Rice Boat -- Sublime India

For all those who are keen on India but not terribly keen on the throngs of people, stinky pollution and all round exhaustion that are part and parcel of travelling in this lovely place...rice boats!
Wow. So gorgeous.
I can highly recommend the operation we've been with for the past 2 nights -- 'Lakes & Lagoons'. Conscientous staff, pristine boat (and oh-so-pretty), delicious food and views views views.
We feel like we've drifted off into a light altered state of consciousness.

My poor Papa probably wishes he had! He's put his back out (thanks to Sivananda Yoga which left us all bruised and battered) and is at this moment at Alleppey's hospital while I and my ma take an internet break.
I call him Papa in honour of the delightful villagers we met earlier. One of the many perks of this Keralan experience is that you get to moor anywhere and meet up with villagers. One family invited us into their picturesque homes, fed us rice and coconut milk pancakes and wrapped some up in banana leaves for 'Papa' who was staying as still as possible to fend off excruciating agony on the boat.

We've visited psychedelic Catholic churches and gardens fragrant with spices. Mostly we've laid back on the deck and watched the jungle of coconut palms, little fishing boats and endless rice paddies glide by in a panorama untouched by modernity.
Heaven.

We have one more night of eating too much of Suresh's exquisite Keralan cuisine, falline asleep to the sound of water, distant chanting and the occasional call of a fisherman.

Tomorrow we have the hardship of checking into an Ayurvedic Heritage Home for 2 nights of massage and food balanced for our doshas. J and I are currently recovering from pharyngitis (a little memento J brought with him from freezing cold Afghanistan) which means our Vatta is all out of whack.

Otherwise blisssssssssssssssssssssssss

All you Reiki masters out there and healers of all sorts, send love to my Papa's lower back, please ;)