Our “Kerala Backwaters Houseboat Adventure”

January 2007 

Having made the decision to splurge and take a trip on one of the many houseboats that cruise the Kerala backwaters, we agreed we ought to do it with flair, so went out and bought a bottle of rum (that was the hard part, here in India, where alcohol stores are few and far between), some big bottles of soda, a dozen limes, a bunch of mint and a packet of sugar – all of the necessaries for enjoying mojitos as we cruised, in the sun, in the luxury of our own houseboat.  

Actually we had been asked, at the 11^th hour, if we would be willing to share the boat with a British, and an Australian, woman.  We agreed without hesitation, as we figured it would make for a livelier trip, and help reduce the exorbitant cost of the trip.  We were right on both counts.

 

On boarding our boat we were greeted with jasmine flower necklaces and fresh coconut juice in the shell, which we livened up with a generous splash of rum.  And off we set.  

 

My first order of business was to explore the boat.  It was lovely, albeit much the same as all of the others.  The boats are fashioned after the rice barges that have plied these waters for centuries, with thick, heavy wooden hulls.  They’re fairly big, ranging from 50 to 70 feet long, and 18 to 24 feet wide.  I guessed ours was on the smaller side, as it had only two guest bedrooms, where some have four, or even six, all with attached bathrooms.

 

What really differentiates one boat from another is the design of their woven palm frond canopies.  

These are quite beautiful, well crafted, with graceful lines and curves.  

I particularly liked the large ‘window’ openings along the sides, with the bamboo lattice-work frames – the perfect frame for pictures of the scenery as we drifted by.    

 

Having been shown to our ‘quarters’ by the captain, I started my tour with our room.  It was quite spacious and very comfortable, with a curtained window looking out onto the water, and a fan, which was helpful at night, when the evening breezes weren’t strong enough, even with the window wide open, to cool us down enough for a comfortable sleep.  The double bed was comfy – neither too hard nor too soft (as is so often the case in the places we stay...) – and boasted crisp, clean sheets and soft pillows (ahh!).   Our bathroom was bigger than I would have thought, and, best of all, clean.  With a flush toilet!

 

My next stop was the kitchen, which was towards the back of the boat.  Although it was small, I was glad to see it was very clean.   

The chef was there, already beginning to prepare lunch.  

He may have been surprised by my visit, but was clearly very proud of his kitchen, and happy to show it to me, even posing for photos.  

And the meals he prepared for us were some of the best we’ve had in India, and served with a flourish.  He’d make tea or coffee for us any time, and happily provided us with ice for our mojitos.  He was curious about the recipe and where we’d gotten it from.  What and where is ‘Cuba?’

At the very back of the boat were the staff ‘quarters’ – a couple of cupboards and a tiny bathroom.  I didn’t open any of the doors to those rooms... .  There were three staff members on our boat: the captain, the cook, and the go-for.  I wondered if they were all somehow related, as is often the case in India – whole families involved in whatever business or activity or shop they own.  They didn’t look much alike, so maybe not brothers, but brothers-in-law?  I didn’t ask.

 

Towards the front of the boat was the large open lounge-cum-dining area, where we spent most of our time. There was a comfortable stuffed couch and a couple of chairs, but we’d often sit on the wide railing of the boat, enjoying the little breeze, and the view.  Some of the boathouses do have upper decks with lounge chairs, but ours didn’t have that particular amenity.  Not sure we would have used it as all of us were sun-savvy, preferring the protection of the reed canopy.

 

The size of the houseboats limits their cruises to the larger, wider canals, which are plied by a veritable flotilla of similar houseboats.  Although we saw many of the same sights we had previously seen by canoe, our exalted status – and our height above water level - made us feel a little more like voyeurs and intruders.  

It looked like this guy had his boat all to himself.  It was one of many we passed, or were passed by.

 

We did get considerably further in the big boat than we had in the canoe, and saw some lovely buildings – and the odd glimpse of family life. 

  

We did have one fun exchange with a local fisherman, who was expertly and gracefully throwing his net out into the water.  We watched him for some time, intrigued.  He called out to our captain, asking him if we wanted to give it a try.  One of our boat-mates said ‘yes’, and she was ferried ashore in a little boat.  Despite her best efforts at mimicking the fisherman’s style, her attempts to throw the net out were, well, disastrous.  But it was great entertainment for all, especially the fisherman.  And he earned a few rupees for the fun.

Fortunately our boat-mates were good conversationalists, well-travelled, with great adventure stories, and loads of fun.  So we all sat back, drank more mojitos than we had planned – fortunately we’d brought adequate supplies! – and enjoyed being waited on hand and foot as we cruised the Kerala backwaters in (relative) fat-cat style.  

For more information on the Kerala Backwaters and houseboats go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_backwaters