Don Curry is being decelerated

Don Curry generally has an increased speed, be it when walking, drinking, or traveling. He always tries to see and experience as much as possible in a short amount of time. And that only works if he approaches his life in turbo mode. This by no means implies superficiality or rushing through sights, rather a quick comprehension of the special and unique aspects of a targeted destination. Don Curry knows what is truly important to him and approaches it with focus.

As a member of a group, this approach to travel naturally becomes somewhat difficult. Even Don Curry has to adapt and accept the circumstances, such as the early breakfast at 6:30 am or the early departure time of the bus at 7:30 am. He also has to accept an almost endless bus ride of around 5 hours, only interrupted by a short stop at a kiosk where Don Curry was even able to buy a cookbook about Kerala specialties in German.

The goal of the long journey was the Backwaters, the rivers, lakes, and canals that form a more than 90 km long waterway network in the hinterland of the sea coast. Near the city of Alappuzha, there was a large, typical houseboat ready to accommodate the entire group. These boats resemble Chinese rice barges, usually have two decks, and have curved roofs made of rice straw.

The boat slowly set off and slowly moved through the waterways of the Backwaters. There wasn't much to do: look, see, gaze, spot, observe, visually capture, admire, and sometimes even take a close look. It was a cozy journey, right in the midst of the everyday life of the inhabitants of this amphibious area. Fetching water, bathing, washing, doing the dishes - everything happens in the rivers and canals. The riverbanks are sidewalks where shops, temples, mosques, and churches are located. Countless large and small houseboats are on the move, as well as motorboats, rowing boats, and canoes. Sometimes, the waterways can be as bustling as downtown Delhi, but much more leisurely.

The peaceful gliding and the many atmospheric scenes of everyday life naturally inspired the urge to capture and photograph. And the kitchen crew in their small galley ensured that the refreshment and nourishment of the part-time cruisers were abundantly provided for with a surprisingly diverse lunch buffet. If observing in slow motion should burn a lot of calories, then they were more than regained, otherwise, a weighty problem arose...

Towards the end of this four-hour landscape meditation, Don Curry felt so relaxed that he would have preferred to stay on board. In fact, the houseboat had two rooms with double beds - with 35 people voluntarily staying on board, it would have become somewhat cramped or very, very cozy.

Unfortunately, this option was not available, so after the long bus ride to the boat and the long boat ride back to the bus, another long bus ride to the hotel was on the agenda. Balaram, the guide, tried as usual to provide distraction with stories of tragic personal events within his family, but everyone was too relaxed to spare any attention for it.

Eventually, Balaram also noticed the state of those entrusted to him and graciously allowed a peaceful remaining journey to the hotel in Thodupuzha. The Orange County Resort certainly couldn't compete with any hotel, but this hotel couldn't even compete with any of the previous accommodations. It was also too small, so a part of the group - including Don Curry - had to switch to the even simpler neighboring hotel.

Don Curry didn't mind. He had become so decelerated that he even showed up for dinner 30 minutes early, although not the only one. The drink selection in the hotel restaurant turned out to be perfect for indecisive people: either water or two sticky-sweet types of soft drinks - nothing more. Don Curry didn't mind that either. Deeply relaxed, all he longed for now was a very slow sleep.