Saturday, August 30, 2008

Alleppey: Where I experienced bliss

Destination profile: Allepey(also called Alappuzah)

State: Kerela

Travel: Munnar to Allepey

Distance: 150 kms

Mode: Cab

Number of days: 2 days

Allepey also called Venice of the East was on my radar since long. I picked it up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my parents. And how apt it was to celebrate the occasion in the wildreness amidst serence back waters.

We left Munnar for Alleppey at around 7 am.

(Started from Munnar, early morning 7 am)


( Leaving the valley of Munnar towards Cochin )


(Winding road downwards)


Food is a problem at Munnar. We didnt like the food there. It smells coconut in all dishes. We struggled to get good breakfast and had to contend in a rustic dhaba that served idiappam and egg curry.

The road from Munnar to Allepey is awesome. The circuitous road passes through thick and deep jungle of the Western Ghats. I was enjoying sitting beside the driver in the front seat and witnessing the blind curves that were revealing mystery at each turn. A stream here, a waterfall there would suddenly pop up.
Jungle. Deep jungle

It was mesmerizing. I would recommend anyone planning for Munnar and Alleppey to drive around this road(Munnar-Cochin road) and you would thank me for it. You would also be treated to some really pretty houses and castles across the stretch on this road.

Reached Allepey houseboat jetty
We were thrown into excitement to see a long queue of pretty looking housing boats adorning the jetty. I hadnt seen a houseboat before. The officials through whom we had booked the boats online reached us and took us to the boat.
It was beautiful!!!

Houseboats


On the boat dock with family!

The living space of the boat!. isnt it lovely?




The cozily laid bedroom in the boat that would beat any star hotels on comfort and experience factor.
The crew members who made sure we enjoyed the experience to the fullest

Crusing royally across the backwaters!




Amidst the rustic villages



And then we were served lunch. And we were so hungry. Sea food was awesome! and we gorged on it.



The corridors of the houseboat

The boatman cum guide posing for us.

This shot was exquisite. Picture perfect.





Mirror image ;)


And then witnessed the sun set.



Light out. Sleeping time. And it was lovely to experience that. The boat was docked amidst the waters. And we spent the night in the water. We could hear the drums and activity in the far village. An occasional sputter in the waters that the playful fish made. I kept observing these moments realising that they wont be there tomorrow.

And then dawn broke to the chirping of birds and the shining of water. I rushed out of my bed to capture the moments. It was heavenly. And exciting to find yourself waking amidst water. I shrieked like a kid.




A boatman came upto us and delivered some fresh fish again for the ensuing day.



Mom and dad still on bed overseeing the water outside


Breakfast ready: idiappam, chole, and pineapple juice.



Back to the jetty. Dissapointment on our faces :(

Alleppey beach. It is one of the beach that is so clean and virgin. You must visit. We couldnt spend more time there.

We ended our tip visiting a local coir factory.
Other places to visit at Alleppey:

21 comments:

Prasanna Seshadri said...

Oh this's is great, I haven't been to these places, but this blog brings everything, cool....

Ravi Kumar said...

Thanks Prasanna!

Saurav Chakraborty said...

Brilliant Photos.Especially the photo of the two Coconut Trees on that small Island....was BLISS!!!

STOPNOT THE WANDERLUST!!!

ബൈജു (Baiju) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ബൈജു (Baiju) said...

Nice snaps man! I liked all the snaps, especially—Gulmohar (fire of the forest/poovaka), pearlspot fry (our Karimeen!), and Idiyappam. (Idiyappam+river-fish curry, what a combination!)

Thanks for sharing this….

—Baiju

Ravi Kumar said...

Thanks Byju! I know its your place and I am jealous to know that your native is Alleppey.

Lakshmi said...

Hi

Great post and a great blog..congrats..Im glad that Im able to do my little bit in the blogging world..though I am active only recently..thanks for dropping in and reading my posts..look forward to the rest

Girl With Big Eyes said...

Hey great shots. Especially the last one. Nice view of the ubiquitous coconut tree!

Ravi Kumar said...

Thanks Girl. It was that one moment when I looked up and found something worth capturing. And it came out good!

Shammi said...

Beautiful photos, gorgeous scenery! Kerala is STUNNING! How much does a houseboat cruise/stay cost? I would love to take my husband there!

rupankar said...

Hi,
This refers your comment on my blog seven-sisters.blogspot.com. Thanks for taking time to read them. Your pictures brought me back the memories of my own trip down the backwaters of Allepey.

Unfortunately I could not publish the comments as you have posted it with an URL. Most bloggers would reject such comment as it is considered a cheap way to buld links. As you have the same content as mine -- extensive travelling in India -- we can go for mutual link exchange.

You have a nice blog and If you are interested in link exchange, pl link my blog and let me know so that I can reciprocate.

rups33-blog@yahoo.co.in

Ravi Kumar said...

Thanks Rups for linking me. Hope to have a great time travelling and sharing!

soleil said...

Great pictures and looks like a wonderful holiday. Am planning to go to Allepey and stay in one of those houseboats. WOuld you mind telling me how you booked them online? Which website was it?

Ravi Kumar said...

Hi Meena,

It was through http://www.keralagreenery.org/ that I booked the housebaoat. They have wonderful worldclass service.

Preetha Biju said...

Hi,

Very nice and appreciable. Nice packages.

Best regards
www.eitctours.com

harimohan said...

dear ravi
that was a wonderful gift to ur parents theydeserved it
my post on the boat trip
http://hariwrite.blogspot.com/2008/04/house-boat-bliss.html

Amod said...

Hi Dear
Thanks for your good blog. and nice picture.
Kerala is one of the most famous tourist attractions of India.Kerala, also popularly known as God's Own Country", is a beautiful state of India. Kerala is globally famous for beaches and backwaters. We are also provide this type of information. plz visit. South India Holiday Packages

HelloandNamaste said...

Allepey or Alappuzha is such a beautiful place, you shouldn't miss it if you go to Kerala. There are many places to visit in Allepey or Alappuzha. For Edathua Church, Krishnapuram Palace, Chambakulam, etc... to name few places.

Unknown said...

Alleppey, as I knew it was beautiful. I was born there and now plan to return after an absence of 50 years. My children all born overseas have been pushing me to take them to my place of birth.I ts all planned and we are heading that way soon

Aiden William said...

I am interested in several points in this article. I have had to put on my thinking cap to take in and consider some of this original thinking. Thank you for sharing this useful information.

Anonymous said...

Thnkx for the post it is really very helpful. I want to talk to you regarding this as I also want to visit there. Can you give me your mail Id so that I can contact you?
Mine is soumendebnath.cs@gmail.com

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