Kerala deserves a blog: Part II

If you are still here, then you are really jobless. But maybe this time, let me help you get a glimpse of Kerala from my own eyes. Trust me, whatever you have heard about it is a lot less, no words can remotely describe the picturesque Kerala.

So after all this ordeal (Part I), we finally reached Alleppey. You get down from bus, and the first thing you will notice is the horde of autowallas acting like pimps to get you into their commissioned houseboat. But barring this, peace is all that awaits you.

It all starts in Alleppey beach

The first place we visited was Alleppey beach, trust me I have been to several beaches but the water here feels pristine, clear blue water and white sand make a happy couple. We reached the place early morning which helped us evade crowd and well as the grumpy noon-Sun. This just sets the mood for a prefect experience

A day in heaven

Yes!! you read it right, trust me there is zero exaggeration. If some view can put you in a transfix I bet you can find a lot of them in Alleppey. I have been to a lot of places in Kerala but whenever people used to say God's own country blah blah blah.. "rolling eyes" was the best expression I can come up with. But I think my quest for the tag maybe have come to an end after experiencing Alleppey. The place is not just to see but to experience.

Knocking on Heaven's door

Alleppey houseboat starts from "Finishing point", I think a lot of irony has gone into the nomenclature. It is some 3Km from YMCA point (where you get down from bus). You can wait in some resting points till your houseboat crew will guide you to the boat. All the crew members are trained to be as amicable as they can, felt like you have to hit to get a NO from them. Don't think I need to say much about the houseboat decor, the pictures below will suffice. The houseboat had 2 proper bedrooms with all meals included, food was really good. Even we bought few more fish from a toddy shop (yes we bengali's even fantasize our macher-jhol)

Geography revisited

Ok for those who have come this far without even knowing what back-water is, it is for them . Other's can snigger and skip

The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast) of Kerala state in southern India, as well as interconnected canals, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 kilometres (560 mi) of waterways, and sometimes compared to American bayous.^{[3]Kerala Backwaters.}

Yes, I know Wikipedia doesn't help. So in plain and simple english, Kerala backwaters are network of lake water bodies where water comes back from river and finally merges into the ocean

Unveil the charm

Once the boat starts and covers some 30 min you get this view. Now can this get any more serene. Still water canals with small boats ferrying, palm trees lined up neatly along the banks, lush green paddy fields on both sides, clear blue sky. What else can you ask for !!

In our so-called "busy metro life", you see bikes and car parked next to house, but how often do you see canoes parked next to home. How can anyone not want to trade their lifestyle with this. Here you will find all the families having a canoe parked next, and it is their very-own-car, even Kerala has this public boats with strategically designed "water" stops which serve as public transport.

Just when you will get tired of appreciating the greenery, Alleppey decided to offer something new. It just came of with some really colour-contrasting and immaculate churches on the banks.

If pure blue water and clear blue sky gets the nature lover out of you, then Kerala is your place. Even the best clothing/fashion designer can go weak on their knees seeing the number of green shades in a single capture.

Trivia

You need to keep you camera handy, because you never know when the birds here start posing for you.

Conclusion

Thankfully I could finally make to this trip considering the ordeal faced before it. This trip will be special and will have some lifelong memories. Finally there will be one more guy saying "Kerala: God's own country".