Alleppy

The South, or at least where we are, is very pleasant. Mostly clean, with a fraction of the litter experienced up north. People very helpful and generally pleasent. Climate around 22-32°C depending on the time of day. (It gets a whole lot hotter later in the year)
This is spice land, and travelling on the  morning bus, with open windows one can smell spices, flowers, and the sea air. It is also pleasently cool.

Caught a tuk tuk to the bus stop, a local bus to Cherhala, another to Alapuza, and finally a tuk tuk to the 'Funky Art Beach House'. About 60 km in all. Took us about 2 hours. Total cost 278 rupees, 180 of which were tuk tuk costs. By taxi approx 2500.

Booked the beach house the day before; internet has changed the face of independent travel, easy peasy. However, you never know till you get there.
Great location, clean beach on one side, start of inland waterways on the other.
But place is not called 'Funky Beach House' for nothing. Can be party mode till the wee hours. The polar opposite of quiet retreat.
Needless to say, to quote Yvonne, 'every problem has a solution'. In this case a quiet retreat a couple of km up the coast with its own private beach. A new build by the owners of the Funky Beach House. A tad more expensive, but breakfast thrown in.
Mike really happy as they have cold beer as well.

Here for 2 nights and then a houseboat for a day or so. Bit like a canal trip, stopping here and there, sleeping on the boat.

So after Tiffin (Gobi aloo, pakora, nan) a cold beer and water, time for a nap before a walk along the beach at sunset, and then dinner, another beer or two, then bed, because...

Up early for a canoe trip along the narrower waterways which are off limits to larger boats.

Leave you with some pictures: on the bus, our accommodation, view from the bedroom window, first beer, relaxing on the hammock, sunset, fishing with throwing net.