by Vinoo Robert,
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on the net: http://www.houseboatskerala.asia
INDIA, Jan 01 — Found: Kerala, India’s southernmost state and its most literate, flanked on its western side by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats on its Eastern border. Christened by Bill Mc Kibben, as a `paradise found’, who called Kerala one of the 50 best destinations in the World, Kerala is known by its befitting sobriquet, `God’s Own Country’.
Region: The Vembanad Lake, the surrounding `backwaters’, a network of lagoons lakes and rivers and the towns of Alleppey and Kumarakom. The journey is at a leisurely pace and is a great way to explore the area and life of the people who live beside the backwaters
Found: Kerala, India’s southernmost state and its most literate, flanked on its western side by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats on its Eastern border. Christened by Bill Mc Kibben, as a `paradise found’, who called Kerala one of the 50 best destinations in the World, Kerala is known by its befitting sobriquet, `God’s Own Country’.
Region: The Vembanad Lake, the surrounding `backwaters’, a network of lagoons lakes and rivers and the towns of Alleppey and Kumarakom. The ideal boarding point to go a cruise many consider, `a journey of a lifetime’ is Alleppey. Once an ancient commercial port, Alleppey lies 77 kms away from Cochin, Kerala’s commercial capital.
Description Locally called `kettuvallom’, a Kerala houseboat is a huge wooden boat, the hull made with planks of the Wild Jack Tree. These planks are stitched together and bathed in fish oil to ensure longevity and to make it entirely leak proof. It took its present form as a modern day updation and adaptation of the old `rice boats’, boats used to ferry items of daily use between houses living on the many islands cut away from the mainland.
The modern day Houseboat ranges up to 70 feet and weigh more than 50 tons and has bedrooms, toilets, a sundeck, a kitchen and in some cases, conference halls too! houseboats are powered by an outboard engine but noticeably the sound is minimal. Houseboats come in various shapes; one bedroom, two, three, four, five and even ten bedroom houseboats are available, both in Alleppey and Kumarakom. Most houseboats today are fitted with Air-conditioning but the air cons are switched on only during the night. Food served on board consists of local Kerala cuisine. Breakfast, Lunch, Tea and Dinner is included in the cruise rates. Breakfast served is usually local cuisine though on a luxury houseboat continental breakfast is available.
Lunch includes a delicious smattering of fish and vegetables with rice and the dinner menu is also based on local cuisine. Ideally one should convey one’s meal preferences while making your booking. Houseboats are usually stocked with fruits, water and Beer though available on extra payment. Houseboat journeys include overnight journeys and hourly cruises. Journey options available are; Alleppey Round, which covers the Alleppey area, Kumarakom Round which covers the Kumarakom area and Alleppey - Kumarakom Round, which covers both areas. Houseboats cruises are also available from Thottapally,near Quilon, further south from Alleppey. Most travelers book an overnight cruise and a normal cruise has two stops, a stopover after lunch for a short while and overnight halt.
The overnight halt is usually in the vicinity of the huge Vembanad Lake, one of Asia’s largest water bodies, 240 sq km in size and home to a fragile wetland ecosystem called the Vembanad Kol. The journey is at a leisurely pace and is a great way to explore the area and life of the people who live beside the backwaters. Children running to school, women walking to the local market, men and women working in the paddy fields, country boats carrying items of daily use, the sound of music from the temples and churches, Cormorants sunbathing and a lone boatman cruising along, are all common vistas set against a verdant, palm fringed topography, making this a journey of a lifetime. Take a houseboat cruise sometime, one of the great journeys in your Indian holiday!
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Found: Kerala, India’s southernmost state and its most literate, flanked on its western side by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats on its Eastern border. Christened by Bill Mc Kibben, as a `paradise found’, who called
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