon we left for Alleppy, rather Alapuzha. Again it was a travel back to Trivandrum and we decided to take the bus. For some reason, from my Pilani days I have always loved travelling in a bus and this was one ride that went beyond our expectations. It was a journey of many realizations. First I shall never again wonder at the Mallu half dhotis. In the heat of Kerala I myself was planning to let go of all worldly clothing. They at least have their Dhotis with free air-flow technology. The other was that all Mallu babes travel with their moms. Empirical evidence. Don’t take me up to the docks. On the way, I also realized the importance of Wall Paintings. In the highways of Haryana, the wall paintings were local in nature. However, here the large MNCs were present in full force shouting out from the walls with their bright colours.

South of India is also a land of billboards. They stare at you from everywhere. It’s surprising that there are so few accidents on these roads due to the billboard girls giving you their enchanting smiles. Anyway, we reached Allepuzah and got into a really nice secluded guest house. And then I found my 3rd favourite spot I want to bring my dream-girl to. The beach at Allepuzah is stunning. And And And.. It has an India Coffee House nearby. (You have to be a bong to understand the importance of Coffee House). Perhaps I’m one of the few people who love the beaches in Kerala more than the backwaters. We just slept on the beach (yes it too had a lighthouse) and then with our daily dose of Mazza started walking back to our rooms as late as 10:30. The world around us was asleep by then.

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