After finding our spots in the boat, we were launched by our valakaren, Sabu, who was younger than Thampi, tall, handsome and muscular without a scrap of chub to be seen on him. After watching his poling technique and realizing that this is something he does for many hours a day, no explanation for his fat-to-muscle ratio was necessary. We started off in a lagoon like area, bordered with water hyacinth and a species of water lily that had a delicate fluffy white flower about the size of a fifty-cent piece.
Soon we were funneled into one of the narrow channels, which was about three times as wide as the boat. There were points at which it was necessary for us to duck our heads to pass under an overhanging branch, or lean forward so as not to be scratched on the back or side by the “screw pineapple”.
As you can see from the photos, Thampi was a bean-pole of a man, with a charming smile. When he addressed the larger group as we gathered around him on shore, he began each talk with “Sir!” thus getting our attention whether we were sirs or not. He was very animated, using hand gestures to point out details we would otherwise have missed.
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