The Backwaters

This morning we got up and all headed to the beach. The tide was coming in and the waves were still pretty intense. But, Joel had a lot of fun braving the waves. Braden played in the sand some and then Lilly and I helped both boys wade out into the water. Gavin refused to wear a swimsuit so since no one else was on the beach we let him go skinny dipping! He had a blast. Barbie discovered a big pile of bones and flesh hidden in the sand a little ways down from us. I got a stick and poked around at it trying to figure out what it was. I told them all it was a cow, but to be honest, I have no idea and really hope I wasn’t poking around on a dead human’s body! The only pieces I recognized were the lower leg bones and they were the right size to be either animal or human. Yuck! We finished at the beach and headed to Allepey to get on a boat for a tour through the backwaters. The backwaters are a “bewildering labyrinth of shimmering waterways, composed of lakes, canals, rivers and rivulets…lined with dense tropical greenery” that “preserves rural Keralan lifestyles that are completely hidden from the road.” (Rough Guide to India) These backwaters are a 900 km network of waterways that many villagers still use for transportation. One item that is transported on these waterways is rice, which is put on a rice barge called a kettu vallam. Companies have made houseboats designed like the kettu vallam for tourists to ride on and see life on the backwaters. Most people take a 2-3 day trip, but with us having 2 small boys I thought it would be a big headache making sure neither boy fell overboard. So, we did a 5 hour lunch tour. I think the guide book describes our experience well…“Views change from narrow canals and dense vegetation to open vistas and dazzling green paddy fields. Homes, farms, churches, mosques and temples can be glimpsed among the trees, and every so often you might catch the blue flash of a kingfisher, or the green of a parakeet. Pallas fishing eagles cruise above the water looking for prey and cormorants perch on logs to dry their wings. Daily life continues on the water and the palm-fringed shorelines. Families subsist on tiny pockets of land, with just enough room for a simple house, yard and boat, and bathe and wash their clothes- sometimes their buffaloes, too- at the water’s edge. Powered both by gondolier-like boatmen with poles and by sail, kettu vallams glide past laden with heavyweight cargoes, and fishermen work from rowing boats or operate massive Chinese nets on the shore.” (Rough Guide to India) It was a beautiful boat ride and we got to see so many people in the daily humdrum of life on the backwaters. People were bathing, washing clothes and dishes, and just playing in the water. The scenery was beautiful. And, we did get to glimpse a few kingfisher birds! We put Gavin’s harness on to help keep him reigned in. The boat was set up really great though. On the first level were 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a big family room. The family room was completely walled in which was a great place for Braden to crawl around. It also had a tv and dvd player which Gavin appreciated during his nap time. Upstairs was a deck with lounge chairs to sit and view all the scenery from. There was a nice rain shower for about 30 minutes at the end of the ride which cooled everything off. It really was a great trip that we all enjoyed. The lunch was not so great, but who’s complaining ;) We left the backwaters and took another long car ride (straight roads!) back to Kochi to catch our flight back to Mumbai.