Two men, one on the bow and one on the stern, punted the rice barge houseboat with long bamboo poles in the shallow waters. Moving at a walking pace, we cruised through public canals in between flooded fields next to small farmhouses. The birds were especially diverse due to fresh water in the rice paddies after the monsoon season clearing out salt water. The ubiquitous paddybird, heron-like with white wings, contrasted against the deep green of the floating hyacinth. The white-breasted kingfisher with an iridescent blue and brown back fished from the coconut palms while a brahminy kite, like a smaller bald eagle, soared above. Rice is grown for six months and the other half of the year is for prawn farming. For meals, the men served fried fish and tiny prawns coated with hot Kerala spices. A coconut gravy over potatoes and a cabbage-like vegetable dish also prepared with local spices was accompanied by rice and chapatis. Fresh pineapple for dessert. We slept under mosquito nets in the hot, still night, Dan and I on the bow.
