A snake-boat sighting. By chance.

Divya was at my parent's home last weekend and we had a whale of a time going
swimming, visiting the Ambalapuzha Unnikrishnan temple (a post on that is to
follow soon) etc. When we went swimming on Sunday, we were pleasantly surprised
to see a snake-boat berthed across the river. I was sure it was not there the previous
day when we had come to the river.


I try to zoom-in with my phone-cam and this is the result.


After our swim, I decide to take Divya close to the boat for what I think must be her
first close-up view of a snake-boat. I move back as much as possible without falling
into the river, but still can't get the whole boat in the frame. So had to take a diagonal
snap. Divya trying to dry her hair nearby.


This is the "Chennithala chundan" belonging to our area and as much as I hate to
admit it, it is more show than go. In the sense that this one does not win any races,
but is just decorated and taken to the Aranmula temple every year for Onam.


Anyway, I am still proud of it. After all how many people have a snake-boat in their
backyard. And anyway not many people outside Alappuzha would know that this one
comes last in races. :-)

Divya sitting at the elevated end of the boat, which sort of looks like a cobra's hood
and thus giving the boat its name of 'snake-boat'.


The other lowered front-end of the boat, which slices through the water, powered not by
horse-power, but human-power (some 90-100 people row a typical boat).

Since I would not be going home for Onam, I am glad we came across the snake-boat

last weekend. Else, the next sighting would have to wait a year.