Party Boats on the Backwaters

On our journey through southern Kerala, we did many of the classic things:  went to the southern tip of the subcontinent, walked on the beaches of Kovalum, ate fish at a beach restaurant, had a massage (only one of us), cruised the backwaters of Kerala, visited a spice farm, a tea plantation, trekked for a short time, gathered (and fed) leeches, and saw wildlife.  We had a great time.

Our second stop (cruising the backwaters) lasted only one day, long enough for Liz but I could have used another day of chilling out.  For the uninitiated, a houseboat on the backwaters, is a rice barge, with a cabin covering the entire 15 of so metres of the boat.  They are powered by a small diesel engine, which goes putt-putt-putt.  They now have generators, wide screen TVs, sound systems, and A/C in the bedrooms, with hot water (at least in the sink).

A backwaters houseboat

We set out  from a dock near Alappuzha (Alleppey) cruising on a fresh water lake covered with floating islands of vegetation.  In many ways the backwaters are similar in scope with the many sounds inside of the outer banks of North Carolina, with the exception that they are fresh water due to the vast amount of water flowing from the Western Ghats. and only one narrow outlet to the Arabian Sea at Kochi.  The backwaters are shallow, and there are many raised canals feeding water into adjacent padi fields.  On the banks of the canals are  small villages, each with its own ferry docks.  Public transit is a ferry service (small covered boats).  We even passed a small political gathering on one of the docks, whether Congress Party of India, or the local communist party, I don't know which, but they rotate through government as our Republican and Democratic parties do.

Backwaters mass transit

Houses on the canal bank

After about an hour, we pulled up to the canal bank, and the crew of three prepared our lunch: rice, chapati, vegetables, and fried fish.  This was followed by fresh fruit.  After an hour or so we were underway.

Lunch is served

We cruised across the lake and pulled into a small village, with a thriving market.  Out stop was to choose our dinner.  The choices were seer fish, some fresh water fish and tiger prawns.  Four of these monsters weighed in at 750 grams.  We also purchased some hard candies to calm our throats.  Liz had a cold and had used an entire box of tissues in one day.  We re-boarded our houseboat, handed over our "catch of the day" and were off.

Our dinner

I was unprepared for what happened next.  As we cruised down a "grand canal" we began passing heavily laden, and populated single sex party boats.  These large houseboats had 20 to 30 young people "partying".  All I had to do was raise my camera and the noise got louder as the young men danced for our "enjoyment".  Two days later, I read in The Hindu, about a party boat which had burned to the waterline due to a short circuit in the engine room.  I recalled that all over our boat were fire extinguishers, so I guess the problem is not uncommon.

A small party

A local fisherman

Houseboats are not allowed to cruise after sundown.  At night the local fishermen take over, polling their longboats across the lakes and canals, with nets adrift.  The economy of the backwaters change at night.  We tied up along the bank and got off to wander.  We notice a boat 100 metres up the canal and set off to explore.  We encounter a Scottish retired couple who were spending 5 days on the backwaters.  We saw a storm brewing and turned go back.  A member of the crew was right behind us to make sure we did not get lost.  The storm got closer and closer, rain and wind caused the crew to lower curtains around the dining area to keep the water out.  A candle in a glass shrouded lamp was placed on the table.  Dinner was served.  I would have purchased a bottle to Karnataka grown wine, but the liquor stores in Kerala were a mob scene.  The driver indicated the wait would have been an hour or more.  He promised to take me to one later on our journey, but we both forgot.  We had already adjusted to life on the lake, and by 9 pm we were in our bed listening to the rolls of thunder and the sounds of rain.

Fishermen at dusk

Morning came early,  We had breakfast and cast off by 8 am.  We cruised by a lot of tied up houseboats, unseen the night before.  An hour later we pulled into 54r5hthe docks at the small village of  Kumarakon.  In a conversation with a previous guide, we learned this town had only 12 small shops and no real eateries.  We would be confined to the menu at our hotel, Abad Whispering Palms.  Located about 3 km from Kumarakon, on the banks of the backwaters (we had seen the hotel as cruising past).  A very nice room, Internet, swimming pool, gardens, local newspapers, and an uninteresting menu.  We were to see the same menu again in Kumily, but at least here they would take ala carte orders, rather than forcing us to eat a non-descript buffet (toned down to western tastes).

Our crew and houseboat

After lunch, and a nap we decided to wander down the road.  We passed many a "resort" hotel entrance from the road, but could not see the buildings.  At least the building are all one level and do not intrude architecturally, but their dominance does limit access to the lake shore.  We passed several B&B's, a local church (Kerala is 1/3 Christian (Catholic, Protestant, and Syrian Orthodox)), a mosque but no Hindu temples.  Life was abundant with children playing in the front yards of attractive bungalows, flower gardens, women chatting, and small businesses selling their wares.  The narrow road was traversed by tuk-tuks, buses, and dump trucks.  The next day the buses disappeared as the private bus services were on strike for higher fares.

A view of the pool at the Whispering Palms

Street scene

A child

Our driver was ready at 9 am, and off we were to the Western Ghats.