OUR DREAM JOURNEY
House boat cruise at the famed backwaters of Alleppey
                                                                                                           
We would like to narrate to you the details of a fascinating journey, which we were fortunate enough to take up during our recent visit to Kerala.
It was indeed a dream come true for us when I heard that we were planning to go on a house boat trip at Alleppey; a unique life time experience   in the backwaters of the  ‘Venice of the East’. I heard about this a week before the trip but I started to pack for it that very second. I was thrilled to bits and I started daydreaming about the experiences which awaited us.
I hardly had any sleep the night before!  Still I felt so cheerful (for the first time in my life!!) when I was woken up by my grandmother at 5:00 am. (The normal practice is to somehow crawl down the bunker bed’s upper berth after repeated alerts from my parents thinking it is so early, just to realise that my partner-in-mischief and chief advisor, my little sister has already gone off to school.)
I saw the Sun waking up giving a scent of light and warmth to the garden outside. It was one of the most beautiful scenery in my life. I started to get ready and soon was in the car. I sat with my grandfather and my grandmother. My sister, aunt and little cousin were also with us. My uncle took the wheel. We reached Alleppey and freshened up at my aunt’s house. It was about 9:30 AM .Soon the car sped to the boarding point (Rajiv Jetty), where all members of our trip were asked to assemble.
Once there, I was surprised to see hundreds of houseboats and our tour guide told me that there were more than a thousand luxury houseboats in the backwaters of Alleppey.   I was stunned to hear that the cost of building one was around Rs.65 lakhs !!!  The name of our boat was ‘Royal Palace’. The boat, though big, looked like a traditional ‘Naalukettu’ with thatched roof, wooden pillars and open balcony. My uncle and I took a walk along the coast and saw the stunning scenery.
Soon we were informed that our houseboat was ready for the cruise. We decided to get in and see the interior of the boat before we set sail. There we received a warm reception from the boat crew and were given tender coconut water (‘Bottled by nature, at source; of course!’) as welcome drink. I felt that I was in a 5 star hotel even though from the outside it looked rather humble and modest. There were three bed rooms with modern amenities, a conference hall to accommodate 50 people with all latest facilities, a spacious kitchen to prepare a gourmet meal for the tourists. We learned that a house boat is about 67 feet in length and has a width of around 13 feet in the middle. The materials that go into the making are all local and Eco friendly bamboo poles, coconut fibre ropes, bamboo mats, coir carpets etc. The main wood used is "Aanjili".
The cruise was about to start and I went up to the Sun-deck of the house- boat and saw the beauty of the enchanting backwaters. The Sun-deck was spacious with lot of comfy chairs and wooden benches which gave a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery around.  It was a far cry from the desert sand I was so used to seeing. The lapping water, the sound of birds, the ethnic setting- all really made me feel so nice and hungry too! 
We were a big team around 20 people of all ages, type and sizes. There were uncles, aunts, cousins of different flavours and Grand parents made a real bonus! To add to the fun there were no parent around to say “NO”. We were in India after an year so we were the ‘apples’ around. Soon we had the boat under our control.
Coconut trees formed tiny islands by the shore and one funny looking bird with a long neck was often seen ducking in and out of the water. Dragon flies were flying everywhere. We encountered other houseboats as well as slender wooden boats laden with coconut husk on our way.
                                                                                                                                                        
The boat made a short halt at a small island and our uncle got out and bought some lake prawns from a small shop. Soon we were all hungry and we were served with a sumptuous lunch which included fried fish wrapped in banana leaf.( They called it “Pearl Spot: Karimeen Pollichathu”) shrimps, tiger prawns, chicken fry, duck roast all cooked in the traditional Kerala style along with the typical Kerala sadya items.
After lunch, the elders chose to retire and rest. We started to play Anthakshari and DC mime. It took a long time to end the game. We also spend some time with the boat driver who seemed to steer it with such ease. He stopped the boat in the middle of the lake for some time. When the engine sound died, we really got the real feel of the natural beauty. Everything around looked no nice in the rich green background accompanied by the sound of the ripples and birds. No wonder they call this place ‘Gods own country! ‘
Soon it was evening and   after spending around 7 hours in the lake, the boat returned back. It was time to leave the boat. We bid farewell to the crew and with a heavy heart got off at the jetty. This ride on the house boat was a fabulous way to explore the fascinating beauty of the backwaters.
On our way back we stopped by a backwater resort which also had a private beach. The three of us had fun running on the sand, chasing the waves, and taking turns to be on the hammock. We had tea and refreshments and soon it was time to leave. We returned back to Trivandrum tired but truly rejuvenated.
    
All good things will come to an end, so did our trip. However those vivid pictures I have in mind will always bring back the fond memories for a long time to come.
It was indeed a wonderful trip!                              
                                                                                   
                                                                                    Compiled by
Abhijith A Nair
Std. VII ADIS
Athira S Nair
Std. II ADIS
Athira S Nair
Std. II ADIS
Children of G.Ajith Kumar (1987 Civil)
& Smita S R (1993 Civil)           
At that time, the boat started moving. I was hungry and went down. I saw every one being treated to an appetizer round of mouth watering ‘Thani Naadan Kappa and Meen-kari ‘. I started eating it like a wolf. As the boat gained speed, we enjoyed the view, played with the water and watched the fishes and birds. It was a pleasant sight to see people fishing, climbing coconut trees, making coir etc by the shore.
We also saw sleepy cranes standing on one foot in the mud, alert Kingfishers perched on tree stumps in the water, waiting for their next catch and flocks of ducks swimming in perfect formation near the banks.
Abhijith A Nair