An enchanted houseboat. Kerala, India

Away from the chaos and noise of India is Kerala. Nestled in the south-west corner of India, Kerala 

is the home of spices, coconut groves and tea plantations. The Western Ghats have protected the 

area from the rest of India and it has developed its own customs and cuisine. Its long coast has been 

used as the landing points for Europeans and Chinese traders over the centuries and everywhere you 

can see influences of the Dutch, Portuguese and English; in both architecture and religion.

One "must do' in Kerala is to take to the water. Kerala has 900 kilometres of waterways and 

canals along the coast and inland. There are large lakes and canals surrounding the rice fields. 

The rice fields are below the level of the canals and get flooded during the planting season by 

opening irrigation channels that are connected to the canals. Along the banks are many towns, 

villages, churches, schools and shops. The waterways are the roads of the area. Travelling on 

the water gives you a voyeuristic view of life. There are many ways for the tourist to travel,

they range from organised tourist cruises to water taxis.

The most popular way is by house boat. The house boats are converted or newly built 

kettuvallams. They were originally used as ferries and to transport rice. Now they have been 

converted into luxury accommodation. There are some shonky owners so it is best to either 

view the boat before you sign on or get a reputable hotel to organise a boat as they will then be 

responsible if any thing goes wrong.

The route that is usually used is from Kollam to Alleppy or Alleppy to Kochin. We arranged 

our boat through the Taj Garden Retreat in Kochin. We got on the boat at the Taj Kumaraon 

and were amazed. The boat was spacious with an open lounge and dining area, an enclosed 

air-conditioned bedroom and at the back a small kitchen and staff area. We were introduced 

to our staff for the next 24 hours. There was a boat master, a cook and a helper. We set off 

across the Vambanad Lake, one of the largest lakes in India. It was so peaceful with water 

birds and never ending cups of tea and coffee.

 It seemed that every hour or so we were offered banana fritters, plates of fresh fruit and 

biscuits. Cars and trucks can only access the periphery of the area so everything ends up going 

by water. The major workhorse seems to be very long, narrow boats that are piled high with 

sacks and  building materials. Usually with only one or two workers struggling to pole them along.

 The locals seemed so used to the tourists that they ignore the houseboats although the children all 

laugh and wave on their way to and from school. Small boats pull up along side the houseboat 

selling freshly caught fish and fresh vegetables and fruit. We were already regretting that we had 

only booked for one night.

 The locals bath in the canals, wash their clothes and pots and pans in the canals and take their 

drinking water from it. The canals are kept remarkably clean.

Most of the houses along the canals have their own jetties and private boats.

 Our houseboat was for a couple but there are much larger ones for families and groups. 

It is a very expensive activity for India with boats ranging from $US200 to $US700 and 

up a night. So it falls very much into having a treat. And it really is a treat. No mobile 

coverage, no email and best of all no computers.

 The array of boats and their uses are wonderfully diverse. We saw school boats dropping off 

students at individual jetties and livestock being taken to different pastures. We saw people 

at boat taxi depots with their shopping waiting to go home. And we saw many other houseboats.

 At night we pulled into a mooring that was close to the boat masters village so he could go home 

for the night. As evening fell there is a bit of a traffic jam as all the boats have to moor. They are 

not allowed to travel during the night as it is considered too dangerous.
 During the day the boats have to travel very slowly so that they don't interfere with the normal daily travel and tip over smaller craft.

 With a picture perfect sunset we popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and settled in watching 

the lights in the villages come on and the night traffic on the canal. Kerala calls itself "God's Own 

Country" and on a night like this I think they are right. After a wonderful meal we sat on the deck
and just relaxed. We slept well with absolute quiet and the gentle rocking of the boat.

The next morning we set off as the waterways came alive.

 All too soon we were caught up in another boat jam as all the houseboats headed to Alleppy.

 At Alleppy we sadly said good bye to the staff and the boat.

We vowed to come back and spend at least two night on a houseboat.

But that's another story.

Kochi, Keralas most cosmopolitan city.

I was in Mumbai for work and decided to take a break in Kochin. Kochin is in 

Kerala, Southern India. National Geographic Traveller magazine names Kerala as one of 

the "ten paradises  of the world" and "50 must see destinations of a lifetime". Travel and Leisure 

names Kerala as "One of the 100 great trips for the 21st century". 

 Now a bit of a history lesson about why Kerala is so special.  Kerala has benefited by having 

a succession of enlightened Royal families who were interested in agriculture and the welfare of 

the population at large. In the 15th century the Portuguese moved in, mainly for the pepper. 

In 1498 Vasco Da Gamma dropped in for a while. The locals rose up against the Portuguese 

in 1571. Then the Dutch East India Company moved in. The locals finally turfed them out in 1741. 

The west simply couldn't leave them alone and the British East India Company arrived. 

They stayed until Indian independence in 1947. During this time many Catholic missionaries were 

sent to India, they established numerous schools and encouraged the lower-castes and girls to learn. 

It now has the highest literacy rate in India. The religious and social leaders in Kerala protested 

against the old traditions such as the exclusion of the untouchables. In 1957, at its first elections,

the people elected a reformist Communist Government. It initiated pioneering land reforms that have

lead to the lowest levels of rural poverty in India.

Well with all of those wonderful statistics I was expecting to see a very different India than I was

used to up north. And it was. The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness. When you get rid of the 

rigid class system you are responsible for your own actions; no-one else will pick up the rubbish 

that you drop. The trucks we passed on the way from the airport were clean and brilliantly painted.

 Because the state has a mixture of Hinduism Islam, Christianity and communism it is full of 

wonderfully mixed images. And this is reflected in the murals on their trucks. The main saint

that is celebrated in Kerala is St George and his image can be seen on trucks and buildings.

 We were on our way to the Taj Garden Retreat on Willingdon Island. The island was built in 

the 1920's out of silt that was dredged to deepen the harbour. The hotel is brilliantly located on 

the tip of the island and over-looks Fort Kochi.

 The water around Kochi was also clean and from the balcony we could watch dolphins leaping 

and playing. The environment and people felt totally different than in Mumbai or Rajasthan.

 We caught the ferry over to Fort Kochi. With all its history the architecture is an interesting mix 

of Portuguese, Dutch, British and Indian styles. There had also once been a large Jewish enclave 

here and there are still synagogues and a specific Jewish cemetery.

 Fort Kochi is a major tourist destination and has numerous antique shops, local arts and craft 

shops. Everyone is very helpful and if you fall in love with something bigger than your suitcase
the traders will be delighted to arrange shipping for you

Kochi is built around a saltwater lagoon and is made up from a collection of islands and 

promentories, so water is really important. It is a major transport hub and fishing port so 

for boat watchers it is fascinating. Most places can be reached on land but the fastest way 

around is  by water. Ferries are frequent and always packed.

 Many small boat owners will take you across the lagoon, this was one that we used.

 The fishing boats are as colourful as the trucks.

 From the Taj you can see all the different ships as they come in. Kochi is also a stopping point 

for large luxury Cruisers.

 Some of the tourist boats are just a little wacky.

 Most of the tourist boats are based on the style of boats that were used to haul rice.

This style of boat is also used as a house boat for tours around the backwaters of Kerala.

 One of the most photographed things in Kochi are the Chinese nets at sunset. The nets were first 

erected between 1350 and 1450 when there was a strong trading link with China. Because every
 tourist has to get this shot, at sunset the water can get really crowded.

 Because everything is so clean there was an abundance of wildlife just around the hotel grounds.

The Taj Garden Retreat is the ideal place for a wedding and we were luck to be there when 

two weddings took place.

An area of real surprise is the industrial area of Willingdon Island. Because the island was built in 

1920 the architects of the time, thinking in a very modern way, designed the buildings in the then

current Art Deco style. If you're interested in architecture it is worth visiting this area.

On Fort Kochi are a couple of important Christian churches. Sanata Cruz Cathedral was built in 1887. 

The combination of Indian style and Christian imagery has created some unusual tableaux.

The oldest and most important building in Fort Kochi is St Francis Church. It was was built 

by the Portuguese in 1520. Vasco Da Gama was buried here in 1524, although his body 

eventually made it back to Europe.

Kerala has its own very unusual and specific form of Classical Dance-Drama called Kathakali.

All the actor-dancers are male and they don't speak, they create their stories with hand gestures 

and facial expressions, with their eyebrows playing a very important role. 

Reflecting on Kerala we had found a very different India. An India where the waterways weren't
choked with rubbish. An India where families weren't living in gutters or under over-passes.
An India that didn't send children out to beg. An India where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews
and communists seemingly live in harmony. An India where people are proud of their homes.
If only Kerala could export what-ever it is they are doing to the rest of India.

We then left Kochi to see the animals at the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

For more photographs of Kochi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dianeworland/sets/72157618705916760/