In a houseboat on Kerala Backwaters

(Kerala Backwaters, India, 14th of Nov 2016)

After a nice breakfast served by our cheerful waiter Sunny (we have only known him for 24 hours but he has given us so many smiles in this short time that we will not forget him in a long time) we took off to our houseboat that departed from a nearby city named Kollam. On the boat we had a room with AC and en suite. The boat also had an upper deck with two “verandas”, one of them covered by a large sunbed.

We felt really privileged because we had booked the houseboat just for the two of us so we had the entire upper deck to ourselves. A large bowl of fruit was placed on the table and we were told that whatever we wanted, we could just ask for it. For lunch we were served grilled fish (delicious) and 8 bowls of vegetarian dishes, all served together with papadam and rice.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of lying on the roof deck of a houseboat, watching the palm trees, villages and fishing nets slowly passing by. A very nice experience indeed!.

After lunch the boat was berthed and we got in to a smaller boat to be able to get in to the really narrow channels of the back water system. Our guide Vishnu gave us a wonderful tour in and around the Mangrove Island. We started by going under a bridge that was so low we had to lay down on the deck off the boat to get under it. We then continued the journey on the narrow backwaters, lined with palm trees, houses, and lots of birds, goats and cows. So beautiful and charming. We also berthed the boat at our guides house we were invited to tea by his mother.

Vishnu told us that Mangrove Island is a community of its own in the surrounding backwaters. The people who live there work within i.e. the tourism industry (as Vishnu), agriculture and the cultivation of prawns.

When we were on our way back to our houseboat it started to rain and we got soaking wet before we reached it. When we got to the boat the staff had covered the upper deck with tarps  but nevertheless it leaked in water a bit here and there, among others, in our bed(room). An hour later the heavy rain ended and we could take of the tarps to lay down in the dark at the roof deck and watch the fireflies that danced above us. The stars had been perfect to add to this but unfortunately they were hidden behind heavy clouds.

That evening we had another delicious meal, chicken dishes in various spicy flavors. The night was very warm, our bedroom too (as the AC and the electric generator were to noisy we did not want to use them,) the bed a bit lumpy and not so comfortable. But the sunrise we met when we came up on the boat’s roof deck the next morning was absolutely worth it.

All together this was an experience to remember for a long time.