and into the heart of Kerala
I’d read several reports that Alleppey should be avoided as it is now so over-touristed and so no longer offers the quiet, peaceful backwater experience. But it was rather easier to get to than the alternatives, and I’d had a hostel recommended to me, so I went anyway. & then extended my planned five-day stay to ten, as it was such an easy, relaxing place to be! Yes, it helped that my little hostel on the beach cost me just £2 a night, that the owner was a lovely man who ran great kayaking tours through the backwaters, and that a number of nice and interesting people stayed whilst I was there – but Alleppey was a really nice place. It has miles of beach to walk along, fishermen to watch, a good mix of local and comforting Western food, and those beautiful backwaters. Not to mention an outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool which I intended to utilise but somehow never found time to. I watched birds, saw sunrises and sunsets, spent days in conversation w...