Quilon Backwaters:
Quilon is nestled among cashew plantations and red-roofed wooden house set
among winding streets. It has Portuguese and Dutch and English influences.
The boat cruise here consists of passing through the cashew processing factories.
There are lots of birds to watch out for - Brahminy kites, egrets, kingfishers,
and bee-eaters. You can tickle your taste buds with some sumptuous seafood.
Prawn farming, fish catching, copra drying and matchstick making are the
main occupations here. After the cruise you can get off at the Government
Guest house at Ashtamudi center by the water's edge. There are large Chinese
pickle jars, old lithographs of British times, old willow pattern plates
that give you feel of its past. Matha Restaurant near the jetty is really
cheap and serves up spiced chicken to the local laborers. Jala Subhiksha
is Kollam's floating restaurant. The KTDC Yatri Niwas is a great riverside
hotel with a pleasant water front lawn. Palm Lagoon is an idyllic resort
offering cottages on the shores of Ashtamudi Lake. There are more backwater
tours and ayurvedic massages.
Alappuzha Backwaters:
The Alappuzha area is a place that coaxes you to let your hair down. The
canals here form a web that serves the coir industry. There is nothing
much here by way of sightseeing, but if you plan your trip around the
second Saturday of August each year, you'll be in time for the Nehru Cup
snakeboat race, an adrenaline-pumping local event. Low slung chundan vellams
or snake boats are decorated and it is rowed by up to 100 people. Alappuzha
is known for its lazy cruises where you can float looking at the palm
trees reflected in the green cool waters.
Kottayam Backwaters:
The other major place here that you must visit is Kottayam, focus for
the Syrian Christians of India, and also the heart of rubber production.
Kottayam's backwater cruise is shorter than Allapuzha's. There are elegant
Syrian Christian churches that date back to antiquity - some are more
than 500 years old. The Kumarakom bird sanctuary on Vembanad Lake is 16km
west of Kottayam in a rubber plantation of yore. Waterfowl and other species
can be spotted as they flutter about here. Several luxury resorts have
opened here.
Aranmula Backwaters:
As you take a cruise do make it a point to go to Changanacherry and from
there to Aranmula near Kottayam. You can enroll at the art village, Vijnana
kala Vedi center, to learn woodcarving, dance, martial arts like Kalaraipayattu,
and traditional medicine. You can fashion your own course though one month's
training is preferred. You can take in an authentic all-night Kathakali
performance at Thiruvalla. There are daily cruises from the Alleppey Tourist
Development Corporation on alternate days. Many hotels in Komala Road
Allapuzha book these. Cruises some of them by private operators start
at 10.30 a.m. and reach by 6.30 p.m. The two stops are a midday lunch
stop and a brief tea stop at Ayirmthengu or the coir village a mandatory
stop.
Amrithapuri Backwaters:
Boats also drop you off at the Mata Amritanandamayi Mission at Amrithapuri,
the headquarters of Amritanandamayi Ma, the female mystic. Some opt to
stay here. The Kumarakody temple is also en route as is the Karumadi Kuttan
Buddha image on the bank of the canal.
Kettuvelloms and Speedboats:
For the best experience there is no option but to try out the more expensive
option--- hiring a kettuvellam or traditional rice barge. There are houseboats
if you've booked a group tour. Houseboats cater to couples as well with
double bedrooms. Overnight stays allow you to make the Kollam-Alappuzha
in two days. It moors in the backwaters overnight. Optionally, Malayali
food can be cooked for you at a small extra cost.
Kerala Backwater Tour, India Tours - Reservation Form
