Kerala, India
Up and at 'em at 5:30 AM. What's awesome about Hostel First is that most people are staying here because they are traveling early in the morning or late in the evening, so you don't have to worry too much about waking anyone in the room up. Jada, Ashleigh and I all have flights between 8:30-9AM. I had a cup of coffee while changing and then the tuk tuk driver showed up. Ashleigh and I split the ride, $200 SL Rupee each. The driver took us as far as he could and then we hopped on the free airport bus to take us to departures. I stopped by the 24 hour post office at the arrivals area and then went back to departures to check in for my flight.
Maybe this is already quite known, but in order to fly to India, you have to have a flight out of the country before entering. So there was a slight hiccup in my morning, but with my family's assistance, I got a fully refundable flight that I will be canceling tomorrow (since I'm moving more spontaneously rather than by a schedule). I headed up towards my gate, purchased my last Sri Lankan roti, and then had to go thru yet another customs at the gating area before being able to board the plane. They are doing triple security right now because of recent issues... A bit frightening but not worth worrying about when I'm already there and about to leave.
I flew Sri Lankan Airlines to Kerala, India. The airport is actually Cochin, which is in Kerala and the closets airport to the backwaters. Anyways, Sri Lankan Airlines was so nice, the staff was pleasant, great entertainment, comfortable seats with a lot of legroom, and they even handed out a veggie roti with apple juice on the one hour flight! I watched 500 Days of Summer and did some writing before landing. And when we landed, I was sure to put my scarf around my chest and shoulders to cover up. But the airport was so clean and immigration was a breeze! Once thru, I exchanged some currency there and then exited the airport to find my driver and homestay owner, Biju, waiting for me.
Biju is so friendly! We got in the car and drove the 2 hours to Alleppey (also known as Alapuzza) where I will be staying for the next 3-4 nights at Bella Home Stay. I met Biju and his wife Jaya thru Iker's mum, Moksha. Moksha has been to India many times and was extremely helpful in assisting me on this journey. And Jaya was super helpful along the way as well, answering any questions I had and responding very quickly. Biju and I chatted for s short time in the car, he even offered me a teaching job here once I finish my training. And then, like always, I fell asleep, and slept the whole 2 hours to the home. It was raining quite a bit, just like it was when I left Sri Lanka, so that along with the soft Kerala tunes Biju was playing, I fell into a sweet slumber. We arrived to the village and while I filled out some paperwork in the garden, Sunithi prepared me some fresh pineapple juice. It was absolutely delicious.
This home is beautiful, surrounded by greenery and decorated so nicely with a beautiful bookshelf and fresh incense burning throughout the home. Biju led me to my room where I discovered a big bed, AC, and my own private bathroom. Yay for privacy! Boy it's been a minute considering I've been staying in hostels for the last 4-5 weeks. I dropped my bag off and headed into town to purchase a SIM card. This village is quite small, though the population is very large because roughly 12 people or more live in each home. I walked to the Airtel shop where the worker greeted me with a smile. The process of purchasing and activating a SIM card here is different and a bit more challenging than elsewhere. We weren't able to do it at the shop so I hopped on the bike with Sunithi and drove back to the home to retrieve my passport.
More guests were checking in, a family of 4 from L.A. They biked 5 hours to get to the homestay! They are seriously so cool, they will travel for 7 months in total, moving from Morocco, South Africa, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and possibly New Zealand doing service work everywhere they go! And another guy from Canada checked in as well. But anyways, in order to get a SIM card here, you have to be sponsored. Biju gave his information so that I could use my phone here in India and Jenny, the mom of the family, said "Wow, that is so nice of you. Our first homestay wonder wouldn't sponsor us so it took 4 hours for us to activate our phones." Boy am I appreciative of Biju, he's the best! The SIM card allows calls, texts, etc. for 89 days and costed $500 INR, that's $7 USD! Anyways, several other guests checked in, creating a full house- Sarah and Nicola, from the U.K. (but Sarah lives here in New Delhi), and Ryan from Canada, but he's lived in South Korea for 21 years now. Incredible!
Honestly, it's been the people that I have met along my journey so far that have made this experience so special. Kerala is similar to Sri Lanka as well, and some said I should skip it, but I couldn't be happier to be here at Bella Home Stay. Also, it is a nice transition from one country to another since there are a lot of similarities and it isn't as drastic of a change as going straight to the North of India. Very appreciative and grateful to be here now. Once my SIM card was all set, I headed into town to get my bearings, and a bite to eat. As I strolled down the streets by myself, I had a moment of pure bliss with the realization that I'M FINALLY IN INDIA! Honestly my face lit up in a smile and my heart was doing a happy dance. Four months ago I was asked by someone who was once the love of my life, "What are you going to do now?" and my response was "I'm going to go to India." At that point, I had no actual plans of coming, but now here I am, and boy am I full of bliss to be here. I strolled into Sree Mahaveer Restaurant where I enjoyed veggie kolhapuri, veggie pulao, and mango pickle. It was all so delicious! Though, it can be difficult being a vegan and traveling to countries that don't speak your language fully. There were some cheese cubes in my pulao but it was easy to pick them out. Just an FYI to all my fellow vegans out there traveling to India, download Google translate!
I sipped on a cup of black tea then paid my bill and headed out. The total for my entire meal was $325 Indian Rupee, which is $4.58 USD. I walked into the town and stopped by the fruit stand to get my breakfast for the morning, PAPAYA! And there was only one with a little bruise on it, so the worker gave it to me for free! I purchased some mini bananas, which were handing from the actual branch themselves rather than being cut off, how cool! I continued on and ended up stopping at yet another fruit stand where I purchased a red banana, an orange, a guava (looks like a green avo), and cherimoya (custard apple, also form of jackfruit). I chatted with the worker a bit, paid him the $60 for all the fresh fruit, and then continued onto the grocery store to see what it was all about. Apparently the food in Kerala is so different in comparison to the rest of the country. There are 29 states, 21 languages, and so much diversity from state to state according to Biju. Here in Kerala, the mother language is Malayalam.
At the grocery store, I saw some dehydrated green pomellow (form of grapefruit) and figured I had to try some. After, I walked back to the home, walking alongside the river and passing by all the kids getting out of school. The roads here are hectic but not anything like I would have imagined. But then again, I was told that Kerala is much more modernized than many other parts of the country, especially in comparison to the big cities.
I arrived back to the hostel, spent some time relaxing, writing, took an amazing shower, then went down to eat the cherimoya Oh my goodness, it is so scrumptious! And it definitely reminds me of a jackfruit because of all the seeds inside, though this one is white inside whereas jackfruit is bright yellow. Whats also interesting about cherimoya is that, like an avocado, they are very firm until they are ripe, and then become rotten very quickly, so choose your cherimoya wisely! I chatted with Sunithi and her 12 year old son for awhile, learning about the school system and the village itself. And then it was time for me to go to bed, but before falling asleep, I was sure to write about my day. It feels so good to get it down on paper and reflect on each experience as it's happening. And to be able to share if brings me so much joy. Thank you to all who are reading. GOODNIGHT!
