Shanthitheeram Lakeside Heritage Resort Alappuzha

... this property. <br><br>We were given a tour of the property by the manager including a look at their beautiful hand-made houseboat. The boats were originally used for cargo but hundreds of them have been converted to houseboats for tourists to get into the backwaters. It is built of wood and bamboo, all tied together. No nails are used. They are beautiful.<br><br>We ordered a beer but were told that they didn't have any on hand, but ...

... the AC had been turned on at 8pm, so she was all set. We opted not to use the mosquito net and to just make sure to keep all the doors and windows sealed overnight. We woke up early, ate breakfast onboard, and headed back to the dock after a nice day on the backwaters. <br><br>We would be staying around the town on Monday and started off at a Heritage Tour of Alleppey. We went to the head of the organization's home for a slide show of restorations they ...

... rivers is normal in these parts. 2. Drinking coconut beer and eating with fingers. We stopped at a restaurant somewhere along a medium sized canal. Admittedly there were a few tourists, but it felt v authentic and we had a fantastic fish curry along with all kinds of multicoloured sauces and veg currie type things. But the weird thing was, where was the cutlery? We politely waited for a few minutes for the waiter to correct his ...

... the waterways in a houseboat. They all range in size and quality so it was really pot luck as to what we would get. Thankfully we landed a beautiful boat that was maybe a bit too big for the two of us and we had 3 staff on board, 2 double bedrooms, air conditioning, tv, dvd..... What more could we ask for? Welcomed with fresh coconut water, we sat back and watched the world go by. And what a different world it is. We ...

... of the backwaters immediately around Alleppey. We then crossed a large lake, at this point the sky began to look menacing, could defiantly tell some big storms were building up in the atmosphere as we entered another set of wide river channels. Hopefully may get some thunder and lighting later in the day! After a couple of hours meandering though various channels we moored up for some lunch, the food was great and there was ...

... a half and asked if we were going to go anywhere else. Other boats were stopped along the side, so I guess this was the normal process but I just wish someone had warned me before hand. I was paying to cruise the back waterways, not sit and dock for hours on end. You stop for dinner and anchor for the night at 5pm so really only got 4hrs cruising through the waterways on the first day and about an hour and half the ...

Well hello there. It's lovely to get all these comments about my blog so thank you very much, it is also like having you here with me. That sounds terribly cheesy, but it can be a bit lonely travelling alone even though there are other people to meet; it's nice to have some familiar comments from people I've known for more than 24 hours. Right now I should really be half way across the city booking a train to the next town but I know it will be stressful and annoying so I'm ...

... vocabulary we seem to all agree that HV is not too far. We plead with them, quite shamelessly, to guide us there. We offer to pay them. But money is not the issue, they just seem to be baffled by why anyone would need a guide. One finally agrees, finds her brother and we are off. Several kilometers later, as the sun is setting we arrive back at the clearing known as "the junction". We thank our guides profusely and stumble back to HV. Remember, "Never leave the path." And now ...

... our estimated $90 a day budget although India can definitely be done for less. We met a couple from Canada who were doing it on 1000 rupees a day, which is about 20 dollars US. Not our style for sure, but incredibly it can be done. On the Topic of Food India can provide some of the greatest dining and some of the most tedious. We have had some delicious meals, especially in Delhi at places recommended by Avnish, and some thoroughly bland meals, especially in the South, which is ironic ...

... at the door from first thing in the morning - did we want water, chai, coffee, toilet clean etc etc etc. Nevermind...we stuck it out another night. We did some tourist things and saw a botanical gardens, went to the palace (come back tomorrow it's shut today), went to the palace again (this palace is closed to the public - but you just said...! Shake of the head like the paint mixer again). Had a rickshaw race between ...