Alleppey

So, we say goodbye to Varkala after 8 days there, but it's definitely time to move on. It's a great relaxing holiday destination but let's face it, this skin ain't for browning and I don't want my hair to go all 'ginga'.
Next stop was Alleppey, a two and a half hour train ride from Varkala.
Didn't run like crazies this time, just strolled to the carriage, like the train pro's we are.
Arrived at a place called Bella Homestay which is a stones throw from the backwaters that Kerala's famous for.
We were greeted by the owner Biju his wife Natasha and star of the show, Jackie the pug (who is err...a boy). It's a really nice place and Biju is a really lovely man, friendly and helpful, who i think would do absolutely anything for you... Maybe even take the rap for that man I killed?
So we took our bags to our room and hit the hay.
Now, hay I can deal with, but a room hotter than Beelzebub's cupcake oven is not so good.
It was so hot it sent Alex all weird. She woke me up in the middle of the night insisting there was a man in the room. I knew there wasn't, and Alex was having another of her sleepmares, but double checked just incase. I looked everywhere, even the mirror, there definitely wasn't a man in the room.
Set off on our tour of the backwaters at 8.30am where we were joined by a lovely Swedish family.
After initially getting a ferry to our destination, we opted to take a canoe boat in order to see the smaller streams and passageways.
The trip included breakfast and lunch in the guide's home, a swim in the waters, a walk through the village and a visit to an odd church.
The Church was the birthplace of a Saint or Priest or something (the Nun spoke extremely fast and quiet leaving us bewildered). So, what they did was keep the house he was born in intact and build a church over it. Bizarre. Cut that part of the tour short and got back on the canoe.
Whilst gliding down the peaceful waters, with the wind at our backs and sun in our faces, there was a festival where people let off explosions! That's right, explosions! Like one of those films where they try to blow the doors off of a state-of-the-art safe using C4. Or where they try to blow up a railway bridge using Dynamite! Basically any film, or real life event, where they blow stuff up. Cue fingers in ears and anxious looking foreigners. I thought it was quite funny. But then so does the teenager who lights a firework in his hand and blows his arm off. Hahaha....oh...
The trip all-in-all was really good.
Spent another two nights at Bella Homestay, met a lovely couple, James and Helen - who we went for dinner with near Aleppey Beach - went into town, probably got lost, saw a car crash etc, etc.
Then it was time to say goodbye to the exceptionally nice Biju, Natasha, and hardest of all Jackie (when the Swedish kids left he didn't eat for a day and moped around). Cute...
Next stop Marari Beach.