Up at 6am as I an being eaten alive by something. My room has a mosquito net, but I don’t think it’s mosquitoes. Bed bugs maybe? I dunno, but I’m up early. After a quick fuss around the room I’m out the door and I take a walk. Alleppey is quiet and I like it at this time. I head up to the bus station, which is not so quiet. I take a seat at a road-side chai stop and have a couple of cups of coffee and a fried banana, all for 15 pence, bargain.
Back at the guesthouse I’m a bit lost as they guy there says that the next train is not until 1pm, about 3 hours away. I decide to try my luck anyway. At the railway station I buy a ticket and have to wait about 5 minutes for the train, perfect.
At Ernakulam I grab a tuk-tuk and head over the Fort Cochin. The driver gets stopped at one bridge and makes a big fuss with the police. He turns back saying to me about another bridge. Over the other bridge and we finally make it to the peace and quiet of Fort Cochin. The driver makes a fuss about the extra distance, but I think it has been a ploy all along, and give him an extra INR20. It has been a long drive to get here. I think I’ll take the ferry back.
Fort Cochin is my last stop India. In 4 days I fly to Bali. My hotel of choice here is full, but after a quick walk around a lady directs me to man who has a nice place and a single room for INR200, bargain.
After a few walks around town I realise there is not so much to do here, which is fine, but I have 4 days to fill. I know I can take a backwaters trip on a houseboat at a reasonable price, and I need to catch up on my writing, so I should be fine. When I start traveling with my girlfriend in a few days I won’t be able to spend quite as much time writing, so I’m keep to get everything up to date.
Fort Cochin is a nice place though, and the riverside location is beautiful.