This Is India 2017-Part Four

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February 14-17th, 2017

I took an Ola cab from Pune to Mumbai on the 13th and cabs in India are not expensive.  I was able to ride 3 hours for about $40.00 Canadian.  In comparison, for me to go 40 minutes to the Ottawa airport from my house, it costs me about $60.00 Canadian.  I don’t even want to think about how much 3 hours would cost here, I’m getting heart palpitations already! 😛 Then I realized, hey, This Is India!

I met my friend Vineet again because the next day we were heading to Alleppey by train and he was able to have the time to visit some places with me which made it fun not to be on my own all the time.  On the 14th, we boarded the train and the trip was going to take roughly 20 hours to get there.  Trains in India are not the same as here.  They run slower because of the tracks so it takes longer to get there which is ok because there’s more time to look at the scenery and talk.  Your seat also becomes your bed so every cabin has bunk beds along with sheets, blankets, and pillows.  I liked this idea because I could stretch out my legs the entire trip and not be sitting the whole way.  I slept like a baby and workers on the train came around to serve food, chai, and coffee.  It was a really great time to experience train travel there.  Alleppey is located in Kerala which is more tropical than Mumbai so as we got closer, the vegetation changed and so did the temperature which I loved.  Temperatures were at +40 C each day!  That’s better than -40 C here in February!

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Prior to leaving Canada, I spoke with another friend of mine, Srinath who connected me with his friend Soni who connected me with his friend Binu in Alleppey because Binu owns a houseboat there.  And when you go to Alleppey, you have to try a houseboat ride on the backwaters of Kerala.  When you board the boat, you are not the only ones out on the water.  Numerous houseboats are out at the same time each day showing tourists the beauty of Kerala.  The houseboat ride was roughly 6 hours long and lunch and snacks were included.  The food was incredible and we docked at lunchtime to eat.  Binu was very good at taking great care of us, picking us up and touring around the town.  Many thanks to everyone for arranging this day in advance for us.

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Alleppey is a nice place that’s not too big, it’s on the Arabian Sea and the water is so warm and clear.  The hotel was located right across the street from the beach and it had great views from the restaurant and also very good food.  The sunset was amazing and we were lucky to see one on time, so many people were on the beach at that time compared to during the day.

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I bought some famous banana chips and managed to bring some home for the kids.  I think I liked them more than they did, I’ve never had such great banana chips!  This Is India!  🙂

It was great to see the southern part of India and have good company along the way.  Thanks for joining me Vineet, I had a great time traveling with you! 😀

On Friday the 17th we went our separate ways because I was flying to Bangalore to see more blogging friends for the weekend!  😉 ❤ Stay tuned for more fun and excitement…

 

Much Love ❤

Jen

 

 

 

49 thoughts on “This Is India 2017-Part Four”

  2. Loved this! ❤ Alleppey looks so beautiful! Actually, anywhere in Kerela is a treat for the eyes but this is definitely a place I'd like to visit ❤ It's so great you got to experience an Indian train journey, Jen, that's one of the travelling pleasures here 😀 Those berths in the trains are so comfortable to sleep in, night journey, day journey, whatever 😀 Add it to the gentle rocking movements and the sound of the train as it races along the tracks and there is no better lullaby 😀 Next is Bangalore, huh? 😉 😍

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  3. Loved this post. I’m from Kerala so I was extra glad to see this post! 😊 Glad to know you had that experience. Alleppey and the backwaters are very beautiful indeed. There’s a reason why my state is called the God’s own country. Train journey can be long but it’s definitely an experience in itself. Glad to know that you found it enjoyable! 😀 And yes, banana chips are my favourites too! 😍 Looking forward to more in this series…

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  4. whoa there, you forgot to mention that you travelled first class! I have usually travelled on a shoe string and therefore only know third class … huge difference in our train travel experiences. Have not been south but everyone praises it so nice to see your photos.

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      • Plan on letting my passport expire at the end of this year … I’ve done my overseas travels this time round. I am more than happy to enjoy thru others photos and stories from my own home. Although I must admit I was always curious about first class train travel in India but you have given me some insight into that. And I promise you I am so grateful for the crazy comical and overcrowded experiences I had in third class over some decades. One could write a novel just about cuing for the tickets for three days … had to buy a ticket for each state so you would have a bundle! Thank heavens they are much easier to buy over the internet now.

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      • Wow, your train travel sounds really interesting too, I would love to know more about those stories! I also have a blog coming up about my flight home, that was a crazy experience! 😛 If you ever renew your passport, come to Canada, would love to meet you 🙂

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      • I retired from match making ages ago altho I have often said that if I had a dollar for every girlfriend who married one of my boyfriends I’d be a very rich lady! But you never know your luck. .. surely one of those cute Indian men has proposed already?

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      • They do look after me very well when I visit and have watched the kids grow up. Supported one daughter and her friends in India during their gap year over there … so it’s just nice to know that they are well and happy, doing interesting things.

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  5. It’s amazing 😍😍😍😍😍😍 I’m glad you enjoyed Kerala. You have seen a lot of India already 😎😎😎 the description of your experiences is so simple yet covers everything. This is JenJen and I love her. 😘😘😘😘😘

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    • Aaawwww thank you so much my soul sister ❤ Hahaha it's fun when you and everyone in our whatsapp group calls me JenJen 😛 I really love traveling around India and there's still so much to see!! 🙂

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  6. Following your write ups on India reveals how much you’re enjoying. Indeed, Indian trains are slower. At one point I liked them but now I don’t because they haven’t kept pace with time. Filth is a big issue. I don’t blame the railways entirely for it, people are a bigger reason. But railways is inescapable even though I don’t enjoy them now. I had to undertake a train journey yesterday too. It was like choosing the lesser evil…. 😉
    Kerala is definitely green and beautiful. Yet to visit Kerala. Lovely post Jennifer. Looking forward to Bangalore experiences! 🙂

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  10. Wow! Jennifer, I’m so jealous.😀You really had a good time in India. It’s been long since I went on holiday, I might have to start planning one soon. I love all the pictures you shared. Beautiful views!

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