Rollin' on the River, India-Style

How does a day-long river trip sound?

If you're from Georgia, shades of the movie "Deliverance."

NOT !!!!

After the "grown-ups" pried me off the Navagation Bridge, we proceeded inland for an hour. My first land views of India were filled with color-

the greens seeming so much more vivid than Myanmar, the sky bluer, and the streets filled with women in saris of amazing hues. Hot pink, lime green, turquoise blue and lemon yellow.

White-washed brick buildings. Trees filled with red and yellow blooms.

We spent two hours cruising the Alapuzzha River and it's associated canals and lakes, which is nicknamed "the Venice of India."

The waterways are covered in water hyacinths, which float on the water, but don't muck up the motors. It's hard to tell where the water stops and the land begins. We marveled at rice paddies,

Hindu temples,

and homes built right up to the water.

Women washing clothes,

men bathing, and children frolicking in the water on their first day of summer vacation.

The weather, we were told, was unusually mild- in the low 80's F, and the breeze from the open sided riverboats was heavenly.

What we first thought was a stone wall was merely an enormous paddling of ducks..
Fast food???

Lunch at the Lake Palace Resort was delicious.
My first Kingfisher Beer in India!

The Lake Palace Resort is beautiful with its bridges and canals

But we have yet to figure out the penguin rubbish bins

A goat on a boat....where's Dr. Seuss when you need him??

On the way back to the ship, we stopped for a few minutes to watch elephants at work....and snacking.

Then back on board, looking forward to yet another sea day.