It was just too hard to be so close to the Arabian Sea and not see it while we were there! I’d seen so many pictures on the internet of turquoise seas and tropical beaches, I just had to go!
I didn’t ask for much but I did kind of push for an excursion to the ocean before going back to the US… And we got to go the day before we left! It was all arranged that Emmanuval would drive us to Alappuzha. GV lectured me before we left to be very careful and not to go in the water if the water was rough. I’d been swimming in the ocean in Hawaii and am a decent swimmer, but I promised we would be careful. We packed up our beach towels and bathing suits and headed out…
The weather wasn’t ideal but it was monsoon season and it wasn’t exactly cold. But there were glimpses of blue skies on the way…
Right away I noticed signs that the beach was definitely a tourist destination. I think the amusement park rides set up on the boardwalk was the first clue. It looked like something from the 1950’s. Especially when men turned the ferris wheel by hand to load people into the cars…
I guess bungee jumping is a “summer” only activity???
Thankfully camel rides were a year-round attraction!
Imagine our disappointment when we stepped on the beach to be greeted by this…
I guess the water wasn’t really conducive to swimming… Where was the crystal clear and inviting water I had been on my computer screen? This water was actually black. And cold!
And I have to admit I wasn’t super excited about changing into my swimsuit in the bathrooms… Or paying to do so.
So we decided to do what everyone else seemed to be doing. Just walking along the beach and getting the feet wet in the waves.
And since we were first-timers, we took pictures of all the things that everyone else had seen a million times before…
I was glad my skirt was quick-dry!
the coconuts on the beach were the most tropical thing there
A little way down the beach was a park where Emmanuval said they brought the kids to for a day trip every year.
To add to the disappointment, we met up with the camels leaving the beach. I guess camel rides weren’t in the cards either…
This lighthouse seemed a bit too far inland to be of much help…
As did the life guard station…
There were ice cream stands and carts everywhere!
But the most unusual and excited thing we saw at the beach were white people! We hadn’t really thought about it but this was the first time we had seen white people since we left the airport in Cochin! We were so excited, we took pictures! You’d think we were Indian or something the way we stared at them… LOL
We also had Emmanuval take a few pictures of us at the Indian Ocean…
Then we had to hurry back for the big closing program that night!
Surprising to find an ice store!
Fisherman lined the roads selling their day’s catch…
For the first time in our trip, we got pulled over by a police officer. But they didn’t pull up behind us, they just motioned for Emmanuval to pull over from the side of the road. Turns out he wasn’t getting a speeding ticket. It was just a random license and registration check. Which still begs the question if there are any traffic rules in India??? LOL
