Life Just Happens!

"As long as you have a window, life is exciting!"

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Marty and Nick renew their vows !!

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7 Traits of an Authentic Montessori School: A Commonsense Guide to Choosing the Right Montessori School for Your Child | Bergamo Montessori Schools

“I know I want a Montessori school for my daughter, but what if I choose the wrong one? I heard there are amazing Montessori schools, and I also heard there are many… Read More

Interesting read!

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The spectacular colors and textures of India....

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The spectacular colors and textures of India

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The colors and textures of India

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The stunning colors and textures of India!!

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On our last evening, we took an hour long canoe ride down the canals of a nearby town. Here canoeing from one place to another was as much an option as taking inner roads. We did not see as many cars as motorcycles and bikes. It was evening time and close to sunset and we passed clusters of women bathing and washing clothes, children playing volleyball and horsing around in the water, people sitting around and just enjoying each other’s company. I absolutely love how there is a distinctly  unhurried pace here even on the banks of the backwaters. I commented to my travel companions that watches and schedules do not seem as central to lives here. Obviously people have broad schedules for work and school and prayer but so very often, we saw people just sitting quietly and watching life pass by – sometimes with others and sometimes on their own. When we got back, Nick wanted to observe Sibi cooking in his little strip of a kitchen and with no more than 3 pots/ woks. Sibi was delighted and must have lived out a secret dream of doing a cooking show because he demonstrated how he made a famous  local dish Kuttanad Duck curry with just as in a cooking show. He allowed us to smell his personal spice collection – spices he roasts and grinds himself – and to watch as he deftly made appams , the rice crepe from Kerala. Our dinner was just magnificent with appams and duck curry and Sibi’s fried tomatoes and slices of sweet watermelon to end the meal. Marty complimented him and said that once we went back to Wisconsin, we would probably have to eat leaves to lose all the weight we had put on and   because anything we made could not hold a candle to what Sibi had been cooking up for us.

We disembarked at the docking point after our final meal  - Sibi made us a traditional meal of a rice funnel cake and black peas , probably one of the hardest breakfasts to eat if you are raised with it as a staple. He seemed emboldened to make it for us after seeing how appreciative and adventurous my friends were. Sudhi got almost teary as he said goodbye. We drove back to Cochin airport stopping for lunch at the same place that we stopped by for dinner on the way in. I was returning to Bangalore to spend a week with my parents and son Advik while the guys were going to Galle, Sri Lanka on their own for 3 days. We will meet again on 28th when Nick and Marty renew their vows in my parents’ home.

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India, travel, Alleppy, Kerala, housen,houseboat,

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The houseboat crew was so endearing – they were respectful, informative and friendly. Our captain Suresh has been with this company for 12 years. His wife and two children stay at his in-laws . He joked and said his wife likes his job more than even he does himself because he’s away so much. Suresh was a rich source of local lore and information about the plants and birds we saw along the way.

The Vice-Captain was the elderly Vijayan. He told me of his family – his wife and 3 children. The oldest was his daughter who had passed away a year ago at the age of 35 of cancer. His second son was a civil engineer in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala and his youngest was studying to be a lawyer in Bangalore. His daughter’s 2 children lived with him and he said he had to stay working and healthy as he wanted to make sure his grandchildren were going to be okay and educated. He was appreciative of his son-in-law but was clear that the children were his responsibility.

Sibi is our master chef – he looked like a culinary professor…quiet, slightly intense and getting great pleasure from our evident enjoyment of his food. He had 2 children in their teens and said he had always loved cooking. Even when he has a break and went home he cooked for his family – he smiled and said that he preferred his cooking to his wife’s . He said what  he loved about  his job was the smiles and happiness his food brought to others.

The youngest was Sudhi – a 20 year old who was clearly an intern / apprentice. He was shy and smiled a lot but could not keep his eyes off Zak’s intricate tattoo. He confessed he had always wanted a tattoo and showed us a picture of one that he had drawn with a pen on his forearm – it was a chain around his arm with an anchor. He told us how he had a high threshold of pain – he had pierced his own ears – but could not stand blood. We all assured him he would look great with the tattoo and that it would not bleed much.  

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Houseboat meanderings!

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Day 2

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Day 2 on our houseboat

On our second day,  I woke up at 5am and walked around the docking station a bit – everything was dark around me and even the birds had not yet woken up. Over the next couple of hours, the river slowly woke up . First the birds, then the soft swish of the fishermen gliding by and pulling in their nets, then the prayers from the temple and church, and the ferries taking people to work and on errands. Then along the river, women and children began bathing and washing clothes … after a fabulous breakfast, Suresh stopped at a point to allow us to disembark. This was the town of Champakulam. We walked through its small but busy market.

Our first stop was a wood carver’s showroom. 6 years ago, I had visited this wood carver and was absolutely blown away at his artistry. Some of the things I bought from him are in my classroom and are among the favorites of my students. I was eager to meet him again but when we reached the place, his son was there instead. He said his father had died 2 years ago of prostrate cancer. I got a couple of more things from there for my classroom and left.

Next we walked to a gorgeous church – St Mary’s Basilica – established in 427 AD making it one of the oldest churches in Southern India. A service was going on and we quietly entered and sat in a corner – listening to the young priest extolling the 100 plus teenage crowd to believe in the Lord and have faith in Him. He shared personal miracles to convince the congregation of the importance of faith and belief. We walked back to our boat to a refreshing watermelon juice that Sibi our master chef had made for us. We had a spectacular lunch – Zak said he wanted to stay on the boat forever!

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Our houseboat meanderings...

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From  our Houseboat...

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Our Houseboat meanderings

We left Koder House and drove 2 and a half hours  to Alleppy to board the houseboat. We are spending just short of 2 days on a Kerala houseboat meandering the backwaters  . As soon as we stepped  onto the boat, I had a sense of déjà vu. I told Marty a few minutes later that the Captain of the boat looked very familiar. As I was talking to Marty, Suresh, the captain hesitantly asked if I had come on a houseboat earlier and we realized that he had taken us on a cruise 6 years ago when I had come with my husband and children and friend Geoffrey!! How absolutely incredible.

For the next 8 hours we lounged around on the deck of the boat – we felt so decadent as we were served an amazing lunch, tea, snacks and dinner. The boats dock at 6pm until about 8 the next day so as not to get in the way of the local fishermen putting their nets out and reeling their catch in the next morning. A group of nomadic youngsters came right up to us singing and dancing songs to celebrate the Christmas spirit – 2 of them were dressed in Santa outfits and came on board. They managed to lure Zak into joining them in a dance which entailed most of them just ogling Zak’s muscles.

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Fort Kochi

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Fort Kochi

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Fort Kochi

After a fabulous breakfast when Zak almost ate them out of house and home, our guide Vijesh  started us on a walking tour of the beachfront. The Chinese fishing nets were simple in their mechanics but so magnificent to look at. Vijesh told us the Chinese brought this fishing process into the country several hundred years ago. Walking towards the old Dutch church that has the tomb of Vasco da Gama took us past some very interesting fish stalls that boasted of the freshest produce – “See…still living” said one of the vendors, pointing to his colorful and aromatic offerings. The church was simple on the outside with classic Dutch architecture, but lovely on the inside. Vasco da gama died here in Cohing in his 60s, on this third visit here and was buried in this church for several years before he was taken home by his  son.

After the church, we went to the Jewish Quarter – an ancient Jewish settlement, in the heart of the Fort Kochi area.  We saw original Jewish homes from hundreds of years ago with their quaint courtyards and 2 exits – built that way apparently to be able to escape easily if and when threatened. The Old Synagogue was absolutely stunning with all the Belgian chandeliers.  Right after that we stopped at a women’s cooperative store that sold spices and handloom cloth. Nick and Marty were going to buy Kerala wedding mundus (sarongs) and we were able to get the most gorgeous ones here. The girls were delighted to be able to participate in the selection of the garments. Nick and Marty and Zak were taken by the friendliness and confidence of these young women. They commented on how their demeanor was more independent and how forthright they were.

A quick tour of the palace showed us how different Kerala palaces were from the Rajasthani ones – nowhere near as opulent, they relied mostly on size to impress. Then we went to a local seafood place for lunch where we got to select the fish we wanted for lunch and how it ought to be cooked. Nick, who does not like seafood, gamely sat by and ate chicken while we devoured our fish and prawns. The afternoon was reserved for the 3 guys to get Ayurvedic massages . Then we attended a cultural program that showcased Kathakali, Mohiniattam and Kalaripayattu – the first 2 quintessential forms and the last a martial form. The Kathakali dancer who was giving a lecture demonstration beckoned Marty on to stage to participate in a segment and he did so with so much grace and respect.  A great seafood dinner later, we headed back to the hotel.

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Koder House, the home of one of the prominent Jewish politicians – actually the once Governor of the area of Fort Kochin – is where we are staying. It’s an exquisite house with huge, open  rooms, gleaming dark wooden floors, ornate furniture and a quaint courtyard which is now a small restaurant. There are 2 huge rain trees that act as natural canopies for the house.