We have not quite cracked the sleeping through the might thing yet but we are definitely more rested this morning. The breakfast crew are almost ready when we arrive, a few minutes after opening time, and do a passable masala omelette. A little spooked by the contradictory info gleaned yesterday we decide to go to the boat jetty early. Check out is painless and we get an auto at the first attempt.
At the jetty we are met by yesterday's tout who ushers us on to 'his' boat. A cursory examination establishes that there is not an alternative. He tells us that the price is Rs 500. Bandit. We are first on board and after loading our bags and parking R to reserve seats D heads off for water and bananas. The latter take a bit of finding but are procured. The boat is starting to fill up. Nearly everybody is European, unlike yesterday, when everybody on the train appeared to be local. Close to departure time a group of men appeared, shouting slogans. According to one source they were the crew of the Government ferry, currently on strike.
We get underway about 15 minutes late. The route runs via a series of lakes and inlets that are connected by canals, the whole running parallel to the coastline and in a couple of places only separated from the sea by a line of sand dunes and the beach. We have done some backwater cruising previously ( see Radinja3) and have an idea of what to expect. We are not prepared for how much rubbish is floating about in some of the canals at the southern end of the ride. On the plus side there is lots to look at, not least the countless Brahminy Kites wheeling in the sky and showing off their vivid chestnut colouring.
After a couple of hours a lunch halt is announced and we pull up at a rather unpromising looking shack. Neither of us is up for lunch so we have a brief stroll to sate our appetites. Back under way the scenery is much the same but there are fewer kites and more cormorants. At about the half way point we cross with the Government boat heading south at high speed and shortly afterwards arrive at a very decrepit set of lock gates. The upper gates are laboriously closed behind us and then even more laboriously the lower gates opened in front. At a generous estimate all of the labour and time consumed achieved a 15 inch drop in level.
By now we are well over six hours into a scheduled eight hour voyage on wooden slatted benches and morale is a little low. Even the bird watcher is complaining of a numb bum. A stop for a chai break is welcome and a thinning of the crowd opens up the opportunity for some door riding. Spirits are raised by sightings of various kingfishers and bee-eaters, mostly on wires over the water. It is starting to get dark and our driver has to be alert for houseboats sailing without lights. We arrive almost an hour late and manage to get briefly lost on the short walk to our digs. A couple of local set us right and we are delighted to make it to the Venice Castle Homestay.
Thomas is an excellent host and the place makes an immediate good impression, simple but clean and comfortable. This is the cheapest room that we have booked for our trip at £15 for B&B but looks like it deserves its good ratings on TripAdvisor. Our room comes complete with a small resident gecko. We have a quick sluice and head out to the Royale Park for supper. We enjoyed the food here on our last visit and we are ready for some refreshment. The dreaded licensing clamp down has not reached here yet so we enjoy a couple of Kingfishers with our Chilly Fish, Chicken with Mushrooms and Cashews and Veg Biriyani. A feast!
At the jetty we are met by yesterday's tout who ushers us on to 'his' boat. A cursory examination establishes that there is not an alternative. He tells us that the price is Rs 500. Bandit. We are first on board and after loading our bags and parking R to reserve seats D heads off for water and bananas. The latter take a bit of finding but are procured. The boat is starting to fill up. Nearly everybody is European, unlike yesterday, when everybody on the train appeared to be local. Close to departure time a group of men appeared, shouting slogans. According to one source they were the crew of the Government ferry, currently on strike.
We get underway about 15 minutes late. The route runs via a series of lakes and inlets that are connected by canals, the whole running parallel to the coastline and in a couple of places only separated from the sea by a line of sand dunes and the beach. We have done some backwater cruising previously ( see Radinja3) and have an idea of what to expect. We are not prepared for how much rubbish is floating about in some of the canals at the southern end of the ride. On the plus side there is lots to look at, not least the countless Brahminy Kites wheeling in the sky and showing off their vivid chestnut colouring.
After a couple of hours a lunch halt is announced and we pull up at a rather unpromising looking shack. Neither of us is up for lunch so we have a brief stroll to sate our appetites. Back under way the scenery is much the same but there are fewer kites and more cormorants. At about the half way point we cross with the Government boat heading south at high speed and shortly afterwards arrive at a very decrepit set of lock gates. The upper gates are laboriously closed behind us and then even more laboriously the lower gates opened in front. At a generous estimate all of the labour and time consumed achieved a 15 inch drop in level.
By now we are well over six hours into a scheduled eight hour voyage on wooden slatted benches and morale is a little low. Even the bird watcher is complaining of a numb bum. A stop for a chai break is welcome and a thinning of the crowd opens up the opportunity for some door riding. Spirits are raised by sightings of various kingfishers and bee-eaters, mostly on wires over the water. It is starting to get dark and our driver has to be alert for houseboats sailing without lights. We arrive almost an hour late and manage to get briefly lost on the short walk to our digs. A couple of local set us right and we are delighted to make it to the Venice Castle Homestay.
Thomas is an excellent host and the place makes an immediate good impression, simple but clean and comfortable. This is the cheapest room that we have booked for our trip at £15 for B&B but looks like it deserves its good ratings on TripAdvisor. Our room comes complete with a small resident gecko. We have a quick sluice and head out to the Royale Park for supper. We enjoyed the food here on our last visit and we are ready for some refreshment. The dreaded licensing clamp down has not reached here yet so we enjoy a couple of Kingfishers with our Chilly Fish, Chicken with Mushrooms and Cashews and Veg Biriyani. A feast!
A stroll back to the Venice Castle in the balmy night air rounds off our day.
Ah yes, the "numb bum on wooden seats for hours" syndrome. I always carry a Mountain Equipment Co-op inflatable Sport Seat. About $20 in Canada. Highly recommended. Turns a 3rd class sear into a 2nd class seat instantly.
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