Backwaters and Beaches

Happy Holidays!!
I don't mean to boast, but I've been spending the last week either sleeping on a train, lazying on a house boat, or sunbathing on a beach. ;)
After leaving Chennai, Sai, Sundeep, and I went to Kerala to spend a day in its backwaters. Kerala is also known as God's Country. We rented a house boat for a whole day. Seriously, this thing had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bathrooms were nicer than some of the hotels we've been staying in! The three of us and our three person crew floated along the canals and lagoons. There were always small houses tucked into the palm trees, precariously built on narrow man-made strips of land. The strips enclosed rice paddies that went on forever. The locals rely on ferries and canoes to get around. Just imagine having to get to school or the market in a canoe! The day we spent on the boat was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle and crowds of India. The scenery was beautiful; however, the signs of human contanimation were hard to ignore. This is something that has somewhat marred my impressions of India. The country truely is beautiful and elegant with its cities, temples, and natural wonders. But you have to be able to look past the garbage, waste, and stinky sewers. I think the in-your-face poverty would be easier to bear if India's waste management system were more effective and its people more aware. Then again...there are over one billion people here! I don't imagine it to be easy to change that many people's mindsets about environmental concerns when they're fighting just to feed themselves.
Sai and I spent Christmas eve and Christmas hanging out on the beach. Erase that picture of pristine secluded beach out of your mind. The beaches here are packed with food/drink shacks made of palm leaves and bamboo. Beach recliners and umbrellas take over the sand. On Christmas eve, the beach was lit up with partiers, diners, and revelers. Fireworks were launched only 100 meters away from where we were sitting. The dancing lights, candles, fireworks all on a backdrop of a full moon was pretty darn magical. Oh and the sand!! The softest sand my toes have ever felt!