Cruising the Backwaters

Trip Start Jan 01, 2009
1
24
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Trip End Jun 30, 2009


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Flag of India  , Kerala,
Friday, April 17, 2009

Lonely Planet lists this as one of the 'Top 10 Things To Do Before You Die' so who are we to argue? Of course, some time in the past the houseboats were authentic converted rice barges (kettavallam) and there were just a smattering of travelers discovering this opportunity. Alas, as with all good things, something that is this picturesque inevitably looses some of its originality when instead of being the only houseboat cruising slowly along meandering waterways amongst rice paddies, coconut groves and bucolic villages there are 10 - all heading the same way. To be sure, it was still a wonderful experience and we would highly recommend anyone visiting Kerala include this in their itinerary. But go soon and if possible, not in high season. We were in low season and the numbers of other boats sharing the waterways was not intrusive (it was even fun, waving at the mostly Indian families passing in their boats), but I can imagine from the number of boats back at the dock that if even 1/2 of them were out it would be a Disney ride. Now, there are apparently 900 km of waterway so you'd think there would be room to find a quiet corner, but as most boats leave Alleppey in the late morning and spend 1 night out before returning by 9 am the next morning there is only a certain amount of territory they can cover. Given the above, I'd place this more on my 'Top 100 things to do before you die' list - which is still pretty damn good.
We left at about 11:00 with a bevy of other boats, but soon there were just a few in sight, either ahead of us or passing us in the opposite direction, and sometimes we were the only boat in sight. Our boat had an upper deck and I would advise anyone booking a boat to ensure you have this as it allowed us to have lounge space all to ourselves (otherwise you relax in the dining area on the lower deck with the captain steering the boat in front of you). The boat, like most these days are actually not converted rice barges but are purpose built houseboats designed like the old ones. They do a pretty good job too. The boats are huge - ours had a dining area, 2 bedrooms with en suite, and a kitchen with crew quarters (3 crew) in the rear. We immediately settled down on the upper deck, relieved by the bit of breeze (it must have been about 38 degrees) and, cameras in hand watched the scenery drift by. Given the popularity of these cruises, village life along the waterways seemed to be surprisingly unspoiled. Daily life revolves around the water - bathing, washing dishes, laundry, children swimming, traditional canoes transporting people and goods, fishing. Many of the villages are perched on narrow stretches of land between the dikes and rice paddies and the only means of getting from A to B is walking on a dirt path part of the way and getting into a canoe or ferry for the remainder of the journey.
There is something captivating yet voyeuristic about being privy to peoples daily lives in this way - we discreetly took some (OK, many) photos and a few times when we weren't so discrete, people even stopped and waved and smiled for the camera. I've read that in the backwaters of Fort Kochi there are signs posted "No Photos" and I can totally understand this. I suppose that soon enough, the people here will get tired of the passing boats and post similar signs. In the meantime, most seem neutral or at least tolerant to the photo taking. A fisherman pulled up beside the boat at one point and we bought fresh prawns from him to complement our dinner. I should say that the cook served up some lovely Keralan food for our 3 meals.
We spent one day and night on the boat and for us this was enjoyable but enough. Now off to a terrifying taxi ride to Varkala.
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Comments

pandadownunder
pandadownunder on Apr 22, 2009 at 08:14AM

enjoying your blog
am rather nervous that i will miss this blog when you go home..could u kindly extend your travel for a few more months !

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