Sunday, October 25, 2009
Our Services -Now I have it all and we're going eco.
Eco -eatery.
I had this space at the back of the house which was lying unused. It's now turned it into a garden restaurant for my in house guests. We do bbq's here daily from 7.00 p.m. on and I am getting a wonderful response from it. I have also put in a new smart t.v. there on which I can play 3D movies using playstation3. My guests are mostly amazed 'cause nobody who have been here so far have seen 3D on t.v. Just like on my eco houseboat I make sure that the food we serve is plentiful, and non-spicy. My tables are pretty unusual too. And if I may say so myself, very creative. Visit us to find out what's so creative about it. And order a meal while you're at it:-( It's also become the lounge area and is connected to my old bamboo cottage which has now become the internet and wi-fi hub. As well as the bathroom for the restaurant. And how is it eco? Well I just put in an order yesterday for a bio-gas plant which will convert all food waste to cooking gas. Cool or what? Of course the lights are soon going to be solar too.
Yoga/Kalari
I got into yoga and kalari (kerala martial arts) couple of years back and was pretty happy about it. And since quite a few of our guests were into yoga, I asked my yoga/Kalari teacher to give lessons for my guests at home for rs.200/- per class. And it's going good.
Cooking class
Everyone in Fort Kochi guesthouses are doing it and hey, if they can do it, so can I. i have an excellent lady cook who speaks some english and I charge rs.200/- per person per class for it. All the money goes to my cook, so it keeps her happy. And when the cook is happy, we are happy.Everyone is happy when the cook is happy. Secret to a happy household - keep you r cook happy, never mind the wife:-(
Electric Moped
Ok, so it's our 10th year aniversary celebrations and since i have been bloggin about climate change and how the world should be going eco and all that - well, what better way than to set an example. As a lot of eco scientists say, there's money in going eco. So, I bought myself an electric scooter - the eco-bike I call it. It gives me only 50 kilometers at one go before a 6 hour re-charge, but that's cool. And importantly, I can and am renting it out to my guests for Rs.250/- a day. It's got a speed limit of 25 k's. Which means you do not need a helmet or a license to ride it. That's great for the tourists who do not have to put on helmets and do not need a license. So I put my money where my mouth is - i walk the talk or should I say, I ride the talk.
Internet and wi-fi
Finally I bought a computer and have installed wi-fi in the restaurant. Wi-fi is kinda rare in Alleppey. So my guests are pretty thrilled that I can give them this facility at my place.
Orchids
My orchid garden suffered a setback recently when I inadvertantly sprayed pesticide on them mistakently. Quite a few died off. But I have now replaced it with new ones.
Washing machine
Another of my X'mas splurges, is this new smart washing machine which cost me plenty. There's a lot of tourists who want to have their clothes washed, and then complain later about stains or whatever. I plan on giving them use of the washing machine at Rs.100/-. However much they can wash at one go. My staff will instruct them on the use of the machine, but the guests do their own washing. And buy their own washing powder and stuff. So no complaints and no extra work for my staff.
Feb 19 2012
20/04/2012 And now, my proudest eco achievement after my houseboat. I have installed solar lights in all guest rooms at my homestay. Cool or what? www.alleppeykeralahomestays.com
Friday, February 13, 2009
Ten Years - The Highlights
It's been 10 years that I started Johnson's in Alleppey, Kerala, India. As in every business there are always some moments/memories that one treasures or are unforgettable for a variety of reasons. I will share some of them with you on this blog.
1- Early Years
I remember standing at the boat jetty and bus stand waiting for tourists to arrive so that I could hustle them into staying at my guesthouse. This was really the pits, as I had just finished up with my music shop and party DJ career in Kochi and was something of a celebrity then. But, to start any new business, you have to start from the bottom up and that's exactly where I began. One big advantage I had those days was my English. No one in the tourism business in Alleppey could speak good English. And so I did better than most other touts or guides at that time. There was this couple sometime in that first season who comes to mind. I managed to convince them to come to my place. I put them on a tuk tuk from the bus or boat terminus and waited for other tourists to arrive. When I got back home, the couple met me and asked me what I was doing there. When I said I owned the house, they couldn't believe it!
2- Randy
One of our first guests, I believe it was in the first or second week, was this extrovert 50 something American male nurse named Randy. Randy loved talking, and over dinner one evening the conversation turned to Euthanasia. Remember Jack Kevorkian, he was in the news those days. This was on the 3rd or 4th day that Randy was staying with us and we had become friends, kind of. But, I was stunned and horrified when Randy opened up said he had administered euthanasia to two of his patients. Man, I had a murderer in the house!
3- Basil Gabriel
And there was this other American, Basil Gabriel, also 50 something who came to stay one night and ended up staying 3 consecutive months. Still the record as the longest staying guest at Johnson's or The Nest as we were known then. He loved Alleppey and I think he stayed a bit longer than he would have, especially as the monsoon set in- because in those early days I was not well off, and he was simply helping us by staying. Basil was an India addict and visited us two or 3 times more over the next couple of seasons. Basil Gabriel never left India. He died of a heart attack somewhere in Rajasthan. Dear sweet Basil. Will never be forgotten.
4- Lonely Planet
One day, in only our second season a friend received a call from a guest who said they wanted to stay with us because we were in the Lonely Planet. I did not believe him. At that time I wasn't even sure I wanted to continue on in the business. A week later a couple turns up and showed me the new Lonely Planet and yes, we were in it. I was stunned- in only our second season? We haven't looked back since.
5- Worst guests ever
French couple from hell- One of the guides who worked for me in those early years brought in this French couple. We had only two rooms then and both of them were full. These were the days when mobile phones were not that common as it is now. Anyway, I gave them a room in my neighbour's house (after due apologies), but they were furious. The neighbour called after some time saying the couple were creating a scene at her place. I went over to check it out and found the guy in the street walking about like a lunatic. I confronted him and told him to cool off- nicely. The couple was on dope or something and tried to throw a tantrum. I finally told him to bugger off, when the crazy nutter drew a knife on me! It was a small pen knife and I laughed in his face. When he found he couldn't scare me, he withdrew muttering. I asked them to vacate the premises. Finally, they left.
Bearded James- Much more recently, think it was last season, this English gentleman calls to book a double room. Right from the time he entered the house, the guy started complaining. I wasn't there, but over the phone told him if he did not want to stay I would be happy to find a tuk tuk for him to move somewhere else. The man and his girlfriend stayed. Next day they took my houseboat, with few others. He came back, stayed in the same room again and then came to have a talk with me about how poor the facilities were. This man was complaining all the time and went on about how he got freebies every other place he had stayed in.I said it was not on in my place. The guy was obviously trying to get me to give him freebies or discounts and did not like it that I wouldn't budge. He left bitchin' and then left a long and nasty review on Tripadvisor which had a lot of half truths and outright lies. The French couple was eccentric, but even with the knife out, I did not feel any real threat. James was quite the most disgusting person who stayed with us.
Single female traveller syndrome-
Single female travellers, especially the older ones are sometimes a bother. A significant number travel alone maybe 'cause they do not have a boyfriend or have come off a bad relationship and is travelling to India for the 'spiritual fix'. Let me be clear, this is not a generalization. But I find that quite a few of them are troublesome. They are not happy and try to make others less happy. And these days it is not just the single females, even the ones coming 2 or 3 together are beginning to be unpleasant tourists. I think they get away with bad behaviour at other places and try to capitalize on their femininity in unfair ways. Not in my place. Thank you. Once again, this is not every female traveller or every group of female travellers that I am complaining about. We have had some wonderful ladies staying with us. Coup;e of them are listed in the 'Best ever' category.
6- Best guests ever
Johnson- Rob Johnson. Rob (English) came first in the fall of 2003 or 4. He came because of my homestead's name (a nice name, right?). He's been coming in every fall since except this season. I look forward to his visits. He's now a good friend. It's great to have someone come back. Different from the here today, houseboat tomorrow guests I usually have.
Peetu and Letty-
The monsoon usually brings in budget travellers who are not too happy with the weather. But, this unforgettable Spanish couple walks in one rainy night with this huge smile on their faces. They were young, cheerful, happy and made us happy. They left even happier too as it was World Cup Soccer time and they left with their smiles even broader as Spain won the semifinals the day before they left. Michael and his girlfriend- Aussies- who visited us in our first year. And then came back again in our tenth- had my original card with them. I wasn't sure I recognized them at first but over their visit it started coming back to me. Nice, very nice, that they came back after all these years. Olivia & Sammy - Cool gals- Single female travellers, I am including Olivia here in this 'best of' list especially now after a couple of nasty tripadvisor reviews which mentioned this blog. Well, Olivia also read this blog, came in to have a pow wow with me and my friends, had a good laugh with me about what she thought of the blog- the single white traveller part, of course. She stayed with us one weekend, came back the next weekend, had a rollicking night with a few beers thrown in, and then took my ecohouseboat with another single lady traveller. Olivia also left a tripadvisor review. Check it out. Sammy came in with a group of volunteers, came back without them after a week, and stayed 3 or 4 nights, very friendly girl. Recommended lots of guests to me. e
The majority of our guests are fortunately nice people and 99% are happy to stay here. I wish I could name all of my special guests but space will not allow it. However, some who do come to mind are John Roberts, Maya, Tristan, Derek Taylor, Gregory Walker, Armelle and not to forget, the Irish, my fave nationality......................
7- Music
Gregory Walker - Famous American violinist contacted me about a musical journey /documentary - (Song of the Untouchables) he was planning to do in Kerala. I arranged almost his entire 2 week stay in Kerala including 3 days on the Eco houseboat. One night was at a flutist friend's place in Kochi where he jammed with Ashka and his band mates playing Indo jazz rock. Then this unforgettable session with a Dj that I arranged where Gregory played along with the Dj. That was the most amazing violin playing I have heard in my life. It was an excellent violin itself, an electric one and didn't Greg know how to play it. Amazing. Brilliant violinist, wonderful persona.
8- Building my houseboat
Not just a highlight of my 10 years in the tourism business, this was one the highlights of my life. I finally created something that I visualized, conceptualized, designed and had built. And the result, the most successful and popular houseboat in Kerala. I get most of my recommendations because of this eco houseboat .
9- The night we partied
I am a former DJ and still like my music. And there's quite a few occasions when travellers turn up with a guitar and a song. A few beers and it's party time. One such session had Paul - a Canadian guitarist singer, who led the group of guests into one long vibrant music session. Paul started singing and strumming, this French lady took it up, and she could sing well. There was this Italian bloke who was shy initially. Few beers and some cool vibes later, my man opened up and belted out some on the spot made up blues. What a voice. What a night it turned out to be. Real special. Chris and Emma, who took my boat the next day was there and immortalized that night in their blog which is still present on the net waves.
10-Eco houseboat- One of 3 in the Rough Guide
I was pretty thrilled when the guesthouse got listed in the Lonely Planet. The next best thing was when my houseboat was only one of 3 that's listed in the last Rough Guides edition. That was a special moment too as I work pretty hard on giving my guests the best possible houseboat experience. Yes, it was well deserved. The French guide book- Guide du Routard, the Footprint guide book also has my boat listed. But Lonely planet spoils it a bit by saying my boat is overpriced.
Yes, it's been a great 10 years. Was it worth it? Yes, financially, of course. I was down and out when I started this new business. So it's helped me make a fresh start in life. And most of all - and this is important - I enjoy it. It is sometimes stressful in peak season when there are guests walking in at midnight or even later. But, it's worse when I do not have any in the off season (June). Fortunately, the off season seems to be shortening every passing year. And my business seems to increasing every year. Only exception to that was the year the Tsunami struck. And then last season, although we did the numbers pretty well, the tourists budgets have lessened on account of the recession.
Thank you.
https://www.johnsonskerala.com
26/3/2012 28/11/2012 This article seems to be ruffling a few feathers. Some really nasty reviews on tripadvsior are coming in with this blog being mentioned. Some guests openly tell me that they feel uncomfortable with the 'worst tourists ever' part, and a few female travellers are not taking kindly to the 'single female traveller' part. Everything in here is the truth. It is not over dramatized, exaggerated or contains outright lies & half truths, unlike the tripadvisor comments that mentioned this blog and some of the other nastier revfiews about us.. One of the reasons I keep it in the guest rooms is to let our guests know that we've been there, and done that. If it's taken in the wrong context, well, I got to take it on the chin, if it's taken for what it is ( and I will leave it to the guest to decide what it is :-), hey, come on down and let's have a chat and a beer:-) Johnson Gilbert http://www.johnsonskerala.com
1- Early Years
I remember standing at the boat jetty and bus stand waiting for tourists to arrive so that I could hustle them into staying at my guesthouse. This was really the pits, as I had just finished up with my music shop and party DJ career in Kochi and was something of a celebrity then. But, to start any new business, you have to start from the bottom up and that's exactly where I began. One big advantage I had those days was my English. No one in the tourism business in Alleppey could speak good English. And so I did better than most other touts or guides at that time. There was this couple sometime in that first season who comes to mind. I managed to convince them to come to my place. I put them on a tuk tuk from the bus or boat terminus and waited for other tourists to arrive. When I got back home, the couple met me and asked me what I was doing there. When I said I owned the house, they couldn't believe it!
2- Randy
One of our first guests, I believe it was in the first or second week, was this extrovert 50 something American male nurse named Randy. Randy loved talking, and over dinner one evening the conversation turned to Euthanasia. Remember Jack Kevorkian, he was in the news those days. This was on the 3rd or 4th day that Randy was staying with us and we had become friends, kind of. But, I was stunned and horrified when Randy opened up said he had administered euthanasia to two of his patients. Man, I had a murderer in the house!
3- Basil Gabriel
And there was this other American, Basil Gabriel, also 50 something who came to stay one night and ended up staying 3 consecutive months. Still the record as the longest staying guest at Johnson's or The Nest as we were known then. He loved Alleppey and I think he stayed a bit longer than he would have, especially as the monsoon set in- because in those early days I was not well off, and he was simply helping us by staying. Basil was an India addict and visited us two or 3 times more over the next couple of seasons. Basil Gabriel never left India. He died of a heart attack somewhere in Rajasthan. Dear sweet Basil. Will never be forgotten.
4- Lonely Planet
One day, in only our second season a friend received a call from a guest who said they wanted to stay with us because we were in the Lonely Planet. I did not believe him. At that time I wasn't even sure I wanted to continue on in the business. A week later a couple turns up and showed me the new Lonely Planet and yes, we were in it. I was stunned- in only our second season? We haven't looked back since.
5- Worst guests ever
French couple from hell- One of the guides who worked for me in those early years brought in this French couple. We had only two rooms then and both of them were full. These were the days when mobile phones were not that common as it is now. Anyway, I gave them a room in my neighbour's house (after due apologies), but they were furious. The neighbour called after some time saying the couple were creating a scene at her place. I went over to check it out and found the guy in the street walking about like a lunatic. I confronted him and told him to cool off- nicely. The couple was on dope or something and tried to throw a tantrum. I finally told him to bugger off, when the crazy nutter drew a knife on me! It was a small pen knife and I laughed in his face. When he found he couldn't scare me, he withdrew muttering. I asked them to vacate the premises. Finally, they left.
Bearded James- Much more recently, think it was last season, this English gentleman calls to book a double room. Right from the time he entered the house, the guy started complaining. I wasn't there, but over the phone told him if he did not want to stay I would be happy to find a tuk tuk for him to move somewhere else. The man and his girlfriend stayed. Next day they took my houseboat, with few others. He came back, stayed in the same room again and then came to have a talk with me about how poor the facilities were. This man was complaining all the time and went on about how he got freebies every other place he had stayed in.I said it was not on in my place. The guy was obviously trying to get me to give him freebies or discounts and did not like it that I wouldn't budge. He left bitchin' and then left a long and nasty review on Tripadvisor which had a lot of half truths and outright lies. The French couple was eccentric, but even with the knife out, I did not feel any real threat. James was quite the most disgusting person who stayed with us.
Single female traveller syndrome-
Single female travellers, especially the older ones are sometimes a bother. A significant number travel alone maybe 'cause they do not have a boyfriend or have come off a bad relationship and is travelling to India for the 'spiritual fix'. Let me be clear, this is not a generalization. But I find that quite a few of them are troublesome. They are not happy and try to make others less happy. And these days it is not just the single females, even the ones coming 2 or 3 together are beginning to be unpleasant tourists. I think they get away with bad behaviour at other places and try to capitalize on their femininity in unfair ways. Not in my place. Thank you. Once again, this is not every female traveller or every group of female travellers that I am complaining about. We have had some wonderful ladies staying with us. Coup;e of them are listed in the 'Best ever' category.
6- Best guests ever
Johnson- Rob Johnson. Rob (English) came first in the fall of 2003 or 4. He came because of my homestead's name (a nice name, right?). He's been coming in every fall since except this season. I look forward to his visits. He's now a good friend. It's great to have someone come back. Different from the here today, houseboat tomorrow guests I usually have.
Peetu and Letty-
The monsoon usually brings in budget travellers who are not too happy with the weather. But, this unforgettable Spanish couple walks in one rainy night with this huge smile on their faces. They were young, cheerful, happy and made us happy. They left even happier too as it was World Cup Soccer time and they left with their smiles even broader as Spain won the semifinals the day before they left. Michael and his girlfriend- Aussies- who visited us in our first year. And then came back again in our tenth- had my original card with them. I wasn't sure I recognized them at first but over their visit it started coming back to me. Nice, very nice, that they came back after all these years. Olivia & Sammy - Cool gals- Single female travellers, I am including Olivia here in this 'best of' list especially now after a couple of nasty tripadvisor reviews which mentioned this blog. Well, Olivia also read this blog, came in to have a pow wow with me and my friends, had a good laugh with me about what she thought of the blog- the single white traveller part, of course. She stayed with us one weekend, came back the next weekend, had a rollicking night with a few beers thrown in, and then took my ecohouseboat with another single lady traveller. Olivia also left a tripadvisor review. Check it out. Sammy came in with a group of volunteers, came back without them after a week, and stayed 3 or 4 nights, very friendly girl. Recommended lots of guests to me. e
The majority of our guests are fortunately nice people and 99% are happy to stay here. I wish I could name all of my special guests but space will not allow it. However, some who do come to mind are John Roberts, Maya, Tristan, Derek Taylor, Gregory Walker, Armelle and not to forget, the Irish, my fave nationality......................
7- Music
Gregory Walker - Famous American violinist contacted me about a musical journey /documentary - (Song of the Untouchables) he was planning to do in Kerala. I arranged almost his entire 2 week stay in Kerala including 3 days on the Eco houseboat. One night was at a flutist friend's place in Kochi where he jammed with Ashka and his band mates playing Indo jazz rock. Then this unforgettable session with a Dj that I arranged where Gregory played along with the Dj. That was the most amazing violin playing I have heard in my life. It was an excellent violin itself, an electric one and didn't Greg know how to play it. Amazing. Brilliant violinist, wonderful persona.
8- Building my houseboat
Not just a highlight of my 10 years in the tourism business, this was one the highlights of my life. I finally created something that I visualized, conceptualized, designed and had built. And the result, the most successful and popular houseboat in Kerala. I get most of my recommendations because of this eco houseboat .
9- The night we partied
I am a former DJ and still like my music. And there's quite a few occasions when travellers turn up with a guitar and a song. A few beers and it's party time. One such session had Paul - a Canadian guitarist singer, who led the group of guests into one long vibrant music session. Paul started singing and strumming, this French lady took it up, and she could sing well. There was this Italian bloke who was shy initially. Few beers and some cool vibes later, my man opened up and belted out some on the spot made up blues. What a voice. What a night it turned out to be. Real special. Chris and Emma, who took my boat the next day was there and immortalized that night in their blog which is still present on the net waves.
10-Eco houseboat- One of 3 in the Rough Guide
I was pretty thrilled when the guesthouse got listed in the Lonely Planet. The next best thing was when my houseboat was only one of 3 that's listed in the last Rough Guides edition. That was a special moment too as I work pretty hard on giving my guests the best possible houseboat experience. Yes, it was well deserved. The French guide book- Guide du Routard, the Footprint guide book also has my boat listed. But Lonely planet spoils it a bit by saying my boat is overpriced.
Yes, it's been a great 10 years. Was it worth it? Yes, financially, of course. I was down and out when I started this new business. So it's helped me make a fresh start in life. And most of all - and this is important - I enjoy it. It is sometimes stressful in peak season when there are guests walking in at midnight or even later. But, it's worse when I do not have any in the off season (June). Fortunately, the off season seems to be shortening every passing year. And my business seems to increasing every year. Only exception to that was the year the Tsunami struck. And then last season, although we did the numbers pretty well, the tourists budgets have lessened on account of the recession.
Thank you.
https://www.johnsonskerala.com
26/3/2012 28/11/2012 This article seems to be ruffling a few feathers. Some really nasty reviews on tripadvsior are coming in with this blog being mentioned. Some guests openly tell me that they feel uncomfortable with the 'worst tourists ever' part, and a few female travellers are not taking kindly to the 'single female traveller' part. Everything in here is the truth. It is not over dramatized, exaggerated or contains outright lies & half truths, unlike the tripadvisor comments that mentioned this blog and some of the other nastier revfiews about us.. One of the reasons I keep it in the guest rooms is to let our guests know that we've been there, and done that. If it's taken in the wrong context, well, I got to take it on the chin, if it's taken for what it is ( and I will leave it to the guest to decide what it is :-), hey, come on down and let's have a chat and a beer:-) Johnson Gilbert http://www.johnsonskerala.com
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