Thursday 6 December

This morning I woke up excited for the day ahead. It is a much needed break from the constant work and travel that I’ve experienced. Doing international work takes a certain kind of person. Not that I don’t work hard when I’m at home, but I’ve been on constant duty! I was lucky not to have experienced jet lag on the way here and easily fell into a routine waking at 5 when the Sisters get up for devotion and mass and working until breakfast. Each evening I tell myself I will go to bed early but at 10 or 11 I’m still typing away or sorting through photos or making notes about my day. I still have to prepare my presentations for the Partners’ Meeting next week... I’ll do that ‘tomorrow’! I surely have a new appreciation for people who work on the road.

After breakfast Sr. and I took a taxi to Kumarakom. This area is referred to as “God’s Own Country”. Quite the marketing strategy! The Backwaters of Kerala are very famous in India. As soon as I tell people I am going boating they know exactly where and tell me I’ll enjoy myself. Check out the Wikipedia article to get an overview and see some photos. The taxi ride was really nice. A man named Lahl (his baptismal name is Jose) and it turns out he is the father of Christeena (from my last post). I was able to speak with him about his family and learned his wife is called Sunita and he has 2 children. The language barrier made it difficult but I could tell he is very proud of his family and especially of Christeena. She has severe mental and physical health issues and is totally dependent on others for everything. Ever since I met Christeena I couldn’t stop thinking of her. The staff at the Holy Cross School are so fond of her and she brings smiles to so many people. After making sure she was still available to sponsor I informed Sr. Rani that Julie and I would be her sponsors. I know we’ll make a huge impact on her life and the lives of her father, mother and brother. I can’t wait to get my sponsorship package in the mail! To sponsor a child like Christeena go to the Chalice website, where we have a selection of children who are waiting for sponsors from all over the world (Chalice works in 15 countries). For a child from one of the Kerala sub-sites (or if one on the website doesn't catch your eye) you can email me (alishalebouthillier@chalice.ca) and I will get you in touch the Sponsor Representative for that Site.

When we arrived in Kumarakom we were taken to an amazing houseboat that was waiting for us in a canal. While we waited for the crew to get ready Sr. Deepa and I relaxed in the comfy chairs and couch that was at the front of the boat. It is called a houseboat because it has all of the amenities that a house would have – chairs, couch, dining table, television, bedroom, bathroom, etc. We had this boat all to ourselves! As we waited to get going we listen to the sounds of worship from a nearby Hindu temple. So relaxing!

The boat ride lasted 4 hours. On one side of the canal was a bird sanctuary so I saw many beautiful, colourful birds. When we left the canal we were in a large body of water. There were flowers all over the surface of the water and many birds fishing. The scenery was beautiful and there were palm trees lining the water. We passed a small island that Sr. Deepa told me used to have about 10 families who lived on it but the government deemed it unsafe and took it over. There were many men out fishing and I was able to get some great photos of them. Some didn’t have anyone in them and one of the boat crew told me that they were fishing for shell fish.

The water was only about 15-20 feet deep. A few large bodies of water like the one we were in are all connected by canal systems and flow into the Arabian Sea. It is freshwater and there is a particular type of fish that is typical of this area. I was told it was on the menu for lunch.

At one point we docked on the side of a canal and we got out of the boat to get a treat of toddy and shellfish (the kind the men were fishing). A man went up the tree and returned with a bucket of liquid. Toddy is basically coconut wine. It ferments naturally and has quite a kick to it! We got back in the boat and it was time for lunch. And did we feast! I can’t name the food we ate but I can tell you it was very tasty! With a couple glasses of toddy and coffee and cookies for dessert, we ate like queens!

On the way back to where we started we stayed close to the shore, which was lined with resorts. There were a few domestic houses and I saw people doing all sorts of daily things – washing dishes (right in the water), bathing and filling water jugs. It was very interesting! We also saw a few fishing boats that had makeshift sails made from plastic sheets pieced together (much like the construction of Peter and Mary house from yesterday morning).

After the boat ride Sr. Deepa and I went shopping! I found a nice chudidar for myself and a few gifts. We also went to a supermarket to buy some cardamom (my favourite!) and poppadoms!!! The poppadoms we had on the boat were the best ones I ever had. They are like a huge chip that is fried in oil and puffs up into bubbles. I hope the ones I bought are even half as good as the ones I ate. On our way back to Mannackanad we visited Sr. Deepa’s sister and her family. They had (yet another) feast prepared for ‘tea’. I have never eaten as much as I have in India. Indians are faithful to their morning and afternoon tea breaks and there is always a variety of snacks. I tried tapioca and oxen. I loved the oxen but not the tapioca so much. It’s a root vegetable and used in much the same way as potatoes. We also had more shellfish and there were no less than 6 different sweet treats to try.

At the end of our outing I was feeling great! A day off was just what I needed to regroup and process everything I’ve experienced so far. I was exhausted in a different way and went straight to bed. The next day we were to travel by train (7 hours) up to Pilarthara where we have another sub-site and another Skills@Chalice initiative.