Post by harris26 on Nov 7, 2007 3:16:14 GMT -5
Summer vacations are round the corner and making itineraries entails detailed planning. Working parents need to 'apply-for-leave', calculate expenses depending on the destination, which is another area of difficulty and most importantly, get advance bookings of trains and hotels. it’s a pain to get into huge crowds of tourists when what you really yearn for during vacations is a quite cosy corner in the world. During summers, the snow-bound Northern India thaws, attracting thousands of visitors. Not a very aluring option for the peace-seekers! The best alternative would be to fly against the migratory route of birds and head southwards.
Out of the five states lying south of Maharashtra, Kerala has the charm and grandeur which equals natural beauties distributed over the globe. Kerala boasts of the beaches of Hawaii, the vales of Switzerland, the wildlife of Africa, the festivals of Spain, the boat races of Singapore, the waterfalls of North America, the health resorts of Phuket and the backwaters of Venice. Out of all these heavenly places, the interconnected backwaters mesmerise you the most and take you closest to the lives of Keralites.
The Backwaters
The backwaters in Kerala are in fact a network of rivers, streams, creeks, lagoons, canals and tanks that occupy the alluvial plain between the Indian Ocean and the Western Ghats and run the length along the coast from Kollam (Quilon) to Kochi (Cochin). Lined by coconut palms and paddy fields, the backwaters give an almost uniquely quite view of the village life in Kerala, impossible to get while travelling by road.However, reclamation for agriculture, fish and shrimp farming has destroyed most of the mangrove forests.
The tour
The backwater trip is an idyllic experience for tourists, dissolving the multifarious problems that locals face. Boat trips on traditional long or motorised ferries along the backwaters of Kerala provide one of the most delightful tours in India. If you are residing at Kochi, an hour and a half bus journey from the local bus terminus brings you to Alappuzha (Alleppey) which is the headquarters of Kerala's choir industry and also a centre for excellent cashew nuts. From here you have a variety of destinations to select, Kollam, Kochi or Kottayam.The typical journey on a motor boat lasts over 8 hours from Alappuzha (Alleppey) to Kollam (Quilon). If this may seem too long, then you could opt for shorter trips to Changanacherry or Kottayam. Near Kochi too 5-6 hours could be spent in a calm dugout canoe. Alternatively you could enjoy a romantic moonlit overnight trip in a kettuvellam style houseboat. However, the 29km ride, taking three hours, to Kottayam is the most popular of all. The ambiances and the kind of peace been offered by the “Gods own Country” has made people from every part of the world to be an owner of at least one Kerala apartment.
Out of the five states lying south of Maharashtra, Kerala has the charm and grandeur which equals natural beauties distributed over the globe. Kerala boasts of the beaches of Hawaii, the vales of Switzerland, the wildlife of Africa, the festivals of Spain, the boat races of Singapore, the waterfalls of North America, the health resorts of Phuket and the backwaters of Venice. Out of all these heavenly places, the interconnected backwaters mesmerise you the most and take you closest to the lives of Keralites.
The Backwaters
The backwaters in Kerala are in fact a network of rivers, streams, creeks, lagoons, canals and tanks that occupy the alluvial plain between the Indian Ocean and the Western Ghats and run the length along the coast from Kollam (Quilon) to Kochi (Cochin). Lined by coconut palms and paddy fields, the backwaters give an almost uniquely quite view of the village life in Kerala, impossible to get while travelling by road.However, reclamation for agriculture, fish and shrimp farming has destroyed most of the mangrove forests.
The tour
The backwater trip is an idyllic experience for tourists, dissolving the multifarious problems that locals face. Boat trips on traditional long or motorised ferries along the backwaters of Kerala provide one of the most delightful tours in India. If you are residing at Kochi, an hour and a half bus journey from the local bus terminus brings you to Alappuzha (Alleppey) which is the headquarters of Kerala's choir industry and also a centre for excellent cashew nuts. From here you have a variety of destinations to select, Kollam, Kochi or Kottayam.The typical journey on a motor boat lasts over 8 hours from Alappuzha (Alleppey) to Kollam (Quilon). If this may seem too long, then you could opt for shorter trips to Changanacherry or Kottayam. Near Kochi too 5-6 hours could be spent in a calm dugout canoe. Alternatively you could enjoy a romantic moonlit overnight trip in a kettuvellam style houseboat. However, the 29km ride, taking three hours, to Kottayam is the most popular of all. The ambiances and the kind of peace been offered by the “Gods own Country” has made people from every part of the world to be an owner of at least one Kerala apartment.