When we were first making our way towards the houseboat in Alleppey, we had only a vague idea of how the backwaters look in Kerala, the aquatic plant life and village communities that live around them. So when we were introduced to our captain, Jaydas, for a trip of 2 nights, we were simply not ready for the adventure ahead of us.
Our houseboat is essentially composed of a wide deck and an upper floor that coughs up a panoramic view of the life outside. The hallway acts as the main artery connecting all living spaces, so we made sure not to clutter that region. Our boat had the capacity to switch on an air conditioner in the evening time so we could relax without fear of humidity or mosquitoes after a big day of sightseeing. We, of course, had ample opportunity to take a walk outside when the boat was at port along the journey.
Our first big surprise, apart from the glittery waters and eager flocks of birds, was the lunch menu itself. When we saw the lavish spread, we honestly forgot to breathe. These are the times we feel really grateful to be where we are to experience what we do, and in this instance my favorite lunch items were the sour beetroot chutney and a bony fish called karimeen, which was actually caught by our in-house chef at the back. As one could expect on this warm summer day, we were not the only ones to decide on boating down this route, so we came across multiple tour boats like ours. I believe ours was the best, of course. Especially with our experienced captain, who skillfully charted the way around other boats and ships, and I did sometimes doubt how closely they all drove, but I reckon after years of experience this is basically child's play for them.
We could spot some holiday homes and family cottages around very well-maintained gardens, many of which bordered the boating route. Our generous captain also let me quote-unquote drive the boat for a couple of minutes as he explained how the boats move, how each of them has a registered number plate, and what each number on it means. There is something quite endearing about listening to passionate people working in their niche enjoy their tasks, which adds to the experience of you simply being there. And for us, the voyage was relaxing, exciting, and full of good food all at the same time.
We found many mangoes, coconuts, bananas, and other fruits on short breaks where we ported. More interestingly, along the route, our captain kept pointing us towards small plastic bottles hooked on coconut trees that produce this fermented alcoholic beverage called toddy. It tasted sweet and sour at the same time and also carried a very peculiar floral scent. I will say this one is rather an acquired taste.
For our second day, we decided to challenge ourselves and wake up at 6 a.m. for a canoe boating trip. We aimed to see the sunrise, but honestly just waking up that early felt like an achievement. We had a local guide, Inderjeet, ferry us down a small river channel where we could spot many birds, frogs, and fish under the giant water hyacinths, which themselves are unexpectedly super heavy, but we could have a closer view compared to the houseboat itself. I'll say this one required a tad more coordination to paddle correctly, but we were thoroughly charmed by the morning views.
A special note of appreciation for our chef, who ensured we tasted everything on board, as half the ambience of our adventure was powered by the delicious food on the table. After most meals, we found ourselves quite stuffed and satisfied, so we needed the walks to come back to our homeostasis, not that I am complaining, of course. It was a privilege to have that royal treatment. And that reminds me, my favorite bird in the bird kingdom is the kingfisher, which I saw multiple times during this trip, and after multiple failed attempts to click a picture, I finally managed to have this montage. This is success to me, I'm not gonna lie.
From one of our exciting exploits, we even managed to bring back a coconut for our captain to de-husk as we could sit on board, sip the juice, and enjoy the views. The sweet taste of victory—how else would I ever explain this feeling!
One of our last meals included puttu-parram, which I think is worth mentioning because we actually mash the parram, the small banana, into the puttu, or rice grain, for a mild-tasting but hearty meal. And the fact that we got to try so many new things practically all on board makes this a very eventful and memorable cruise.
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