Alleppey

Venice of the East

The spectacular beauty of Alleppey’s backwaters needs no introduction. Many opine that a quiet sojourn along the backwaters is a retreat that will rejuvenate you to the core. The lush green vegetation and the backwaters of Kerala together create a spectacular visual imagery for you to draw inspiration from nature itself.
Also known as the ‘Venice of the East’, Alleppey offers unparalleled natural beauty. Floating down the backwaters, a kaleidoscope of Kerala’s culture flashes before your eyes… You bask in the shade of a canopied houseboat gliding down the river; the murmur of the waters lulls your senses into peaceful submission; you surrender to the beauty of the moment and the haunting lilt of the boatman’s song… This is the backwater experience, a soothing houseboat cruise over 1900 km of palm-fringed canals, rivers and lakes along the Kerala coast. Indian and international tourists alike are marveled at nature’s treasures found in Alleppey. The reason why Alleppey is such a popular spot among travellers is because it is dotted with hundreds of lakes and lagoons. Being close to the Arabian Sea, Alleppey not only enjoys a maritime climate but also has its fair share of beaches, and hence the colorful boat races.
When in Alleppey, a noted piece of interest for tourists is the houseboat, locally called as Kettuvallam, meaning a boat made by tying together pieces of wood. Unbelievable as it may sound, not a single nail is used in the making of a Kettuvallam. Jack wood planks are joined together with coir rope and then coated with black resin made from boiled cashew nut shells. The materials that go into the making, such as the bamboo poles, coconut fiber ropes, bamboo mats, coir carpets etc., are all local and ecofriendly. In the early times, these traditional country boats were used as the mode of transport from the isolated interior villages to the towns. Just because it is a boat, does not mean that it is deprived of all the modern amenities. Today houseboats can boast of facilities like furnished and air-conditioned rooms, entertainment facilities and what not. In the lap of nature, a quiet and rhythmic toll on the houseboats is the perfect way to ease away the stress. Traditional lanterns are used as lights.
As the boat moves along the narrow canals of the backwaters and through the villages, you will find that this is a completely unique ecosystem. There are no roads here. No traffic jams. The only routes of transport are the canals. Each family has its own boat. Children go to school in boats. Some families have boats that can accommodate 2 to 3 kids, so that all children can go to school together. The women go to the market on their boats. So, outside each house (which is usually on a small island), you find one or two boats tied at the entrance.
As the kaleidoscope shifts, the picture changes from dense foliage to drenched paddy fields, from quiet farms to bustling villages, from churches to temples and mosques. You sail by settlements where people live on a few meters of reclaimed land with their livestock, cattle, and little gardens. They eke a living by fishing, paddy farming, making coir, and boat building. They sail to work on their own boats and canoes. Here and there, you will come across drop-nets and Chinese fishing nets, open barges being loaded with coir, copra and cashew, floating markets of tiny canoes selling fresh green coconuts, flocks of ducks paddling happily ahead of your boat, and parakeets screeching and fluttering up to the sky. One can also witness lots of kids in uniforms rowing to school. There are several private ferry operators ferrying people. Like bus stops and railway stations, here, there are several jetties. When a steamer or a large ferry crosses, there is an alert and hence all the small individual boats (in which the kids g to school and women go to shop) stop. The small boats stop as the large ferry causes huge waves, and these could topple the small boats. When the ferry is gone, a whistle is blown again, at which the kids start rowing. You also find fish vendors, vegetable vendors, and a whole lot of other people trying to sell their stuff in their boats. In the evening the houseboats are anchored in the middle of the Vembanad Lake. This lake is huge…every side you look you stare at a vast expanse of water. It seems this lake meets the sea on one side.