Day 31 – Amrithapuri to Kollam
Bye bye Ashram…hello “Sleepy backwater town”
28.01.2012 - 29.01.2012
33 °C
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We spent the morning people watching around the Ashram as our ferry wasn’t due to arrive until 3:30 pm. Unfortunately we overslept and so were spared the delight of breakfast; although I had high hopes that if porridge was on the menu and the same cook and ladle were used we would be in for a better meal that the previous night!
On reviewing the lunch option we decided to once again frequent the café run by volunteers doing Seva, hence the food was so cheap because the labour was free. After the long wait for pizza last night I decided to opt for a toasted cheese sandwich, martin had a veggie burger and we shared a large plate of chips. We also had 2 pepsi’s and two home-made ginger oat cakes… what a feast and all for 150R (about £2) and the food was delicious. We went to our room and cleaned it (as stated in the rules) returned our bedding (as stated in the rules) and checked out on time (…yep as stated in the rules) we then returned over the gaudy bridge to the jetty where we sat and reviewed our time at the Ashram…we decided it had been interesting!
On getting back onto the ferry we continued our journey, with a short Chai stop, during which time we decided to stay on the ferry so there was no worry about taking too long, and arrived at Kollam a mere 3 hours later. Disembarking off the ferry the tourist information office was opposite. We went in and martin told them our budget was “as little as possible”. “Ahh” smiled the man, as he raised his hand behind his head and pointed right. Another couple were heading in the same direction so we followed them up the road and then took the first right as the man’s arm movements had clearly illustrated. Our first impression of Kollan was not great, it was another hectic Indian tow, dirty and littered. A few large roads (3 lanes wide) dissect the centre with lots of street traders manning the pathways. We arrived at a very interesting row of offices / shops with dilapidated floors above. The girl from the couple said the rooms on the 4th floor were supposed to be “not that bad” and “it was very cheap, very cheap”. It was worth a look. We walked up 4 flights of stairs that wound around the lift / lift shaft. I wondered why we weren’t using this, until on entering our room there was a power cut…I was then very pleased we had taken the stairs and not the lift which we would have now been probably stuck in! The lights came back on again a few seconds later and the room wasn’t too bad.
We secured the bags and went out in search of food and to determine if our first impressions of the “sleepy town” had been too hasty and unjustified. Returning a couple of hours later suitably fed on fish curry, charged 99 R for 2 pepsi’s which should have cost 40 and having to take our life into our hands twice to cross two roads in the town which rivalled the M6 at rush hour we were sure we had not been too quick to judge, lonely planet must have been on a different planet whilst writing the chapter on Kerala and we would be leaving first thing in the morning! The only saving grace: the hotel room we thought was 400R per night was in fact 250R that’s about £3 bargain!
Posted by Jolley-Jarvis 30.01.2012 06:38 Archived in India
