Life by the backwaters of Kerala

Kettuvallom/ Kerala houseboat

.We nearly missed it but thankfully we didn't! Tourists have a once in a lifetime experience on Kerala backwaters and return home with memories to last a lifetime. December being a peak season for tourists, the houseboats were fully booked. Luckily, the General Manager of the Kumarokam Lake Resort  got us a  country boat to enjoy a 2 hour ride. That satiated our longing for a taste of the backwaters though the real experience in a full fledged houseboat to pamper your body and soul  will be something really special .

The backwaters of Kerala is a chain of brackish lagoons, rivers canals  and lakes lying parallel to the Malabar coast of Kerala state. This extensive network of waterways provides livelihood for the locals and its natural charm has brought tourists flocking to Kerala.

The boatman took charge of the 6 seater country boat. Being smaller than the big houseboats, it can traverse the narrower canals.

We left Kumarakom Lake Resort situated on the shores of Lake Vembanad. Sitting in the boat, Lake Vembanad looks like a vast sheet of glassy water, serene and tranquil.  The big houseboats, small and large ( 6 rooms and other amenities to boot) were already 'skimming' the surface and going to the  backwaters of Alleppy and the numerous canals. These Kettuvalloms are really traditional grain and spice barges that have been converted to houseboats. A tourist from USA told us she wasn't sure how to cope with the idea of 3 attendants for the 3 days she was the sole person staying on the  houseboat. It seemed so sinfully luxurious  to her. Well, we both agreed that while it lasted, just yourself enjoy before reality hits !

 Before long we were in the backwaters. I plonked myself on the front wicker chair, eager to catch the view and the sun ! We drifted along. A new world opened before our eyes and thoughts of sailing on the Mekong some years  flashed through my mind. The waters lapped as the boatman took us on easy, slow ride.  Nothing comes closer than  this  - having  clear images of  the engaging rustic life of  the people who live on the banks. We passed through  rural settlements sited on narrow strips of land between waterways. 'Hello, world!' - the hive of activity with villagers going about their daily lives is a reminder of the importance of waterways in civilisations gone by and the present.


The lush greenery greeted us everywhere. Swaying coconut trees, mangrove swamps, palms, bananas,  pandanus, leafy plants hug the banks and  mango trees already laden  with flowers, so many familiar plants that remind us of our own tropical vegetation back home. 'This Kerala) is India at its greenest and no other state can beat it', my husband hastened to add .Water hyacinths bobbed  and  floated effortlessly  in thick clusters  here and there.

Bird life is plentiful and without binoculars, we could seen their plumage as their hovered and flew above our heads.

There's also a place called home in these boats  

Think you can float effortlessly on this glassy  Vembanad Lake?

Lush greenery on either banks of the canals. The coconut trees lend such elegance to the scenery. Beyond lie paddy fields resting before the next cultivation. 

We watched as he rowed, into the hyacinths which parted as he meandered to his destination

Women power by the banks

A wedding

In flight , the white heron is part of the avian population. As we passed by in mid morning birds were aplenty flying past. The famed Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is nearby.

Rub-a dub- dub - the best view from his 'private' spot !

The daily chores go on. Men  transport goods from one village to another in their low slung dug out canoes. 

The boat almost disappearing due to the heavy rocks being transported to build an embankment

A smile bridges people, a bridge, life

The children are naturally happy to see visitors

Vivid orange, green, pink, blue buildings seem to be popular colours that dot the lush landscape. 

Fishermen preparing their nets for their catch. Fish is plentiful in Kerala and eaten daily. 

Such infectious laughter, welcome as kids know best

Very much part and parcel of Kerala life, the elephant adds extra interest to passers-by on houseboats

The steps leading down to the waterways where daily activities take place. A school in the background.

Recyclables - waste not, want not  

Astounding  varieties of architecture in the numerous churches  in Kerala. None are the same!!

Wouldn't  I want to be in one of these when I visit again!

Comorants perch and watch keenly for their feed

The country boat that took us to the backwaters

Sailing away from Kumarakom Lake Resort where we stayed for 2 nights. 

Morning in Kovalam Beach,Kerala

Bringing in the cords

We skipped a lie-in to catch the buzz in Kovalam Beach. And we were amply rewarded.

At 7 in the morning the beach was slowly waking from its slumber to another day's call of activities. We strolled the soft sandy beach to look around and snap some pictures.The shops that were colourful with lights the night before were not open.

Luckily we did not miss the colourful scene of the local fishermen on the beach. This will be my best memories of Kovalam Beach, 13 km from Trivandrum where we left our cousin and family to head south. During our entire stay in Kerala, we did not tire of the many delectable varieties of fish which is a staple diet. It was lovely meen for lunch and dinner. Kerala with a long coastline facing the Arabian Sea has a strong fishing population. Fishing is one of the main sources of income for its people. Just to name a few varieties : seer/king fish, seabral (resembling halibut), pearl fish, black pomfret, tuna, indian salmon, pink perch, sardines.

We left Kovalam with loads of lovely images of men at work, resilient and ever -responding to the call of the sea. Definitely seeing their haul ,hopefully the next time round, will complete the picture.

Paddling away to the outer waters in hopes of a good catch

At the ready - all 20 men and more turbaned and in colourful sarong

High energy to get the boat into the water. Years of expertise make it look simple

All together - now! It was a lovely sight to see the fishermen in motion, chanting as they pushed and swayed

Tough act to follow. As they earn their livelihood these hardy, harworking fishermen provide shutterbugs with wonderful images of their sea faring activities.

All strong men, all team mates face the elements

Heave ho! A chain of men , all well - tanned pulling the cords for the catch to land on the beach. We watched with much interest as they synchronised the pulling and tugging. Unfortunately we couldn't stay longer to watch the haul . We had to head for Cape Comerin. Travelling takes time in Kerala as roads can be pretty bad in many stretches.

Tending to repairs

Tidying the nets before putting them in the boat to cast them in the sea

Rocky outpost to shout out when a good fishing spot is spotted.

Ahoy, who'll take me out to sea?

A tourist from New Delhi talking to the fishermen and translating Hindi to English for me.

Huge stacks of nets under thatched covers here and there on the beach

Open for business

Here's where we stayed - Hotel Sea Face - fronting the beach. We arrived just in time to see the sun setting.

Some housekeeping to do

To keep the tourists well-watered!

Getting ready the sun decks for the beach baskers

Life is a balancing act - much depends on tourist business

A child in a world of his own, enjoying the soft sand

Smiles are everywhere and people are friendly. Local womenfolk watching the fishermen at work

We had our lovely dinner of fish and Kerala curries at this outlet. Many attractive shops line the beach.

Life jackets ready for tourists who want to go for speed boat rides

Fuel to go somewhere!

Waves swishing, lapping at her feet

From where we sat, looking out onto the beach, eating breakfast of masala thosai, idli, poori and sambar, omelette, pineapple juice and Kerala coffee.

The Elephant Sanctuary,Guruvayur, Kerala

Gently lift it!

Meet one of the 65 elephants in the sanctuary, the only one of its kind in the world. Rich devotees of the Lord Krishna donate elephants as offerings. We were told that an elephant costs about 1 lakh which equals 100,000 rupees. The elephants are well looked after, there is no breeding.

Coconuts are synonymous with Kerala and in this sanctuary their home, elephants feed and live

A hillock of elephant dung and there were plenty and more around

I'm back! Thanks to each and everyone for your wonderful wishes. Hope you're enjoying the year end festivities and keeping well. The 2 week holiday in Bangalore and Kerala is over! All good things have come to an end. It has been a roller coaster of memorable happenings. The main purpose was to visit Ravi's maternal relatives who are Indian citizens. Being intrepid travellers, we soaked in and squeezed in as much of India as we could savour as we moved among the destinations. Where did we go? Many places - Bangalore, Trivandrum, Kovalam Beach, Cape Comerin, Thekkady, Kumakoram Lake Resort, Mulanthuruthy, Kochi and Trisshur. Looking back it has been amazing. First of all, the relatives are truly ambassadors of India. They accorded us a truly warm welcome. We have in our hearts their wonderful smiles and hospitality wherever we went. These memories are precious.

In Bangalore, Johnny our cousin made us feel so much at home. There was never a dull moment with him. Luckily being retired, he caught up with us again down south to Mulanthuruthy and Kottayam, Kerala. News had gone round that Ravi and his wife and daughter from Malaysia were visiting. Even our cousin, Mohan from Chennai flew in to join the huge gathering. It was as if the whole village of Mulanthuruthy (where his late mother was born) had come to get to know us better and exchange lots of stories of family ties and we delighted in exchanging mundane daily stories in a family guest house. The VVIPs were Ravi's 92 year old uncle and 85 year old aunt. He was toasted with whisky by the menfolk and he got a peg or two of rum his favourite. Over so many typical Kerala meals we sat and talked. Indeed it was a gastronomical feast not forgetting the big party where liquor were downed so liberally beginning with fish and other snacks before the actual meals took place. I think we've covered almost all of the Kerala cuisine! Yes, we had the dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Very quickly I realized my usual breakfast of 2 slices of toast with peanut butter/ jam and a cuppa of tea will have to wait till I reach our shores again!! Each meal was a journey for our tastebuds though some not totally strange as we are familiar with some South Indian cuisine. That meant we ate till our hearts' content and pleaded (politely!) we couldn't have anymore!! Which also meant we added a few kilos of weight to each of us. I fell in love with the kurtis and was always eager souvenir hunting for traditional crafts as gifts to friends and relatives. Our guide, Shibu to the various destinations was a superb driver on Indian roads which admittedly can have many pitfalls!! What would all the drivers do without their car horns??

Despite the tight schedule we kept I 'm so glad I had some lovely moments with my blogging friend Indrani and her family in Bangalore. She made a special visit to our cousin's house. As we hugged, it was as if we had known each other for a long time! Indrani 'popped up' from cyberblog when I started blogging in March 2009. Upon my request our scientist cousin, Sarjan in Trivandrum got me to my blogging friend, Dr Antony's house to meet up with his wife Celine and their grandson. He had arranged for us to meet as he was still in Dubai. That notched up for me having met 3 blogging friends overseas including Trotter in Lisbon last December.

The visit to the world renowned elephant sanctuary was second last on the list in Trisshur where our cousin Baju, an opthalmologist lives with his family.

This sanctuary was highly recommended to tie in with the visit to the temple at Guruvayur. Only Hindus are permitted to enter this place of worship so my daughter and I waited outside while my husband paid homage to Lord Krishna. It was a pity we couldn't linger as the time schedule was tight to depart from Kochi back home.

When we got there the public area was filled with a sea of faces. Not knowing Malayalam, we stuck very close to the driver who speaks very little English. We were caught among huge crowds of wedding guests and devotees. The throngs remind me of the Thaipusam festival back home. In such an atmosphere, be prepared to be in 'auto' mode as the crowds move you along! Every devotee had to pass by a metal detector and security guards before entry into the temple proper.

Rajan the driver then drove us to the elephant sanctuary. As we alighted the vehicle, the smell of dung hit the air. 'Poo!' we chorused aloud and indeed there were mounds of them.

So friends, to start the year 2011 with a bang, fresh from a truly memorable visit to Guruvayur, Kerala here's JUMBO greetings from me to you ! I wish you good health, happiness and wealth. Thank you very much for visiting my blog and your encouraging comments. Happy 2011 and may God bless you.

A vast land to accommodate these huge elephants 20 -40 + years old

I think he overdid it. Some of the feed landed on his back!

One of the tuskers feeding and shutterbugs clicked away keeping a safe distance from the animals

Just a gentle reminder

The classic Ambassador car fondly known as 'King of the Indian Roads' parked next to our vehicle. There was an immense crowd as there was a wedding outside the temple.

My husband getting a helping hand  from his cousin in Trisshur to wear the dhoti tied the Kerala way

The long queues to worship in the most famous Krishna temple in  the town of Guruvayur, the Lord Sree Guruvayurappan temple. It is one of the most famous pilgrim centres in South India. Thousands of pilgrims come from all over India.

Holding on to their shirts, the men have to be bare chested before entering the temple. This is part of the homage to the deity

Women in sarees and men in dhotis

The high shine of the brass - for ornaments and worship for sale . As we walked past, the glow  seemed to reflect on us too!

Parents helping the young ones to wear the dhotis before entering the temple.

Ayyappa devotees recognisable in black dhotis and bare footed also joined the throngs. 

We came across many of these worshippers during our stay in Kerala. The devotees follow a strict 41 day austerities (vruthams) preceding the pilgrimage to the shrine at Sabrimala

Fragrant jasmine flowers from vendors  for wearing on hair or for prayers

One of the very colourful shops displaying ornaments and other paraphernalia