Don Curry and the Round Boat

Don Curry has a fondness for unusual modes of transportation. Whether it's a mokoro in Botswana, a very simple dugout canoe that glides silently through the Okavango Delta; or the Tarabitha in Ecuador, a type of open cable car that connects the two sides of a deep Andean valley. Whenever an opportunity arises to use such vehicles, he gladly takes it.

Southern India also has something very special when it comes to means of transportation. Similar developments have only occurred in Ireland, there is nothing like it worldwide. It's called the Coracle, a round boat with a diameter of about 2 meters and an outer wall height of only 30 cm. It somehow resembles a large wok floating on the water. It is a very lightweight construction made of bamboo and reeds, covered with a plastic sheet in modern times - animal skin was used in the past instead.

Don Curry had read that short coracle rides could be booked at the Orange County Resort and had inquired at the reception the evening before. Unfortunately, it was only possible from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the receptionist regretted. Coincidentally, one of the hotel managers was nearby and heard Don Curry's request. He explained that Don Curry could do it of course. He should simply go to the boat dock at Kabini Lake after breakfast.

There he stood, waiting, when suddenly an unusual figure approached: sometimes it looked like a mushroom on legs, sometimes like a turtle walking upright. It was Sundra, one of the 130 employees of the resort, with a coracle on his back. He carefully put it in the water and placed a round seat cushion in the middle for Don Curry, as well as a wooden stool for himself. Just stepping onto the delicately swaying coracle proved to be a bit challenging; as a precaution, Sundra and Don Curry had put on life jackets.

Then Sundra set off with the coracle and his passenger. With powerful strokes of the paddle, he quickly took the boat towards the middle of the lake. In the meantime, he explained some things about using the boat and pointed out some interesting water birds. Don Curry learned that the coracle is both a fishing boat and a transport and ferry boat. Up to 20 locals would use it to travel from one shore to the other, sometimes standing. Just the thought of having to stand in this rickety nutshell horrified Don Curry. The round shape had evolved because the winds and waves of the lake could suddenly change direction at any time, causing a longer boat to capsize more easily.

However, there was one disadvantage to the coracle. Don Curry experienced this for himself when he was supposed to take the paddle himself in the middle of the lake: no matter what he did, the coracle just kept spinning. And the more energetically he thrust the paddle into the water, the faster the rotation became. Luckily, Don Curry is not sensitive in this regard, others would probably have succumbed to a sudden bout of nausea soon. Still, Don Curry was relieved to hand the paddle back to Sundra's skilled hands, who could easily steer the boat back in the right direction. Unfortunately, after 30 minutes, they had to return to the boat dock as the group would leave the resort together at 9:30 a.m. The coracle is definitely not one of Don Curry's favorite boats, but at least he can now join in a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of coracle riding. One never knows...

After a successful landing at the boat dock, the whole group soon set off to reach the opposite side of Kabini Lake on two motorboats. The tour bus had already set off 2 hours ago on bumpy, narrow roads to wait for the group there. At least Don Curry and his companions were spared this 2-hour bus ride. Almost 6 more hours were yet to come.

First, it got really exciting when the road led through Nagarhole National Park. Some members of the group had seen an elephant there during their morning safari yesterday. Now, from the tour bus, you could even see six elephants near the road, including a tiny calf. However, the national park road also had its pitfalls: twice, strong bumps were not marked, so the bus drove over them at normal speed - especially in the rear part of the vehicle, numerous passengers literally flew up to the ceiling, some even sustained minor injuries.

Two hours later, the road offered a breathtaking serpentine descent. After 9 hairpin turns and downright frightening views of the road far below, about 1000 meters of altitude had been overcome, and the temperatures outside the bus had risen significantly. Through lush green agricultural landscapes full of tropical fruit and vegetable plantations, the group approached the coast of the state of Kerala.

To the north of the old port city of Calicut, the hotel was already waiting for the new residents. Although the friendliness of the staff showed genuine effort, the hotel did not measure up to the Orange County Resort in any way. However, it was located almost directly on the beach of the Arabian Sea.

Don Curry and many others from the group took the opportunity for a leisurely stroll on the beach. Many Indian families also enjoyed the beach atmosphere. However, it was striking that no one was swimming in the sea, and that even the beachwear left only the feet bare, but nothing more. The sunset over the sea was quite beautiful, which at least somewhat comforted Don Curry about the loss of paradise.

All in all, Don Curry was not very satisfied with this day. If he had not organized the short experience with the coracle himself, the whole day would have been just one long bus ride. He hoped that the coming days would bring more worth seeing and exciting experiences...