Our next stop was Alleppey, the starting point for
cruises on the famed Kerala backwaters: a network of peaceful waterways,
bordered by palm trees and the occasional isolated village. We had splurged a bit on a
24-hour cruise on a houseboat. We'd heard mixed reviews about the quality and
cleanliness of these boats, but we needn't have worried; it was a palace, and
really far too big for just two people, with a spacious living area, kitchen,
bedroom and one of the nicest bathrooms I'd seen so far in India! We had our
own driver and personal chef to look after us.
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| The houseboats set off for the day |
It was mesmerizingly beautiful and serene on the
backwaters. We glided past villagers washing their clothes and saucepans in the
water, children running or cycling along the river bank, men paddling along in
small boats laden with coconuts, and bright green rice paddies. The
only sounds were birdsong, the gentle hum of the motor and the occasional
distant chatter of the villagers. I honestly couldn't have felt any less
stressed!
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| A thin island of Palm trees |
After several hours of just watching the world go by, we
relaxed with our books. Every now and then the silence would be broken by one
of us letting out a very contented sigh!
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| Becky catching up with some reading... or has she dozed off?! |
At lunch time we stopped in a beautiful spot to enjoy a
delicious meal prepared by our personal chef, and in the afternoon he made us
tea and banana fritters!
The golden hour around sunset was simply incredible here.
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| Everything is tinged with gold as the sun sets.... |
That evening we moored up at the end of a small village,
and with an hour to go before dinner, we hopped ashore for an evening stroll.
We were immediately greeted by a couple of young boys asking if we had any
pens. Fortunately my Mum had prepared me for this, by giving me a bag full of
old pens and pencils which had been sitting in a drawer in our hallway since
time began. It was lovely to see how delighted they were by this simple, crap
old pen which had probably come free with some junk mail or been picked up in a hotel room. Word quickly spread and soon people were running down the path towards us to
ask for pens... and not just children, but old ladies too! Soon we had a trail
of people following us, and it wasn't long before all of the pens were gone.
After another delicious meal and (you've guessed it) a
Kingfisher or three, we headed to bed and let the gentle rocking of the boat
ease us off to sleep.
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| The last light of day... |
The next morning we had time for a couple more hours on
the water before returning to Alleppey where we reluctantly disembarked!
A really beautiful and incredibly relaxing treat!
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| Early morning river ferry taking people to school and work |
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