Keralan Backwaters

 

After breakfast, we said farewell to the hills and began the long drive back down to the lowlands and on to Alleppey (210km). At Alleppey we boarded our private houseboat, and the rest of the afternoon was spent cruising through the peaceful backwaters before mooring up for the night.

 

 

 

The backwaters of Kerala is a labyrinth of shimmering waterways, sandwiched between the inland hills and the Arabian Sea, and we have come here to wind down after a very busy holiday seeing as many of the wonders of India in a months holiday. The pace on board this lovely reed boat slows drastically as we watch the daily life’s of the villagers from the open deck. Along the narrow canals you can see the women washing clothes, pots and pans, their hair. Every picture is full of colour, the greens of the trees and water lilies, and bright pinks, yellows, and blues of the saris. The canals open out into large lakes with open vistas and bright green paddy fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We have three crew members on board our boat, the cook is amazing as is eating the fresh fish straight from the lakes.

 

 

 

 

 The birdlife is also wonderful, plenty to see and the hours in the day just slip away.

 



 Tuesday we disembark at Kumarakom, and the Coconut Lagoon resort. It is a beautiful tranquil place on the backwaters surrounded by lakes. The wooden lodges have private courtyards which house an outside bathroom and shower. Showering under the stars with the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife is an experience we won’t forget for a long time. The lodges are in gardens, our favourite one being the butterfly garden. Our stay here has been a fitting finish to our incredible Indian adventure.



 Tomorrow we drive back to Cochin airport to start our homeward flights. Indian has been so different from everywhere else we have been. It’s vibrant, hectic, calm, and tranquil, the people are friendly and generous, hardworking and laid back. So many variable ways to describe it because it is such a HUGE country. We feel that we only had time to scratch the surface of each region we managed to see, but one thing is for certain we will return to WONDERFUL INDIA.