Kerala Day 4 – We Are Sailing!

We woke to the sound of Indian cuckoo’s and bullfrogs and the sight of beautiful flowers in the hotel grounds, a relaxed hotel in a forest, on the outskirts of Thekkady. Breakfast was a very funny affair – buffet Indian style, served by a very gay young waiter who called us “my lovelies” and enjoyed having his derriere slapped by his colleagues 😄

Back on the road to the famous Alleppey, home to Kerala backwaters (a backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current) and our houseboat. The journey took a few hours, again passing through tea plantations, where pickers were wearing umbrella hats to protect themselves from the 30c sun. We were entertained by massive cow in a trailer being taken for a ride, for some reason we found that odd and hilarious, but this is Anything Goes India…..

Very soon the green plantations gave way to flat canal filled plains with large waterfront houses. We arrived at the boatyard to be greeted by the owner of the company, who showed us around his 100 year old family home before showing us onto one of his boats. The company own five boats of varying sizes, all used to be grain storage and transportation boats, now repurposed as luxury houseboats.

We were accompanied by a driver, chef and waiter, and were shown to our rooms! Another WOW moment!!!! Two large bedrooms and bathrooms, a lounge with floor to ceiling windows, upstairs dining room with a viewing deck at the front, a bathroom but also a jacuzzi and steam cabinet!!! Roll on relaxing!

Lunch was served as we pulled away, lots of fresh salads, fish, calamari, chicken, rice and fresh fruits! Out to the deck to admire the Riverside views, constantly grinning to ourselves when passers-by waved or listening to sounds coming from houses, churches, fields, birds and the river.

Kingfishers, egrets, kites and herons everywhere, as well as flying/jumping fish, fishermen, washer women, and children on bikes on the riverbanks.

We moored up in the evening, David and Graham went for a walk into the paddy fields whilst Di and I had a spa session! By the time we had all changed, dinner was served, another feast of chicken, sauces, rice, potato, salads and vegetables, followed by warm sweet homemade rice pudding. We all slept like babies that night, it was so quiet and dark, the boat slightly moving, rocking us to sleep.