What do you do for the close to 24 hours that you spend on the boat. This post attempts to
put down all the little details of the houseboat trip.
We (a group of 9 adults, 2 kids and 2 infants) boarded the boat at 11:30AM and were immediately welcomed with a welcome drink of tender coconut water. The coconuts being
the special and rare red/orange variety like below. A nice way to start off, for sure.
They just slice off the top, put a straw in and hand it over to you. Believe me, there is no
man made drink in this world that can beat tender coconut water in taste, nourishment or healthiness. Instant rejuvenation.
We went around the boat to see 2 bath-attached bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen (usually
at the tail of all boats) + another small room for the crew. The boat had a crew of 3 men, of
whom 2 would take turns at captaining the boat, while the remaining 2 would handle the
cooking and housekeeping. See this view from the window of the bedroom. A good view to
wake up to in the morning.
Once we were done checking out the boat. we all settled down in the living room area, which
has soft cushioned sofas lined along the boats sides, apart from a dining table with 4 chairs & some 3-4 cane chairs. They also have a few foam sheets that you could put on the floor and
lie down on if you so wish.
The captain (Sraanku) seated in his chair before the wheel & getting ready to reverse the boat
to start off the journey. Not a mean task reversing this giant, especially because of all the boats parked so close to each other.
The boat chugs along the waterways, offering insights into the life of the locals, with the only constants being water (all around) and greenery (everywhere). Some pics of what all you can expect to see.
You can see a houseboat being built, while on the left a guy tries his hand at fishing using a net.
I hear they cost around 5 million Rupees for getting a 2-bedroom boat ready.
A group of western women enjoy the view and the ride.
See the waterway crowded with houseboats, while a small boat ferries people to the other side.
All along the water route, you see innumerable house boats. We would have easily spotted
more than 200 houseboats there.
A guy rowing his boat/canoe in the placid waters.
A house with a small banana plantation.
A houseboat anchored along the shore for lunch.
A random nature shot.
Locals on their sleek canoes.
A couple of women rowing their small boat deftly.
A favourite snap of mine, with rows of houseboats moored for lunch. See the breeze swaying
the coconut palms. Reminds me - there is always this cool breeze blowing which keeps you cool.
A kid helping his granddad in rowing the boat.
A couple having their lunch on their boat itself, after a half day of hard work.
The kids settle down on the foam sheets on the floor. My son in the middle with his cousins
on either side. The kids really enjoyed the trip.
A banana plant ready for harvesting, along the shore.
I have many more pictures - took some 200-odd snaps. Will post them later.
While we take in the sights, the crew is busy making lunch and by around 2 PM we drop anchor along the shore to have lunch. Lunch is rice, sambar, curd, some veggies and karimeen fry. Karimeen is mallu speak for the famed Pearlspot fish which is very tasty.
Lunch done, everyone settles on the sofas. Some take a small nap. I am taking in the sights and clicking snaps. The boat moves on taking us through the various small villages - Kainakari, Nedumudi etc. Around 4:30PM or so tea/coffee is served with snacks [what else but banana fry :-)] and thenthey again drop anchor at the shore around 6PM.
Some of us get out to stretch our legs and to take a walk, exploring the neighborhood, which consists of some 10 homes. By the time we return to the boat, it is getting dark. There is now another boat alongside ours which will be the residence for 2 of the familes in the group for the night, while the other 2 families stay on in this boat.
While some of us watch a DVD, others take a bath. The crew is getting dinner ready. Around 8:30 PM a dinner of rice + roti (bread) + chicken fry etc is served. While a few of us resume watching the movie after dinner, the rest retire to their rooms.
Since there is water everywhere, there are mosquitos also which can be a pain. The crew lights
and places mosquito repellants at a few corners of the living area. We sit around and talk for an hour or so and by 10PM everyone is ready to hit the bed.
Due to the mosquitos, we had to keep the windows closed which is sad because it stops the wonderful breeze from entering the room. It also makes it warm inside and with the humidity,
it is kind of uncomfortable, even with the ceiling fans spinning at high speed. After an hour or
so, we decide it is better to open the windows (the mosquitos be damned) and thereafter it is a lot better to sleep. Due to some wierd reason the mosquitos did not really trouble us inspite of keeping the windows open.
Around 7AM everyone wakes up and are ready after a refreshing bath by 8AM. The crew has prepared a nice breakfast of idli (rice cakes) and sambar and after the table is cleared, the boat takes off again, tracing the journey back, but via a different route. Again lots more to see on the way. But somehow everyone is kind of silent due to the trip coming to an end. But then all good things have to come to an end. Around 9:30AM we berth at the same place from where we took off ending a spectacular 22 hours on water.
And all this cost me just Rs.8000 (200 USD) for the whole group. Plus a few hundreds as tips
for the crew. For a group comprising of one or 2 families, one boat would be enough and would cost only half the amount. Ofcourse, this is off-season tariffs and during season, the prices can even double.
An awesome deal any which way you look at it.
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