So right up to Kerala, teachings intensified.  We refined our teaching techniques, became more and more confident in ourselves, and as such were watched much less by the staff! We had a couple days where we double taught (went to two schools in the same day) and a few teachings that lasted up to 5 hours. So, by the time mid-July rolled around, team IAPA was more than excited for a quick break to paradise.

And let me tell you, that is exactly what Kerala is. Kerala is located in southwestern India and it is about a 10-hour overnight train-ride from Chennai. It is famous for its beaches, its back waters, a native dance known as kathakali and for its spices. Also for its incorporation of coconut and plantains into the native diet!

The first day we arrived in a place known as Allepy. From here we were bussed to two houseboats where we would be staying on for the night. Really quickly, let me tell you about our bus. For whatever reason, it decided to have both a Mercedes logo on it as well as a Toyota symbol on all the wheels. Not to mention there were a couple places inside that randomly decided to leak, so if you fell asleep and forgot to avoid the leaky spots, you woke up with a soaked back. Regardless, it was charming. Now I thought the houseboats were going to be pretty commonplace—nothing too fancy, just the bare minimum to tour the backwaters of Kerala and get a decent nights sleep. Not the case at all. Our houseboats were AMAZING. Both were two stories (I have no idea if the use of “story” is appropriate boat terminology) and had speaker system, couches, a dance floor area, a viewing deck, sweet little bedrooms with individual bathrooms. Ah, it was gorgeous!

There’s really not too much to say about this day…we all vegged out—stared out at the backwaters, hung out with each other, played hearts, danced, ate, hung out some more. A couple people were brave enough to swim from boat to boat. I would have loved to, but I heard that there were snakes in the water and that about killed any sort of fun I could have had swimming! There was also a point that we got caught in a legitimate storm for about four hours! It was awesome! None of this wimply Arizona rain and dust storms that we are used to. No way, it was legit!

The next day we left for Trivandrum—about four hours away from Allepy. When we finally arrived at our resort (we managed to get lost a few times) all of us were hungry and exhausted. But as soon as we saw where we were staying, we all kind of forgot about our condition. Our resort, Manaltheeram, was RIGHT on the beach. And it was absolutely gorgeous. Words can’t fully explain how amazing our view was, so I’m going to go ahead and post a ton of pictures.

We also went on a brief sight-seeing tour that consisted of a palace, a temple, and a zoo. The temple architecture was beautiful and I, surprising, liked the zoo a lot! I’m not the biggest fan of animals, not because I hate them, but because they scare me, and I actually really really loved this zoo. We saw hippos, giraffes, tigers, lions, rhinos, jaugar! It was pretty damn cool.

Overall Kerala taugh me a few things:

1. Hammocks are amazing.

About ten hours of my trip was spent just in a hammock. They’re great for having one-on-one’s with people, reading, thinking, people watching, and staring our at the ocean, which coincidentally the hotel lights for you until around 9pm. This abrupt switching off of lights brings about remarks such as the following “Hey! They turned the ocean off!” -James

2. The Kerala Beach might have been trying to kill us.

Day 1: The beach washed up dead fish.

Day 2: The beach washed up jelly fish.

Day 3: The beach washed up a pufferfish.

James very shrewdly pointed out that each day the beach became a little bit more dangerous. We concluded, the beach was trying to kill us.

3. Don’t climb on moss-covered rocks in flip-flops.

I guess that’s general knowlege, but I’m just sharing what I learned first-hand. Wish we had video…

4. IAPA has me whipped.

One morning on the beach, a group of us drew out how we teach immunology in the sand.

5. I wouldn’t mind waking up to the sound of the ocean for the rest of my life.

For me, waking up is the absolute worst part of the day. It’s always, always traumatic. But hey, waking up with the ocean in your ear is kind of relaxing! I prefer it. Kerala, maybe I’ll see you in a couple decades! Or you know, California, because it’s closer and more practical.