A Backwater Cruise

We left Cardamom County Hotel and travelled back downhill towards the coast to Alleppey. This is the centre where the houseboats set out from. On the way we had long discussions with our driver about arranged marriages (he agrees with them and says there are less divorces with arranged marriages), alcohol (he drinks a little but not at home or he gets a lecture from his mum. 95 per cent of women don't drink at all but there were long queues of men outside the government alcohol stores. Drinking and drunk driving rules and penalties seem much the same as in UK. We stopped to see the beginnings of a Hindu festival where two elephanta had been delivered and got pictures taken with them and their mahout. We also saw children on their day off collecting plastic rubbish to sell. These schemes make a difference to the landscape.

At Alleppey we found our houseboat for our overnight stay. These are converted rice barges which no longer ply the canals with goods but carry tourists instead. Ours had two bedrooms with en suite and air conditioning. There was a kitchen and a large deck set out for sitting and dining. Normally they have a crew of three but we had the boat to ourselves and just two crew, introduced as captain and cook. After leaving the berth we set off along the waterways before a stop for lunch. Not surprisingly the canals were built during the Dutch occupation and they go between the fields of rice, which are below the water level and behind dykes.

There were hundreds of boats but the area is so vast and they are relatively quiet so it was very peaceful gliding along watching people going about their daily lives in the little houses built on the dykes and looking for the birds including bee-eaters, heron, egrets and terns.

This is a very relaxing way to travel, not much noise, many photo opportunities round every corner and food provided at regular intervals. We had earlier bought quite expensive tiger prawns at a market stall and these were later prepared for supper. Lunch was a substantial meal of rice, various vegetables, poppadums and lake fish. Later fried and battered plantain were a snack and our supper was more rice, the prawns, chicken and more fruit.

People along the beach provided some excellent photo opportunities. Some were washing pots, moving around in wooden canoes, climbing trees to collect toddy, the local drink, swimming or washing their hair. Everywhere there was the sound of slap, slap as washing was pounded on a rock. Beautiful little churches appeared at regular intervals, Catholic beside Orthodox and in the evening the call to prayer from the mosque. Some homes were very simple, others beautiful brightly coloured bungalows with walls round them. No one seemed in a great hurry, just getting on with the necessities of life. Many Indians were on the rice barges having a day out. Shijo had earlier told us that Sunday was mainly a day of rest when people would go to church or temple, have a meal with family, go to the shopping mall or have a day out.

When we docked for the night we had a little walk along the riverbank, getting a look at the houses on the bank and seeing the sunset behind the palm trees. We were amused to see a novel toothbrush holder. A string had been tied round a tree and the toothbrushes wrere stuck into the string.

It was a very warm night and on deck we watched little lizards eating insects, not all of them unfortunately. As usual the mosquitoes have struck Norma but antihistamines and creams are working well. Our bed was comfortable and we were plugged into electricity on the bank so had air conditioning. All was very peaceful.