A Journey in Southwest India: Part 2 - Kerala Backwaters

From Varkala we are drawn to Alapphuza. Here we have rented a traditional boat with which we want to cruise for about 20 hours in the Kerala backwaters. This boat trip has been on our most wanted list since we saw photos of it in a coffee table book about the south of India.

Kerala Backwaters is a unique water network that connects more than 70 rivers and lakes. They provide a home for a diverse flora and fauna, as we had experienced by kayak the day before.

The trip from Varkala to our boat landing place a little behind Allapuzha takes 3.5 hours. On the way we buy wine, beer and toilet paper and print out the supposedly necessary registration forms - which no one asks for later.

Finally arriving at the boat, we meet the crew. A captain, a machine operator and a cook will be at our service the next 20 hours. The boat itself is made of bamboo and aanjiils wood. It is woven and supposedly no nail is needed to stabilize it. Dark wood dominates the furniture and overall look.

After an iced coconut we set sail. The rooms are quickly set and we let the wind blow around our noses on the comfortable cushions. Soon we have lunch. A variety of Indian delicacies is served for us, we do not manage to eat it all. When we have already stretched out on the cushions for a nap, dessert is served: Noodles in sweet, spiced milk. We're stuffed, but that still goes in 😅.

We doze a bit and only to wake up when our ride slows down. Shortly thereafter, we dock in a canal. Here, we change to a smaller boat with which we drive through small canals. Along it there are many houses surrounded by rice fields. So the river water here is not only used to catch fish, but also to meet the immense water needs of the rice plants.

In the village we buy some Tiger Prawns and Coke, then we get back on the boat and drive into the sunset. We enjoy wine and beer and are soon served baked plantains. They taste delicious, sweet and savory at the same time.

Again and again our boat ships through dense clouds of smoke. We quickly determine the cause: the rice fields here were recently harvested and are now being burned.
 
It is almost dark when we land in the middle of nowhere. We see a few rice fields, the house of a farmer, otherwise we are completely alone.

Dinner is served on freshly cut banana leaves. Although we have been dozy all day, we go to bed early. The rooms are furnished in colonial style and fortunately also equipped with air conditioning. I sleep excellently, Martin, Bine and Markus are a little disturbed by the hum of the machines and do not find rest quite so fast.

The next morning we leave at 8:00 AM. For breakfast we have toast with jam and Kerala Puttu. The latter consists of steamed rice and coconut and is served with a curry of chickpeas.

Shortly after that we dock again. We organize a cab via Ola (cab service) and after our captain has talked to the driver on the phone, someone comes to pick us up. We now drive one hour to our next destination Kochi.