Day 16: Thekkady - Alleppey (or Alappuzha) 3 October 2017

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Day 16: Thekkady - Alleppey (or Alappuzha) 3 October 2017







This morning, we drove to Alleppey (130 km/ 3.5 hrs approx). The drive was moving down the tea-covered slopes, again, admiring the scenery the deep valleys offered.







Upon arrival, we boarded the traditional rice boat, which offered an on-suite bedroom with fan and air conditioner. It had everything we needed on board – fridge, hot water, dining room, a large balcony above the dining room, a chef, captain and 2 waiters for the 4 of us.







Before we got onto the boat, Mohan took us to an alcohol outlet, all of which are owned and controlled by the government. We saw a line of men in front of the non-premium grilled-secured counter, buying cheap spirits and beer. There was also a secured premium wine outlet which sold a more diverse range of beer, wine and all spirits. Mohan told us that the line of men buying grog was usually half a kilometre long. Incredible.







For the next 24 hours, we sailed through and explored Kerala's backwaters. It was an enchanting journey across sun-dappled backwaters on a kettuvallom, the fully furnished traditional rice boats. Rightly called the ‘Venice of the East’, this verdant area surrounded by coconut plantations is famous for its narrow maze of canals and backwaters. Hence, it is known as the "Venetian Capital" of Kerala. We were ready to float through the placid waters passing palm fringed canals, lakes and villages.







After settling in on the boat, we all went upstairs where there was a beautiful breeze. Debbie and David were good company and we always had lots to chat about while we watched the village life sail by. It was very pleasant and a wonderful way to spend our second last day in southern India. We noted there was a reasonable amount of hyacinth floating in the water. In some areas it was really thick.











We were then called down to a scrumptious lunch – Indian of course. We had some spicy local grilled fish which was excellent. This was accompanied by Kerala rice (which is big, fat grained rice), spicy vegetables, spicy pineapple vegetable dish to mention a few.







On one stage of our houseboat experience, the 4 of us transferred into a wooden canoe along with a British couple who was on another houseboat. We had to really duck very low to get under the very low bridge to enter the small canals. These canals were the transport waterways for the villagers so we saw many examples of village life. Women were washing dishes and clothes in the water, uniform-clad children were coming home from school by boat, animals were grazing along the edge of the water. Houses were a mixture of very stylish to make-ship humpies. It was fascinating to take it all in.







As soon as we got back on the boat, we were offered tea and coffee but as it was 4ish in the afternoon and our beer and wine had been in the freezer for a couple of hours, we chose the colder options. It was beautiful floating along sipping some Sula Sauvignon Blanc or Kingfisher beer, both local drinks. It was a touch time but we agreed that someone had to do it!!!! Our waiters provided us with battered bananas. The fruit had been fantastically sweet in southern India, particularly paw paw, pineapple and banana. We have also enjoyed wood apple and some citrus fruits.







We were then treated a sumptuous dinner of local delicacies at around 7.00pm. We watched the sunset over the waters with the palm trees dotted along the narrow strips of land. The pilot them pulled up against one of the banks where we were staying for the night. It was an absolutely beautiful evening and we enjoyed our time, leaving the boat lights off until it became very dark. What a great time!







Alleppey (or Alappuzha), where all these houseboats come from, is the administrative headquarters of of Kerala state. Alappuzha is a city and a municipality in Kerala with an urban population of less than 200,000 and third among the districts having highest literacy rate in Kerala. In 2016, Centre for Science and Environment rated Alappuzha as the top cleanest town in India. We were really impressed when comparing the area with other areas of India. Alappuzha is the oldest planned city in this region and the lighthouse built on the coast of the city is the first of its kind along the Laccadive Sea coast.



It is an important tourist destination in India. The Backwaters of Alappuzha are the most popular tourist attraction in Kerala.



Alappuzha is home to the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising against the British and the revolt against the Feudal Raj. Communist Party members were killed by the army of the diwan, 200 people at Punnapra on 24 October and more than 150 at Vayalar on 27 October. The total loss of life is allegedly estimated to be more than a thousand.



The name Ᾱlappuzha is a toponym. ‘Ᾱlam’ means ‘water’ and ‘puzha’ means ‘watercourse’ or ‘river’, according to Dr. Herman Gundert’s dictionary. The name refers to the network of waterways and backwaters that Alappuzha and surrounding areas are famous for. Puzhai' in Tamil means gateway or window. This might have been the original meaning in ancient Malayalam too.



The backwaters and wetlands host thousands of migratory birds, ducks (which they also farm) and cormorants every year, which reach here from long distances. A major feature of the area is the region called Kuttanad, the 'granary of Kerala'. Kuttanad is also known as the rice bowl of Kerala and is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.



We saw this rice bowl of Kerala, with its paddy fields, small streams and canals with lush green coconut palms, was well known even from the early periods of the history of the region. History says Alappuzha had trade relations with ancient Greece and Rome in the Middle Ages.



The greater-Backwater is made up of Vembanad Lake, where six major rivers spread out before joining the 80-km coast line of the district. The city of Alappuzha is crisscrossed by a system of canals, which is a part of the National Waterway of India.



The district is a sandy strip of land intercepted by lagoons, rivers and canals. There are no mountains or hills in the district except some scattered. There is no forest area in this district.



Owing to its proximity to the sea, the climate of Alappuzha is humid and hot during the summer, although it remains cool and pleasant during the months of October and November. The average monthly temperature is 27C. The district gets the benefit of two seasonal monsoons, as in other parts of the state.



The Literacy rate of Alappuzha stands at 96.26%! (MISSING)The population is predominantly Hindu and Christian, and there are sizeable numbers of Muslims. The most widely spoken language is Malayalam, although many people speak Tamil, and Konani.



Interestingly, the large farming areas near Vembanad Lake were reclaimed from the lake. In earlier times, the reclamation was done mainly from the shallow part of the Lake or from the periphery of river Pamba. These reclamations constituted small areas of paddy fields called Padsekharam. The bailing out of water from those fields were done manually using water wheels (Chakram). Gradually the manual method used for bailing out of water gave way to steam engines.



Three stages can be identified in the reclamation of lands from the Vembanad Lake. In the first stage it was carried out by private entrepreneurs without any financial support from the part of the government. The Pattom Proclamation, made by the Travancore Kingdom in the year 1865, gave a great boost to the reclamation activities between 1865 and 1890. During this period de-watering of the polders were done manually, using waterwheels, restricting large-scale reclamations. Only about 250 hectares of land were reclaimed during this period. The period between 1865 and 1890 is usually considered as the first phase of lake-cultivation.



The introduction of kerosene engines for dewatering resulted in the reclamation of wider areas of the lake for cultivation. It made the farmers consider venturing into the deeper parts of the lake.



The second phase (1890 to 1903) of reclamation activities came to a halt because of the ban on lake reclamation imposed by the Madras Government in 1903. Cherukali Kayal, Rama Rajapuram Kayal, Aarupanku Kayal, Pantharndu Panku kayal and Mathi Kayal were the other major reclamations during this period.



In 1912, the Madras Government approved a proposal from the Travencore Government for further reclamations in three stages. Under this reclamation scheme areas were notified for reclamation in blocks each named by an alphabet letter. Out of the total area of 19,500 acres of reclaimed land 12,000 acres were reclaimed between 1913 and 1920.



Due to the steep decline in the price of rice during 1920 to 1940, the reclamation activities became sluggish, but they gained momentum again in the early 1940s. During this period, to increase the agricultural output, government initiated a Grow More Food campaign and provided incentives to encourage new reclamations. The advent of electric motors made the reclamation easier, cheaper and less risky as compared to the earlier periods.



It was a very interesting area and the most enjoyable 24 hours. We arrived back to our starting point from the houseboat at Kumarakom and Mohan found us and loaded our suit cases in the van. We then drove to our accommodation for the last night of our travels.

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