It was the 5th day of our trip and we had to start for the last place in our itinerary that was Alleppy. We had thought of leaving Thekkady early so that we could reach Alleppy by 12 pm which was the check in time for the houseboat. But when we woke up, the stunning view of the plantations wet with the morning dew and the ensnaring cool breeze just did not let us leave the place so early. We stood in the balcony for some time enjoying the beautiful morning and wondering how much time God might have taken to create this beautiful state with such diversified beauty.
We started for Alleppy around 9:30 am and reached there around 1pm. The only reason for which we decided to add Alleppy to our itinerary was to experience the houseboat stay. So our travel agent had booked us a houseboat from Lakelands Cruise which is one of the many renowned houseboat operators in Kerala. We completed a few formalities at Lakeland’s office near the boat jetty and then checked in to the house boat. There were many houseboats parked in a row with different accommodation capacities. Since we were only 2, our travel agent had booked a single bedroom deluxe AC houseboat for us. But we saw houseboats with 4 or 5 bedrooms specifically meant for families or groups and even some of them had upper decks and restaurants depending on which luxury standard they fell into (Deluxe, Premium or Super luxury). Our houseboat had an AC bedroom with attached bathroom which was small but clean and well maintained, a kitchen and the deck area having dining table as well as sitting arrangements to relax and enjoy the cruise. We were welcomed with mango drinks and once we got settled, the cruise started adding to my euphoria of floating on a houseboat in the beautiful backwaters. Initially the water was smelly and dirty that turned me sceptical about our decision of staying on the houseboat. But as the boat started moving in the backwaters surrounded by green paddy fields and nature all around, we knew in our hearts that it would be an experience of a lifetime. We were accompanied in the boat by 3 staff members, the cook, the boat driver and an assistant who were very courteous and friendly and they took care of our every need.
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| A beautiful 4 bedroom houseboat |
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| The cruise started |
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| Coconut trees at the edge of the backwater canals |
It was 2 pm by then and the boat anchored for an hour as lunch was ready with many yummy dishes already on the table. It was a typical south Indian lunch with rice, sambar, papad, pineapple raita, beetroot chutney, papad, salad and kheer and the food was very tasty. Once lunch was over, the cruise started again taking us through the backwater canals which are fringed with rice fields, coconut trees as well as resorts and villages. We sat in the bench enjoying the cruise along with the old Hindi movie songs playing in the DVD player. The boat driver was a very genial person who allowed my husband to have a hand on the wheel for some time and he even insisted that we should have a pic in titanic style :). He kept providing us information about the place and its culture with his Malayalam accent Hindi and English as the boat moved on. We came to know from him that for some of the villages on the shore, these waterways are the only means of access with ferries shuttling between the places and transporting people.
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| Another houseboat having a upper deck |
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| A flock of birds |
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| Small boats used by the villagers for carrying goods |
As part of my pre travel research, I had come to know that Vembenad Lake is the largest lake of India and is very beautiful, so I was quite excited to see this lake. But when we entered in to the lake, I could not even recognize it as it was gigantic with very distant shores and looked more like the sea. It was indeed the most enormous lake I had ever seen in my life and sailing on this magnificent lake was a unique experience with large number of houseboats floating all around creating an impression of a floating town. It was evening by then and watching the sunset from the deck of the houseboat floating in the middle of a vast beautiful lake was an experience I will cherish forever. We sat in the deck enjoying the gentle breeze along with the colorful sky of the evening while having the delectable snacks and tea.
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| Houseboats on Vembenad Lake |
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| Our houseboat Daniela |
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| Sunset |
It was 5:30 pm and the cruise time for the day was over, so our boat anchored in a nearby land area along with few other houseboats. The boat staff told us that the house boats do not sail after 5:30 pm as the fishermen put their fishing nets in water and I was quite happy to see how people in this state are so cooperative with each other. We came out of the boat to have a stroll around the area and met some people from the other houseboats, but we could not stay out longer as the mosquitoes started attacking. Yes, the only problem that you would face in a houseboat is lot of mosquitoes biting you and no mosquito repellent coil would be able to help. So I would suggest carrying mosquito repellent creams that could provide you some relief.
Our dinner was ready by 8pm and we had a candle light dinner in the deck area with a big pomfret fry (for my husband though, I do not eat fish) along with some other vegetarian dishes of North Indian style. But there were plenty of bugs hanging around the bulbs which made me a little concerned for some time. It was around 9pm by the time our dinner was finished and we could start the AC now (AC operates from 9pm to 6am) to have a peaceful sleep. But unfortunately the AC had some problem because of which we could not change the temperature level, so we had to finally switch it off. Thankfully it was the beginning of winter and the fan was sufficient to have a nice sleep.
We woke up the next morning to the chirping of birds and a lovely view of the backwaters. As we came out of the room the sight of sparrows circling in that area and small boats of the fishermen moving on the serene backwaters were a treat to the eyes. We had idli, sambar and some fruits in the breakfast and sat in the deck to enjoy the morning cruise. Even though the whole cruise was very exciting, evening and morning were the best part of it which you could enjoy only when you stay in a houseboat overnight. It was 9am when we reached the point from where we had started the previous day and we checked out to proceed for Kochi in order to catch our flight back to Kolkata.
On the way back, we visited Alleppy beach and some places in Kochi such as Fort Kochi and a few churches before moving to the airport. Sitting in the flight I looked outside the window and bid adieu to this wonderful place with a heavy heart, but at the same time I was happy to have spent 6 wonderful days here far away from all the worries. After seeing Kerala I can guarantee that anyone who comes here once will surely come back again attracted by its eternal beauty and I think I am no exception to this ;)
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| Morning view from the houseboat |
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| Fishermen with their boats |
A few tips that might help you…
1. Book your houseboats through some renowned travel agent or if you want to book it on your own, then book it from any well-known houseboat operators. Otherwise you might end up repenting on your decision of staying in a houseboat as some of the houseboat operators lure people by good images which are drastically different from what they actually provide.
2. If you do not wish to stay on the houseboat overnight, then you may go for a 2 to 3 hour ride by renting a houseboat or you may go for a shikara boat ride or lunch ride and you can stay in any of the resorts by the sides of the backwater canals.
3. Some boats stop by the markets at the edge of the backwaters and insist that you shop from the places. It might look tempting, but the prices of items in these markets are far higher than the normal cost of the product. I had read in many of the places that people bought 2 jumbo prawns for 800 RS which is too high than the actual market cost. If you want to have any specific non veg item (Chicken, Mutton, Fish or Prawn), then tell it at their office only before boarding the boat. They will accordingly make arrangements for you.
4. Avoid Alleppy in summer as the weather is quite muggy and AC will be working only from 9pm to 6 am.
5. Carry mosquito repellent cream as there would be lot of mosquitoes which will not let you sit in the deck area after evening. Alternatively, you can also ask at the office for mosquito nets that some of the boats use after evening so that mosquitoes and other bugs do not enter in to the deck area.