People go to Kumarakum for a few reasons:
1. To pick up a converted rice barge also known as houseboat to drive around the lake on
2. To see the setting for Arundhati Roy's booker prize winning novel The God of Small Things
3. To watch the birds.
We couldn't afford a houseboat and Chris hasn't read The God of Small Things so birds it was. Early in the morning we headed to the bird sanctuary (which does run alongside Arundhati's old gaff in a former rubber plantation) for a spot of twitching.
Our guide was brilliant pointing out giant fruit bats settling down for the day, night heron's tucking their beaks under their wings. Baby black turtles shuffling into the water like a couple of black pebbles, Darter birds darting, rare thrushes that prefer walking to flying, walking and so on. We saw all manner of kingfisher, egret and heron not to mention kites and eagles. There were butterflys, dragonflys, wild pineapples and rubber sap oozing from the trees looking just like rubber. Chris was not quite so enthralled as he was still feeling ill. Every time the guide pointed out something new Chris could just about muster a nod and a 'yep, its a bird'.
Later that day sat having a Kingfisher beer and a sandwich while looking over the lake we saw a real kingfisher dive from the tree into the lake and swoop off with his catch.
Back at the homestay new guests had arrived, three elderly ndian men. We said hello and made polite conversation and later they came over again. "Do you drink liquor?" We supposed we did and found ourselves in their shared room drinking whiskey and water and discussing Indian's new anti-corruption bill and the relative merits of north or south India.
1. To pick up a converted rice barge also known as houseboat to drive around the lake on
2. To see the setting for Arundhati Roy's booker prize winning novel The God of Small Things
3. To watch the birds.
We couldn't afford a houseboat and Chris hasn't read The God of Small Things so birds it was. Early in the morning we headed to the bird sanctuary (which does run alongside Arundhati's old gaff in a former rubber plantation) for a spot of twitching.
Our guide was brilliant pointing out giant fruit bats settling down for the day, night heron's tucking their beaks under their wings. Baby black turtles shuffling into the water like a couple of black pebbles, Darter birds darting, rare thrushes that prefer walking to flying, walking and so on. We saw all manner of kingfisher, egret and heron not to mention kites and eagles. There were butterflys, dragonflys, wild pineapples and rubber sap oozing from the trees looking just like rubber. Chris was not quite so enthralled as he was still feeling ill. Every time the guide pointed out something new Chris could just about muster a nod and a 'yep, its a bird'.
Later that day sat having a Kingfisher beer and a sandwich while looking over the lake we saw a real kingfisher dive from the tree into the lake and swoop off with his catch.
Back at the homestay new guests had arrived, three elderly ndian men. We said hello and made polite conversation and later they came over again. "Do you drink liquor?" We supposed we did and found ourselves in their shared room drinking whiskey and water and discussing Indian's new anti-corruption bill and the relative merits of north or south India.
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