Hi

Kerala is sometimes called the “Venice of Asia”. This is due to its vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals, an aerial view of which resembles our bizilla lace. The “backwaters” represent a unique geological formation but, equally interestingly, they are home to a people with a very distinct lifestyle.

Jinu was a musician and travel agent we had met on our way to Verkala. He had promised us a good deal if we were interested in doing the backwaters. So leaving behind the village of rain and decorated elephants, our next stop was to be the village of Alappuzha in Kerala.

In fact, Alappuzha was not much of an attraction itself. But it is the people that made the place so special. We met Jinu and his friends who jammed all night and got everybody singing with the help of some Rum! We laughed so hard we didn’t realise just how hard it was raining outside, until the thunder joined our encores!

The morning after, we decided to explore the backwaters. We opted for a 24-hour barge, which seemed to be quite an affordable option. I was imagining we’d get some kind of a Huckleberry Fin raft with a bamboo hut. But the kettuvallam was actually a converted traditional rice barge, covered with bamboo and palm trees, which housed a combined kitchen, dining and living room, a porch and 3 bedrooms all with private bathroom! It came complete with a chef, a butler and a captain! Food and drinks were on the house and abundant. From noon today until noon tomorrow, we would be the king and queen on our floating castle.

The captain showed us around the barge and asked me to give him the go-ahead whenever we desired to start our journey. I got used to this role very quickly! I requested that a mattress from the extra bedrooms be brought out on deck so we could lie comfortably while we sailed the calm waters of the canals. Then Diana and I took over the wheel and sailed until it was time for lunch. Meanwhile the smell of the Keralan style food emerging from the barge was delicious and I joked that the backwaters of my mouth were flooding! We anchored in the middle of a big lake separating us from a busy hive of activity on land.

In the distance we could see the blue sky turning black and white and a wall of pouring water heading our way! We ate until we were about to explode and postponed the desert, asking for it to be served with tea on deck. The rainy clouds soon reached us and we had tea under the bamboo canopy on our thrones watching the drops as they rippled over the flat surface of the lake. Small fish occasionally jumped out of the waters, some of them landing with a splash, others with a snap in the mouths of the colourful birds. When the rain washed the greying clouds away, and the blue was already visible on the horizon, we proceeded with our journey.

Take Care,

Dery