Spice Boat Cruises
I knew the moment I stepped aboard my boat for a cruise on the Keralan Backwaters that it would be a great experience. My crew of three, with ear to ear grins on their faces, waved a magic wand and life slipped into the ‘oh’ so relaxed’and laid back Backwaters lifestyle. Indeed, after a few days afloat I was reluctant to leave and continue with my tour of Kerala!
The Backwaters is the name given to a chain of brackish lagoons, 5 large lakes, 1500km of canals/waterways all fed by 38 rivers running virtually the length of the Keralan Malabar coastline. It has its own way of life –where the days follow the rhythm of the waters – the ebb and flow of life.
Today, taking a cruise along the Keralan Backwaters is a fascinating way of seeing this unique water based society with its small villages – hopefully protected behind strong walls -, remote cottages, usually precariously perched on the water’s edge and farms, all lining the water front. Every aspect of life is centred on the waters. Kids go to school by water taxi, commuters use the waterbuses to go back and forth to their office in the cities, housewives use the waters for their washing, and countless craft of all shapes and sizes ply the routes buying, selling and delivering goods.
The main craft, over the centuries used for carrying cargo, was called a kettvettalum – a rice/cargo vessel – and punted along by the crew with long bamboo poles. The advent of engines made life easier, but the poles were always carried in case of emergencies. Today converted traditional boats, propelled by 90hp engines, have become unique houseboats on the Backwaters taking travellers through the fascinating water landscape to peep into the life of the people and their watery homeland.
To keep up with demand new boats have been built, but, I was told, not many were truly authentic like mine from the cghearth group Spice Cruises – an original converted boat; many an hour aboard was spent spotting – original from replica – check out the windows! The boats are usually constructed from wooden planks joined and stitched together using coconut fibre ropes – normally the wood used is ‘Anjili. The roof is covered with bamboo poles and palm leaves.
My journey started when
I left the peaceful Coconut Lagoon hotel and boarded my sixty footer to explore the hidden byways and canals of the river complex. Within minutes of being shown around my comfortable en suite bedroom with a/c, the spacious sitting out area which doubled as the dining area and the very ergonomically designed kitchen – snacks were produced by Vince the cook who was also the First Mate and Captain when necessary. This was the start of an almost constant stream of food – prawns to die for, fresh fruit and coconut collected en route and scented curries.
Our Captain had the most amazing smile and was so relaxed that I felt, if I touched him, when on the helm up on the bow perched perilously on his seat, he would slowly topple off into the waters! No need to worry as when it came to seamanship, like all the crew brought up on the Backwaters he was first-class. We had great fun weaving in and out of the traffic of kettvettalum loaded with tourists as we were one of the smaller boats with only one cabin, some had up for 5 or six I believe, but all only had 90hp engines. Thus our trusty steed was in fact a racing filly as our lighter weight gave us a greater speed. You could see some of the other Captains, trying to coax a knot or two more out of their lumbering cart horses, but none could beat us! From the laughter and shouts as we sped by you could tell this was friendly banter and great fun for all. On a really plus note our extra zip meant we were first to the evening anchorages and could choose the best spot!
The days slipped by very quickly. After breakfast at anchor, the morning was spent pottering around the canals with the onboard Naturalist (crew member No 3) pointing out the various species of flora and fauna as we passed by……. coconut, cardamom, cinnamon and teak trees lined the shore. In the air darters, Brahmini kites, kingfishers and cormorants flew overhead. Whilst in the depths pearl spot fish, shrimps and prawns abound. Lunch was long and lazy and the crew slept after their exertions of the morning. I read my book, took photos of the riverbank and sipped fresh King Coconut milk. Later we continued exploring the Backwaters, the crew laughing and joking with passing fishermen and people on the riverbanks. Everyone seemed to know everyone here…
Anchoring was an amazing experience. A stout rope with an anchor was thrown overboard and allowed to run its full length. It floated I thought on the surface…….so, I mused how did it not get cut/run down by other vessels in the night? Easy answer. Apart from fishermen no night movements are allowed, so other vessels coming to anchor do so in daylight and can see the floating rope. Thus the reason why towards dusk all the houseboats raced (as fast as they could) to get to an anchorage……
On my final morning I had a small mishap – my camera memory card was full so I walked back to my cabin to download it onto my laptop; I popped open the clip and out leaped the card. I grabbed it and flung (accidentally) my camera into the water. Within a split second, after the splash, the Captain came running. I explained the problem and he dived straight in to see if he could find it followed by the rest of the crew – I need to mention we were at anchor…. What fun ensued as they dived into the murky depth – more for fun than hope of finding the camera on the silty bottom! They even used their long bamboo punting poles to see if they could ‘feel’ for it. Needless to say passing boats watched in amazement as they bobbed up and down! Perhaps some lucky crab now has a new home?
Finally my journey ended at the quayside where the cghearth group have their own maintenance facility. I watched the Master coir maker spinning and making rope in exactly the way his forefathers had done for generations making rope and small articles, including bowls, for the boats. I saw craftsmen restoring and repairing original boats, ensuring that the history and traditions of the Backwaters are firmly kept alive – with a modern twist has been added to help protect the fragile ecology of the area………. all boats have solar panelling and the engine runs on vegetable oil!
Links:
Spice Cruise: http://www.cghearth.com/index.php?mid=15
Flights: www.emirates.com
Tour Operator: www.industours.co.uk