My elderly aunt, on hearing my name, shot her arm at me to offer a hand shake, surprising the entire family. She gave me a long hard stare while clutching my hand firmly. The dumbo that I am couldn't quite get as to what she was telling me through her actions.
We'd set off from my cousin's place by about a half past 8 in what seemed to be lovely weather after last night's heavy rains. The drive to Alappuzha was smooth and hassle free. We're at Pallathuruthy, well in time to board the house boat booked for us which was a three roomer. We'd cast off from the jetty by 11 o'clock to a sunny day and gentle breeze.
The sights from the covered weather deck were lovely and deep within, I was also reliving the numerous boat rides that I'd, as a kid, along with my grandparents and parents from Ambalapuzha to Neelamperoor and back, through some parts of the waterway. I seem to have a close bond with Kuttanad, and its abundant natural beauty.
The meals, the company and the overall ambiance were heady, the extended conversations turning out to be a wealth of information. I must concede that I'd picked up quite a few new information from the others while I'd like to believe that they too benefited from our interaction. The boat was tied up at its jetty, by sunset, as movements are disallowed during the night hours to protect the nets that have been positioned by the fishermen for their early morning catch.
An exhilarating experience indeed on the Vembanad backwaters!
Tailpiece.
(a) I was told that there were about 1,200 such boats plying on the Vembanad waters as it has become popular not only for the tourists from outside the state but for the Malayalees, too. There's one aspect that crept into my mind as we'd anchored for the night - the cultural transactions between the local populace and the outsiders, who visit the area for pure leisure and merrymaking, are being monitored by suitable agencies, channelised on a positive note while firmly nipping the negative tendencies to ensure the overall development of the area. If a system isn't in place, it needs to be established, forthwith, without loss of time.
(b) The waters need to be kept clean with zero level tolerance for pollution of any sort!
(c) Kuttanad should be a world class tourist destination.
We'd set off from my cousin's place by about a half past 8 in what seemed to be lovely weather after last night's heavy rains. The drive to Alappuzha was smooth and hassle free. We're at Pallathuruthy, well in time to board the house boat booked for us which was a three roomer. We'd cast off from the jetty by 11 o'clock to a sunny day and gentle breeze.
The sights from the covered weather deck were lovely and deep within, I was also reliving the numerous boat rides that I'd, as a kid, along with my grandparents and parents from Ambalapuzha to Neelamperoor and back, through some parts of the waterway. I seem to have a close bond with Kuttanad, and its abundant natural beauty.
The meals, the company and the overall ambiance were heady, the extended conversations turning out to be a wealth of information. I must concede that I'd picked up quite a few new information from the others while I'd like to believe that they too benefited from our interaction. The boat was tied up at its jetty, by sunset, as movements are disallowed during the night hours to protect the nets that have been positioned by the fishermen for their early morning catch.
An exhilarating experience indeed on the Vembanad backwaters!
Tailpiece.
(a) I was told that there were about 1,200 such boats plying on the Vembanad waters as it has become popular not only for the tourists from outside the state but for the Malayalees, too. There's one aspect that crept into my mind as we'd anchored for the night - the cultural transactions between the local populace and the outsiders, who visit the area for pure leisure and merrymaking, are being monitored by suitable agencies, channelised on a positive note while firmly nipping the negative tendencies to ensure the overall development of the area. If a system isn't in place, it needs to be established, forthwith, without loss of time.
(b) The waters need to be kept clean with zero level tolerance for pollution of any sort!
(c) Kuttanad should be a world class tourist destination.
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