A good nights’ sleep, and a bus to catch for the most anticipated part of our trip, Allepey, or as it is now referred to as Alappuzha Our morning at Fort Kochi started off on an adventurous note. We ended up missing our bus stop and the wait to catch another bus literally took ages!!
We had planned to reach Alleppey before 11 AM, in order to catch the government-run-ferry. Time was of the essence.
From figuring out, where to stand in order to catch a bus for Alleppey by confirming multiple times with different people, we finally made it.
[Related: Travelogue: The Kochi Chapter]
Ferry boats, Shikaras, and colorful houseboats greeted us, along with hordes of boatwaalas asking us to take their boats instead.
On time for the Government boat, with a ticket costing 400 INR, we started off our ride. Alleppey to Kollam in nearly 8 Hours, with two stops for meals. Awesomeness was expected, and it was indeed what we got to see.
The backwaters. If you’re wondering, what is a Backwater?
A backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current. It refers either to a branch of a main river, which lies alongside it and then rejoins it, or to a body of water in a main river, backed up by an obstruction such as the tide or a dam.
The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast.
From what I had imagined the backwaters in my head, the view definitely did justice to it. And yet, the feeling of being in the midst of the green serenity was just pure bliss.
Our eyes turned into cameras, capturing the green and colorful. Of course, cameras gave them company too. Waving to the street children along the banks and rushing around the deck to get the best view kept everyone in the boat busy.
The locals could be seen rowing their boats around like it was just another day. While the fishermen were busy in readying their ships as these fishing net gateways welcomed us.
Along with this, one could see the birds scattered around our boats, as we moved along to our destination, Kollam.
This bird watching experience as they fly behind the boat was pure bliss. The video isn’t clear but the view is still fresh in my head.
In between, we stopped for lunch. Eating an all-vegetarian Kerala meal with its boiled rice, curries and vegetables, was a unique experience. Definitely not my first Kerala meal experience, but eating it there was quite nice. A stamp of authority, maybe?
By the time we reached Kolam, we were tired but the experience was inspiring enough to keep us upbeat.
The trip didn’t end here but got extended to another day. How ?