Backwaters Church
As mentioned below, we rented a houseboat in Alleppey. It's a bit hard on the budget, but not too expensive really, and it makes for a great time. You head out on a boat that looks like a cross between a bamboo hut and the submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and cruise the backwaters of Kerala for a day. The backwaters are essentially a series of waterways connecting Kerala's villages like a road network.
Over the past decade or so, the trip has become a firm fixture on the tourist route. We debated whether or not it was weird to be on a trip that involved peering in on people's lifestyles, though at this point everyone's pretty much used to it. Actually, we regretted not staying around an extra day to do a canoe trip down some of the smaller canals. Still, the scenery is gorgeous and the atmosphere serene.
Our boat, tied up for the evening beside a rice paddy
At night you park on a lake and watch the sunset:
Photo by Rachel
The food is outstanding - traditional Keralite cuisine - rice, fish, vegetables, dal, flavored with cardomom and other spices.
Backwaters dinner. Not pictured: thousands of bugs.
And in the morning, the sunrise...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment