Marari Beach, Kerala

I thought I published thus post... seems not ... More of our India tour - in no particular order!  This was our last stop....We stayed for 9 nights at Marari Beach Resort, close to Alleppey, Kerala.

We stayed here in 2019 and felt it was worth a return visit, the staff remembered us and one of our favourite waiters who had left his job rode his bike over to see us.  The hotel is owned by CGH Earth and is described as an Eco hotel, there is no tv in the rooms, the decor is simple, rustic and some might think basic, they do not allow plastic (water is delivered in glass bottles) .

Our accommodation was a small thatched cottage with bedroom and outside bathroom - I particularly like showering in the open and always try to find accommodation with this option!  

Food in the hotel was excellent, and they were very willing to make requests, the vegetarian menu was adequate and the portions were large so we usually shared.  You could walk along the beach and find food outside, such as this shack that sold coconut milk and would cook fish and bring from her house.  There were no restuarants outside but you could eat a meal cooked in a homestay.

A tuk tuk is easy to find and costs about £4 for about a 2 mile round trip  journey to the market on the beach where fish are brought straight in off the boats and bartered for, it's a noisy, crowded event and doesn't last long before the fish have all been bought, the men jump out in the shallows and run to the shore with the catch in big baskets.

It is chaotic at times when travelling in India, unpredictable, dusty and noisy, internal flights  through  Chennai, Bagdogra, Kolkata can be subject to tedious examination of your paperwork, you can expect a bit of a bun fight to get through airport security as nobody observes queues and many will walk in front of you with a smile! but it's all good natured jostling - the people are incredibly friendly, they all want to take selfies with you and it is perfectly normal to be accompanied wherever you go in the streets by curious people asking all about you, or wanting to help you find your way. 

The pool at our hotel was filled with mineral water, no chlorine so kind to hair and skin and antibacterial.  

Plenty of dogs sunning themselves , they all looked well fed.

 

There is something about India that draws us back, there is still so much to explore. We have made some great friends and I think we will visit again one day .........