houseboat
one of many canals. February 2010
Houseboat - Kerala backwaters -- we did this for 3 days. Kind of nice, but not as fantastic as it was made out to be
After a good time in Kochi, we were looking forward to one of the famous houseboat tours of the backwaters of Kerala. The problem was that with limited time it was hard to arrive in Kochi and line up a tour (which could be bargained for and the boats inspected). We found an agency online and just went for it. We knew we were paying a lot more than we should, but it was vacation and we just wanted to relax. It was India, after all, the land that gratefully accepts your rupees even if the price has been dramatically inflated.
We hoped we could travel from Kochi town the whole way to Kollam in the south by boat, but as it turned out, we rode in a transfer taxi at least halfway down Vembanad Lake (the huge interior lagoon of Kerala, the longest lake in India and the largest in the state). That was our first disappointment. We quickly got over it and finally arrived at the houseboat. We were not overwhelmed with luxury (that is putting it mildly), but we really only wanted to relax. Brian had a small meltdown over no internet access, but when he realized "it was what it was", he agreed to chill out for a couple of days (which he needed). We started down the lake and passed by a row of huge "Chinese Fishing Nets", large stationary nets that could be dipped into the water to catch fish. It was quite dramatic. The boat chugged along slowly and we were offered some nice food and drink. Maybe it was going to be ok after all?
We reached Allepey later that day and hit our first road bump. "Something was wrong with the boat" (we didn't notice anything) and they transferred us to a different boat. The second boat actually was a little better, but in the end it was all a bother and Brian was mightily pissed off. We were a captive audience - our bargaining position was very weak. We bade farewell to our first crew of half a day and greeted a second one. Then we set off deep into the canals of the backwaters as the sun set. We would sleep in the backwaters for two nights. The nights were absolutely dark and silent. Brian was having a very difficult time disconnecting. Life was overwhelming him and he couldn't get into the vacation. This was not the same travel partner who I circled the globe with several times - everything bothered him. I was starting to realize something was horribly wrong. I slept terribly and even woke up with a night terror.
After two days we got back to Alleppey and cruised down the main canal to Kollam. That was the most disappointing part of the trip and it made up a big chunk of the distance traveled. The canal was mainly industrial and we floated by factory after factory. Some nice villages still existed, but we wondered how anyone could swoon over one of these houseboat itineraries. The food, by the way, was mediocre at best. We had eaten VERY WELL in Kochi (Keralite cuisine is my favorite in India), so the boat food seemed unimaginative and bland. I think this was when we realized that devoting the time to arriving in Alleppey (the main starting point for the cruises), viewing a lot of boats, and making an exact itinerary would have ensured a better trip. I am sure other travelers had fabulous houseboat tours - ours was unfortunately extremely unremarkable and we paid a lot for it.
When we arrived in Kollam, Brian was ready to change our plane tickets and leave a couple of days early. In all the years I knew him, he had never suggested bailing on a trip. I was shocked. I told him it was not worth the expense and that he should relax. We asked the boat people to book us a car to get to Trivandrum. We were done with the train (or rather Brian was). A stop at Varkala Beach [see: Varkala Beach] was included on the way. I hoped something would go right in those last couple of days - it really never did. How ironic that the guy who insisted I visit India years before and caused me to fall in love with the country was now thoroughly sick of it and just wanted to leave.
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