Day 14 : Alleppy, India

Alleppy! Ahhhhhhh......Can we stay? Our first real chance to RELAX. Mirror still lagoons, picture book lake-sides, palm fringed canals and shores bustling with glimpses of day to day life in the country side. We have changed states again and are currently in Kerala-  Famous for its "Backwaters".  Here we rented a Bamboo house boat (The Kettuvallam) which was historically a large floating boat with high load carrying capacity .

Once upon a time they were olden day rice boats, which were used to carry the harvest from one part of the region to another safely and Eco friendly with no mechanized systems.

As for the royalty and  men of high bearing - these boats became a comfortable living quarters. Currently they are built to float harnessing wind energy and used specifically for the tourist trade. We got the "pimp-est" one on the water! 2 Bedroom, 2 level floating hut just 2 months old.

It actually was a pretty sweet trip. The Kerala backwaters are inland waters, a network of lakes, lagoons, rivers, canals (both man-made and natural) With 41 west-flowing rivers, five large lakes, Stretches virtually the entire length of Kerala state. You get to see village life on the Backwaters and they treat you like royalty...with your own crew and personal cook. Price: $110 - $200.

The people who live along the backwaters in Kerala have a unique relationship with the backwaters. It is the source of the local people's livelihood. The fish caught from its waters, the paddy, coconut and other crops harvested along its banks, the boats they build and use to transport them across the labyrinthine backwaters, are all an integral part of their traditional way of backwater village life.
We both think this might be one of the coolest things we've ever done on a trip. Except for the constant itching from our 1,000,000 mozzie bites from the Cochin/Beach scene, all was perfect. Thank God for Malaria Medication!