Photo Essay: 72 Hour Recharge – India Style

Step 1: Unplug
From the easily-negotiated Kochi (previously Cochin) airport, your driver will take you south to the Kerala backwaters where your houseboat awaits. Your boat is a Kettuvallam—a “boat with knots” –staffed by a captain, engine driver, and excellent cook It is a traditional slow-moving rice barge constructed of jack-wood held together by knots of coir (coconut shell fiber), but modernized with an air-conditioned, solar-lit bedroom with bath and a covered open-air dining and lounging area. Stash your luggage in the bedroom. Don’t even think about getting out your laptop. In fact, your phone, kindle, and iPod can all stay stowed for the time being. It’s time to just sit - or stretch out - and watch the world go by. You are surrounded by local village life, including churches, rice paddies, and the inevitable cow or two, as you make your way through the canals. If you’re lucky, a local fisherman will approach the side of your boat selling fresh prawns to accompany your dinner. Banana fritters will magically appear as an afternoon snack providing a prelude to the magical sunset you’re about to experience. After anchoring at 5 pm, request a beer and watch the kingfishers and local fishermen take in their catch before your lantern-lit dinner and the quiet solitude of the evening.
Step 2: Rejuvenate
The next morning, after a peaceful breakfast and gentle canal ride, you will enter a busier Vembanad Lake. As your boat approaches the dock of 18-acre Kumarakom Lake Resort, staff await to greet you. The resort is only a couple of years old – a modern contrast to your houseboat, but equally tranquil. Today your (tough) assignment is to rejuvenate. Consider a stroll around the beautifully landscaped pond and island, perhaps choosing a spot for some quiet meditation. Indulge in one of the many spa services, anything from Ayurveda to 'Dead sea water treatment'. Lounge by the elephant-themed pool, realizing that even though accessible, your email can easily wait another day. Top the day off with a drink on your veranda as you enjoy another spectacular sunset, then a dinner of Keralite seafood at one of the resort’s restaurants.
Step 3: Reconnect
It’s time for a gentle reintroduction to city life. Your driver will pick you up and now take you into the old port city of Kochi, still commonly referred to as Cochin. Settle into the Malabar Guest House. Ask that they arrange a sunset boat cruise for you, with dinner afterwards on their guest house patio. In the meantime, take a stroll down to the waterfront to watch the impressive Chinese fishing nets in action, or maybe wander up through the spice market. You’ll see evidence of Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonialism. For example, at the sixteenth-century St. Francis Church and you’ll find the burial grounds of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama who died here in 1524 . A Jewish Synagogue built in 1568 emphasizes the long melting-pot history of the city. If you’re ready for it, take in a local museum or some souvenir shopping. But it’s fine to just sit on the veranda and watch the soccer game in the neighboring park. By morning you’ll be ready again for travel at a faster pace, a return to the world of work, or the sensory intensity of more urban India.