Kuamarakom towards Alleppey

February 4, 2012

Kuamarakom towards Alleppey

In the early morning we watch a maintenance man poling a weathered canoe around the floating bridges and islands in the lagoon, plucking weeds from the water. Wading cranes pay him no mind. Women wearing umbrella hats (hands free!) and knee high rubber boots tend the gardens.  A rooster crows a wake-up call and continues crowing well beyond necessity. 

A dosa grill is set up on the restaurant deck for breakfast. The thin crepe/pancake made with lentil flour is a staple of southern India and is spread with a choice of spicy fillings.

Dosa Grill

Our houseboat adventure begins today. We meet the boat at the jetty with our luggage ready. Our overnight ‘cruise’ will take us from Kumarakom to Alleppey.  These vessels, crafted with coir rope and woven bamboo mats, have a unique appearance.  Their name kettuvallam means tied together. Originally boats like these carried all sorts of goods and people through the 930 miles of waterways in Kerala. When air and ground transportation became more efficient the boats were re-purposed to carry tourists. Our boat has a full kitchen, beds and bath, a dining room and an upper and lower deck. The driver sits on a chair in the prow.  We see some drivers wearing umbrella hats, ours sits nonstop in the sun.

Kerala Houseboats

Our Boat For The Night

Our passage will navigate through man-made canals and crisscross Lake Vembanad, the largest lake in Kerala, which lies at sea level and is separated from the Arabian Sea by a barrier island. In the morning we’ll go ashore in Alleppey.

The lake is placid and the ride is smooth, silent and mesmerizing. We unwind on the upper deck where we are served coconut milk in the shell…straws again. Tasty, but would be heavenly if it were chilled. We’re in no position to grumble. The breeze is gentle, the pace is slow. At times we join a pageant of other houseboats, at other times we are seemingly solitary. We watch the shoreline scenes:  fishermen in canoes, people digging with long poles in the water lilies that choke the water’s edge harvesting (what?), and doing laundry in the lake water.

Coconut Milk

Lesley brings out the cards.  Claire is napping, airing out her belly in the balmy air. We get a gin game underway with timeouts to admire the coconut and banana palms silhouetted against the blue sky and to watch a rice field erupt into a toss of white confetti as cranes startle and settle back into the vegetation. The fields are strung with what looks like tinsel strands presumably to keep birds away. Not working in this case. 

Yoga Baby

Playing Gin

Houses are built close to the banks to make use of the unending water supply and convenient transportation route. A grouping of picture perfect white cottages reminds me of the Ramaswamy’s second home and I wonder if it is nearby.

Lakeside Homes

Lunch is served while we drift at anchor: cabbage and coconut salad, sambar and rice, yogurt curry, vegetables, and apparently to appease the Western palate, fried chicken!

There are many and various vessels using the waterways for commerce. We see an assortment of fishing boats and other small craft carrying cargo. School children are taken to class via boat, and there are water ambulances standing by on this liquid highway.

Lake Traffic

We while away the afternoon appreciating the backwaters of Kerala. Our boat will anchor for the night tied up to terra firma. In fact, there is a ruling that houseboats must be stationary after 6pm. The boat turns into a small waterway clogged from bank to bank with water lilies. We cut a seam through the floating foliage and watch it close up behind us as if we’d never passed. After dinner, (fried fish, cut into thirds of head middle and tail, chicken parts in a rich sauce, gizzard included, daal made from yellow lentils, vegetables, and yogurt), we spot the moon reflecting in the lake.

Sunset in Kerala

Sunset is the signal for Claire and me to retreat inside before the mosquitoes get hungry. Jake and Lesley enjoy a little more evening from the deck.