Backwaters - Allepey

So when I was planning this trip for Jess and myself in India there was a huge range of places to choose from.  Did we want deserts or mountains?  Beach or jungle?  Well, with the advice of a professor from college who said don't miss southern India I decided to head down to Kerala and see what was up.  I've written briefly about our time in Varkala at the beach but sun and sand aren't what Kerala is really known for.  The must see destination are the backwaters, a series of interconnected lakes, rivers and canals that run all through the state.  Historically they were a major source of food and a hub of transportation before there were roads and train tracks and stuff like that.  And to be honest, traveling on the backwaters still beats driving on India's roads any day of the week.

There are a lot of ways to travel the backwaters but the most famous by far is to take a houseboat for an overnight trip.  If all you want to do is sit in a chair watching village life go by while someone else drives the boat, cooks your meals and cleans up after you then this is the way to do it.  And to be honest, after a few days being overwhelmed in India's cities it's just what we needed.  I whiled away the day reading a book, looking out at the scenery of coconut palms and villagers hand-washing their clothes in the river and chatting with Jess.

The pace of life on the boat is great.  Probably the best part is watching the people go about their daily lives that are so far removed from my own in America or even Taiwan.  The backwaters are really the hub of life here with people fishing, washing, bathing, commuting or just enjoying their idyllic beauty.   Watching old men row their young granddaughters to school in a small canoe definitely made me appreciate little things like roads or automated transportation.

 At some point we stopped in the day at a place selling crabs and prawns that we could buy to add to our dinner menu.  Knowing we already spent thousands of rupees to get on these boats (we paid 7000 rupees for an AC room, around $160) they were certainly overcharging.  We paid 690 rupees for 2 admittedly giant freshwater prawns measured out on a vintage scale.

And the delicious finished product...

It should be noted that the food was also excellent on board.  I can't bring myself to eat curry every day, and a few of the meals we've had here have been lacking, but the chef on board our boat knew his stuff.  I should also apologize to my friends in Taiwan for being a hypocrite and taking a picture of my food after laughing at countless Taiwanese people doing the same.  But I figure if I'm paying $15 for two prawns I'd better get a picture of them.

One bit of excitement we had right before dinner was when another boat passed us by while Jess and I were on the rooftop balcony.  Suddenly a giant light flashed, a clapboard slammed shut, music started blaring and we got to see the filming of an Indian movie on the river!  This all came out of the blue and I guess that's part of the magic of India, expect the unexpected.

And one last photo of the scenery because it was just that good.  I'm wishing I'd taken a course on photography at some point because I can't begin to express how serene these scenery is when you're relaxing in a chair and letting it all pass by.  My next post will be about our day trip on the backwaters near Fort Cochin and the city itself.