Total Pageviews

Monday, September 23, 2013

HOUSE BOATS


Traditionally, the Kerala houseboats been called Kettuvallam, which means a boat made by tying together pieces of wood. Unbelievable as it may sound, not a single nail is used in the making of a Kettuvallam (Kerala Houseboats) . Jack wood planks are joined together with coir rope and then coated with black resin made from boiled cashew nut shells. A Kettuvallam (Kerala Houseboats) usually has one or two bath attached rooms, an open lounge, deck, kitchen and a crew comprising two oarsmen and a cook. Traditional lanterns are used as lights in Houseboats . Your holiday in this tranquil world is the comfortably furnished Kerala houseboats. Come, check into a houseboat for a memorable cruise along the backwaters of Kerala.

Kerala is famous for its backwaters & Houseboats cruise - and if you thought that meant stagnant ponds, think again. Here it refers to a beautiful, palm-fringed network of canals, lakes and lagoons linking towns along the Arabian Sea and inland. These waterways are still used today to ferry cargoes of spices, fish and newspapers, not to mention locals propelling little dug-outs to visit friends or tend fields. You can board Allappuzha (Alleppey backwaters dock, and spend a day or several days cruising to your destination, pausing to take a look at the local sites. As a relaxing Kerala Houseboats holiday or honeymoon. The slow pace, so rare in our world, almost forces you to relax. What you can experience in Houseboats is the aquatic scenery of water-lilies, palm trees and colourful Indian villages from the top deck, the excellent cuisine whipped up on board from ingredients purchased en route, being rocked to sleep, and waking up to birdsong- great for extra privacy and cool breezes. The spectacular beauty of Kerala's backwaters needs no introduction and cruising through the backwaters in Kerala houseboats has always been a wonderful experience for one and all who has had an opportunity. But spending a full-day for business conferences on one of the houseboats, enjoying the fascinating beauty of the Kerala backwaters would always be a new experience to the corporate leaders. Since people all over the world were exploring new destinations for doing such conferences the idea of doing it on a multi-deck Kerala houseboats allowing executives enjoy the scenic backwaters is like a dream come true.

The Houseboats / Kettuvallams of Kerala are giant country crafts, measuring up to 80 feet in length. The Kerala houseboats that cruise the backwater of Kerala Kettuvalloms or Houseboats (Rice boats) are country boats that were used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated interior villages to the towns.

With the advent of roads, bridges and ferry services, gradually the kettuvalloms went off the scene. Now these kettuvalloms are back again as a major tourist attraction. A house boat is about 67 to 100 feet in length and has a width of around 18 feet to in the middle. The materials that go into the making are all local and Eco friendly bamboo poles, coconut fiber ropes, bamboo mats, coir carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili".

The house boats have fully furnished single double triple and five bedrooms with sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet with WC. In addition there is also separate rest room.

Each houseboat has a three member crew - a chef, driver & cabin assistants. The cuisine is traditional Kerala flavor with the local specialties; delicious local fish. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people and 3 bedroom houseboat for 6, and 5 bedroom houseboat for 10 People.

The spectacular beauty of Kerala's backwaters needs no introduction. A cruise along the palm-fringed waterways of Kerala in a luxury houseboat is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today. In this world of simple pleasures, you will skim past ancient Chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples and coconut groves.

A guided tour down the backwaters would provide you with a complete and most enchanting experience on the back waters of Kerala and will also reveal to you some interesting facts about the life of local village people. This month's lens view takes you to the backwater stretch of the Vembanad, where one can go for a leisurely cruise on a multi deck boat, allowing you enjoy the scenic backwater life.

No comments:

Post a Comment