Not so quiet cruising – Allepey and the Kerala backwaters

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The relatively late morning departure (08.45am) for our drive to Allepey from Cochin was short by our usual standards at just over 3 hours, so short that I almost felt like we had in some way cheated and taken a short cut that we weren’t supposed to. We regularly do 12 hour drives and as such anything under 6 hours now feels like a drive to the supermarket and anything under 3 hours seems like a walk to the shop, it wasn’t so long ago though that the thought of a 6 hour journey would have sent me into a spiral of despair. Over the years from talking to people from other parts of the world about travelling, (especially those in the US and Canada) I have come to realise just how pathetic the British are as a nation when it comes to moaning about travelling times. A 4-6 hour trip in the US or Canada would seem perfectly reasonable as a shopping trip or perhaps a casual visit to see a friend (or so I’m told by some most trust worthy citizens of the US and Canada), a trip that would require little pre thought or preparation. However talk about a 4-6 hour journey at home and you have people talking to you like you are about to set off on a great expedition “thinking of driving to Birmingham by yourself, Christ!” “bloody hell mate, 4 hours in the car and no sat nav, rather you than me!” or “stay safe, drive carefully and do make sure to stop at every service station and drink 10 cups of coffee”. A 4 hour trip in the UK usually requires more time to plan and prepare for than it does to complete, routes must be planned and checked, petrol MUST be purchased beforehand, tire pressures must be checked, warm clothes must be packed incase a snow storm blocks the M5 in July, sweets, magazines and newspapers must be purchased, all plugs must be switched off and if necessary all power lines to the house should be severed, the AA, police, MI5 and the depart of rural affairs must be informed of all journey plans and expected time of arrival and finally but most importantly, at least 10 last minute wee’s must be taken but only after the designated departure time, it is important to ensure last minute wee’s delay your journey as significantly as possible. I know journey times are relative to the size of your country, but I think we all (myself included) in the UK need to get a grip and calm down. However I do realise that would mean stopping or at least restricting two of Britain’s favourite pastimes, moaning and worrying, and seeing as moaning and worrying are two of my favourite activities I guess I should really keep my mouth shut. Anyway I digress.



After a pleasingly short 3 hour drive we arrived into Allepey, departure point for our backwaters cruise. The backwaters are essentially natural canels and waterways that connect the rivers of Kerala to the sea. A backwater cruise has become an essential part of any tourists trip to Kerala and unfortunately it’s popularity shows. In my mind I had envisaged the back waters to be narrow, impossibly scenic and with little sign of human activity. The reality however, as always, was different to the tourist boards cleverly crafted image. The canels were at times impossibly scenic being narrow and lined with palm trees, paddy fields and the occasional shack, however they were also often wide and surrounded by open flood plains which looked more like the Norfolk broads (thanks Peter for this comparison) on a good day than tropical backwaters. One of the most shocking and disappointing things was the scale of tourism on the river, in many places restaurants, massage parlours, drink shops etc lined the bank for as far as the eye could see, so the cruise at times hardly felt like the quiet, relaxing getting away from all it experience I expected. Worst still though was the number of boats on the river, at times the river felt a little like the congested, noisy and manic streets of Delhi, For as far as the eye could see you could see boats, boats and more boats, I imagine there are a fair few crashes each year. However, despite the drawbacks and despite the experience not being exactly what I had envisaged I had a great time and did do manage to some some serious relaxing and snoozing. The food cooked by our attentive crew was great, a few of us picked up some gigantic tiger prawns from traders on the banks of the river and had these marinated and cooked perfectly tandoor style for dinner. We also saw a fair bit of birdlife on the river including plenty of beautiful multi coloured kingfishers. Our boats were fantastic, we had two large double decker boats which were covered on the outside in a traditional and pretty thatched roof style but contained modern facilities underneath such as spacious a/c rooms, large comfortable dining rooms and comfortable and spacious seating/relaxation areas. Finally, if you get 20 up for it people on a boat and give them far too much alcohol and free time you can be sure there will be a big party and an even bigger hangover. For most of us the best/worst part of the trip was the morning, worst because of the brutal hangover most had and also the spicy curry they served for breakfast (what a mean and brutal way to start the day, especially with a hangover!), but best because of the stunning views watching the sunrise over rice paddies and palm trees while we glided gently through the calm blue water. Would I recommend a cruise on the backwaters? Well yes I would but I would also advise people on what they should expect and perhaps look at cruises on quieter/more scenic areas of the river.



Next back to the beach in hippy happy Varkala

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Comments

[joan]

there is more than more than two of us reading your blog111111 carry on