'Ben's Holidays' or 'The Backwaters Treatment for Grumpiness'

Though it's hard to recall in hindsight, looking back at my notes, it looks like the relaxing weekend in Kerala got off to a rough start. There was a lot of traffic coming in to Cochin from the airport, and it was nearly 2 hours before we reached the hotel. I tried to keep my spirits up by counting signs for jewelry stores and contemplating the delightful script of Malayalam, the local language.

But before I arrived the hotel, I was complaining to my notebook that our driver was 'technically speaking, the worst driver we have had. He seems to deliberately play chicken with trucks and larger cars.' My irritation was not offset by the stimulating conversation: 'and his English was somewhere between incomprehensible and non-existent,' I recorded.

The next morning, I awoke a little before 8:30 to a phone call letting us know breakfast was ready. Though I was delighted that the call was punctual, when we got downstairs I quickly realized I had misinterpreted the word 'ready' and it was actually going to be a while before we ate.

Now, some people believe that moods are altered by outside circumstances, and some believe that your mood is a choice you can make. I, through careful experimentation, have determined that one's mood is actually a result of how much caffeine one has in one's bloodstream. So when the tea arrived a mere 20 minutes later, I was able to regain some semblance of humor and good cheer.

After a drive through the beautiful Keralan countryside, we arrived at the boat to coconut juice and friendly staff. By the time the boat had pulled away from the dock, I had achieved Nirvana, a spiritual state an Indian prince first discovered centuries ago in which good mood transcends worldly caffeination.

For the rest of the weekend, we took photos, read our books and ate delicious South Indian food as we made our way slowly down the backwater canals. I even spotted a boat named after my weekend (photo link to come soon)!

Saturday night, I went fishing with a bamboo rod that the staff found for me onboard, and caught what could possibly be a freshwater relative of the Great White Shark (photo link coming soon)! Worried that I was putting this rare species at risk, I returned it to the deep, and instead feasted on the lobster provided by the crew.

On Sunday, our boat returned and we hopped in the taxi for our return to the airport. Thoroughly relaxed, I was unfazed as we careened in and out of traffic, avoiding head-on collisions by inches, and I cheerfully agreed with whatever our driver was saying. When our plane was delayed, and the tea at the airport restaurant was slow to arrive, I smiled and welcomed it as an opportunity to relax and finish my book...