Tag Archives: Backwaters

Goa, Nature & Wildlife, Statewise Travel

Goa backpacking: Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary

April 10, 2026 thelostlander Leave a comment

Continued from Goa backpacking: Makarotsav Celebration and Temple Hopping.

Based out of Colva, my friend and I had hired a motorbike to explore Goa. Our plan for today was to see some prehistoric sites, take a dip at one of the nearby waterfalls and return to Colva by late evening. With a set of clothes for changing and a towel for each of us, we had woken up to start our day quite early. But the rain gods had brutally taken over the skies, and hence, our day started late.

Day 1: Exploring the prehistoric sites of Rivona

I was about 10 a.m. when the rain slowed to drizzle, and we left our cottage. We stopped for a quick breakfast in Madgaon before continuing. Using Google Maps, we headed to our first destination: the ancient Buddhist meditation cave at Rivona. Although we struggled slightly with the directions initially, we managed to find the site through local inquiries, without too much trouble. The asphalt road first passes through a residential area before reaching a large natural pond. At this point, the road splits, and we took a muddy route to the right, stopping at a small grassland at the end. From there, a small staircase carved into the laterite ground leads down. We were unexpectedly greeted by a security guard from the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), who checked our attendance before we entered the cave. We were told a guide is usually available, but none was present at the time. We took a few photos before leaving. If you’re not interested in history and are just a tourist, I recommend skipping this site.

From there, we continued to follow the maps to our next destination- Usgalimal village, one that I was most excited about. For the first time, I was going to see petroglyphs, that too in Goa! The muddy trail that splits across the main road passes through thick forest right up to where the Google Map Pin takes you. After passing through a stretch of confusing deviations, patches of open grasslands and a laterite pond, the location pin finally took us to the banks of the river Kushavati, We parked our bike at the security post and wrote our names in the logbook. The security guard then walked along with us, guiding us through the riverbank. He showed us around various depictions/ Petroglyphs carved on the laterite stone bed of the river. He helped us identify several of the 100+ carvings discovered there, among which were various hunting scenes, several domesticated and wild animals, a trident, a labyrinth, etc., some of the notable ones. Seeing something like this for the first time piqued a new interest within me to learn more about Petroglyphs and ancient rock art, which I would want to travel to in future to explore.

After spending enough time trying to observe and decipher the art there, we casually asked the guard accompanying us if there was a spot somewhere nearby where we could take a dip in the river. He thought for a moment and nodded while looking at the riverbank on the other side. There’s a spice & areca farm across, where you can approach the caretakers to permit you into the safer section of the river that passes through the property. We thanked him for the recommendation, picked up our luggage from the bike, and crossed a little brook across the river, where we were able to secure our permission. There are NO words to describe the joy our two little hearts had found inside the safe, sweet and soulful waterbody. With just the two of us swimming and enjoying ourselves in the water all the while, we did not realise that we had spent over 2 hours already without being bothered by the rain that bashed down or by any deadlines to get back to waiting families back home. But soon it struck us that we had to make the most of the time when the rain had taken a break. Since we had already spent a lot of time at Usgalimal waters, we skipped our original plan to swim in the waterfalls later. We quickly changed into fresh clothes and got the bike running again.

Not too long after we hit the road, the rain gods took over again, and the terrain changed to an even denser canopied area. A little board read that we had officially entered the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary. The natural light had become less, and riding harder due to the constant bashing of the heavy rain and wind. We had no option to stop in between since the houses were scarce along the forest, and we had to reach the destination before it got too late so that we could return to Colva safely before it was too late.

Upon our arrival at the forest gate, we were told that the entry to the waterfalls was closed at 05:00 p.m. We had arrived at 05:05 p.m. The forest personnel did not oblige us, even after several requests and explanations of our long ride back and forth. Now we had two options- One, skip exploring the sanctuary altogether, and return to Colva. Two, find accommodation nearby and explore Netravali (also called Netraulim) at leisure on the following day. We took a moment to think over, looked up at the constantly pounding rain and decided to stay back in Netravali. Even if we wanted to skip visiting places, riding back in the rain and darkness would only be next to madness.

Since the eco-stay run by the Goa forest department was all booked, the guards helped us to find a local homestay nearby. Shortly, our stay was arranged with a local family, and it got dark after that. We took a shower and changed back to the same clothes (there was no other option), devoured a comforting hot meal before retiring for the night.

Day 2: Waterfall chasing and cultural immersion in Netravali

After waking up in the morning, we watched our host light up a lamp at the Tulsi katte in their courtyard and milk their cows in the shed attached to the family home. We had our breakfast and left towards the forest gates soon after. In fact, we wanted to be the first visitors for the day so that we could avoid the crowd and start our return ride as early as we could. So, there are two waterfalls as one enters the gated area, which require separate permits. We were briefed about the condition of the roads leading to both and asked to register ourselves accordingly at the entry. We decided to visit the Mainapi waterfall by hiring a forest Jeep and riding our bike to the Neturlem (Saoli) waterfall later.

Waterfalls in Netravali Wildlife sanctuary, Goa — Left: Mainapi waterfall. Right: Saoli Waterfall. Netravali Wildlife sanctuary, Goa

The adventurous 5km drive to Mainapi waterfall constituted a crazy, bumpy drive on the rocky-hilly road cutting through thick canopied forest and river crossings. Further, a short hike down to the waterfall was accompanied by leeches, brightly coloured miniature crabs, frogs and other insects found commonly during monsoons. The first glimpse of the waterfalls had our breath pause for a moment. We hadn’t expected anything so beautiful in Goa, which is otherwise popular for its beaches. Thanks to the monsoons, the path further down to the waterfall was blocked for safety reasons. We sat down on the stairs, watching the water roaring down in all its might until we realised that a couple of leeches had entered my raincoat. I had to quickly get them out and also head back to keep the day’s schedule under control. After a good, bumpy drive back to the forest office, we returned to the forest on our bike. The road was good right up to the start point of the Saoli waterfall. After parking the bike, a short descent down the stairs leads us to the banks of the Saoli waterfall. We could get into the water, but the currents were still strong, and the water looked muddy from the heavy rain. We spent some time there, too, before exiting the forest gates.

We returned to the homestay where our host had promised to take us around their ancestral village. After a short drive in their car, we arrived in front of an old mansion, which was the ancestral home of our host, the Desai family. It was very interesting for me to walk into a traditional Hindu home because its history dated back to even before the Catholic-Portuguese mansions which I had seen thus far elsewhere in Goa. As we entered through the towering arch-like entrance to this house, we were greeted by a large open courtyard, which was divided into dwelling spaces for each member of the family. To the left of the entrance was a space dedicated to the sacred arms once used by the ancestors of the family. We were told that some even had the original blood stains with a history of valour and martyrdom dating centuries. Laterite walls, red-oxide floor and clay tiles set on wooden beams- it invoked nostalgia instantly. While the kids surrounded us in excitement to tell us about their stories from the rooms, the senior women wove garlands with colourful flowers picked from their backyard while being entertained by the chatter of their husbands. They were all happy to have us amongst them.

Goan Homestay — Top: View from our homestay; Bottom: Courtyard of the ancestral home

We then walked through the exit door on the back side, passing by a series of bathrooms where we could hear the water in the firewood-lit boilers. As rain-fed streams came to life while walking through their rubber plantation, we crossed a little river to arrive at Datta-Gufa, a family-maintained temple. This is an important temple in the village accessible from the main road as well, but we were more privileged to get private access from the other side. After spending time on their property, we returned to the homestay from where we took our bike and commenced our return ride towards Colva.

En route, our first stop was at the Gopinath temple in Netravali. The temple is rather popular for its sacred tank. Fondly called Bud-bud Lake, the pond water is believed to bubble up when one claps while standing in front of it. We too did witness the interesting phenomena, but felt it did so as a response to some other air pressure occurring naturally in the otherwise silent environment. In any case, it was something we were experiencing for the first time.

From there, we started to ride again to make the most of the time when the rain seemed to have taken a break. A short ride ahead were directions to ASI sites like the ancient ruins of Sri Lakshmi Narayani temple and Kajur Petroglyphs. But by seeing the Google Photos uploaded by past visitors, we decided to give them a miss. Shortly, we reached Rivona. Someshwar Sansthan, Jawali Damodar Sansthan and Vimleshwar temple were landmarks and renowned local temples that we visited along our ride. This has been written about separately in my previous post: Goa backpacking: Makarotsav Celebration and Temple Hopping. We had a quick coffee break at Margaon before reaching our home during the trip at Colva.

To be continued as Goa backpacking: Day trip to Rachel and Big Foot.

Goa, Nature & Wildlife, Statewise Travel

Goa backpacking: Mahavir National Park

March 27, 2026 thelostlander 1 Comment

I am not a person who enjoys large social gatherings with heart thumping loud music and parties. For me relaxation comes in silence, slowness and engaging in self-paced activities. I had always thought and heard about the cultural amalgamation that Goa is and what Goa must have been before the Europeans came. I have friends from the Saraswat Brahmin communities who always mentioned that the temple of their Kula devata (patron God of their community) was in Goa despite their long history of residence in Karnataka. Infact, the name Goa itself is a corrupted version of GauMantak, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Land of Cows’, a sacred animal as per Hindu mythology. I wanted to learn more about this cultural amalgamation brought in by the influence of the Portuguese and that is why I decided to spend my post-monsoon vacation in the southern parts of this state. Through a fortnight long on a backpacking trip, I explored Mollem- Old Goa- Rivona-Netravali-Colva- Ponda-Rachol- Louterim- Shiroda-Palolem-Panjim. In this post, I would like to share the places we explored in and around Mollem.

Day 1: Exploring the “Nightlife” of Mollem

My family and I started our drive from Bangalore by early morning and arrived at the nature-stay / an eco-friendly luxury resort we had booked at Mollem by late afternoon. Fortunately, or unfortunately for us, it had been pouring cats and dogs since the previous day of our arrival. Unfortunate because, driving in the rain was extremely blinding; Fortunate because, heavier the rains, better would be the sight for which we had driven down all the way. So what sight am I talking about? We had specifically booked this resort to do the night walk with them in the rainforests due to its proximity to the Mahavir National park. The night walk was a unique way to explore the lesser known “Nightlife” of Goa, a night crawl that introduced us to the nocturnal flora and fauna of the region rather than the bars and pubs.

The lunch and dinner menu featured an all-local cuisine made with only locally sourced ingredients and tasted divine. Post dinner, we wore our raincoats, gumboots and headtorches and marched towards the forest after a short briefing. A guzzling water-steam flowing somewhere along in proximity stayed invisible in the darkness. Spiders, lizards, scorpions (that glowed under UV light), snakes and several types of mushrooms kept us accompanied in the constantly pouring rain during the entire walk. We then arrived at a spot in the middle of the forest, surrounded by massive trees and thick canopies. Our guide asked us to turn off all artificial lights and close our eyes for about a minute. It was for our eyes to set into the darkness of the forest after walking with flashlights until there. When we opened, we were all stunned by what our eyes beheld. The entire forest floor and the tree trunks were lit like radium. We were witnessing truly magical moments as bioluminescence was seen at its peak. The luminous fungi growing all over the ground, on tree trunks and even tiny wigs below my feet were glowing in the dark. An experience that I had wished to witness since so rftany years had finally come true.

The same Mushroom photographed during day(left) and night(right). Spores can be seen under torchlight at night.

We then returned to our cottages still holding the magic of the flowing forests still in our eyes. The other times of witnessing nature’s magic with light have been documented in separate posts.

Day 2: Exploring the countryside and history- Surla

It was still raining as we devoured our breakfast and checked out of the resort. Our first visit was to Tambdi-Surla Mahadev temple. This is the oldest surviving Hindu temple in Goa, established by the Kadamba-Yadava dynasty and dates to 12th Century CE. It was a peaceful little temple built on the bank of the river Surla, whose upstream forms a cascading waterfall called by the same name. However, due to the monsoons, entry into the river or the hiking to the waterfall was prohibited at the time of our visit.

Tambdi Mahadev Temple, Goa — Tambdi Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surla

Upon our return from the Tambdi-Surla Mahadev temple, we were enchanted by the green cover all along the way. It was so tempting to the point that we parked our car by the roadside and simply walked into the neon green meadows running parallel to the road. We jumped across a tiny rainfed stream flowing across teak plantations which led us straight into a place that looked like a Windows wallpaper. We took lots of photos before coming across another random location on google maps that was named as a ‘crater lake’. Curious to find out what the lake was, we drove a little further and hiked a short distance by following google maps until we came across a small round shaped lake in the middle of a forest. I am still unsure if that was man-made or a natural pond which looked almost perfectly rounded in shape, but nevertheless it was a beautiful setting for yet another set of photography.

The Crater lake at Goa — The Crater Lake at Mollem National park, Goa

The stretch was mostly cut-off from mobile Connectivity, and we loved the peace we found amidst the chaotic monsoon drive. We occasionally stopped by at shops running in the backyards of small homes along the way to use free Wi-Fi in the name of drinking chai or coffee, local snacks sold in glass jars. It was thus far a beautiful trip exploring Mollem and Mahavir National Park.

We then proceeded towards Colva where we found our home for the next few days to explore the least explored places in Goa beyond beaches and parties. To be continued as Goa backpacking: Makarotsav Celebration and Temple Hopping.

Nature & Wildlife, Statewise Travel

Natural wonders of South India – My favourites

December 11, 2018 thelostlander 8 Comments

India has intrigued the world with its history, geography and culture- each individually dating back to several ages ago. I have been no different from the rest of the world. The LostLander has begun to embrace her landings after getting lost at random places in her incredible country. The more she is exploring her country, the more she has been discovering about its descendance and getting mind blown with new discoveries each time.

“The history of India’s physical geography is older than that of its civilization or even that of the human race. The subcontinent has been a distinct geological entity for millions of years. Therefore, to understand India, we must go back to the very beginning.”
-Sanjeev Sanyal

The fact that it is called as a subcontinent is associated to a larger theory of it being separated out of a supercontinent called ‘Rodinia’ and drifting apart from Africa, Antarctica and then Madagascar before it struck with the Asian continent. No, I’m not time traveling that far for now! It was just to put an exclamation to how amazing this country’s geography has evolved to be and what the natural bounty as we called it, has to offer in this beautiful country to an explorer… To take my article forward and with no biases, I divide the geography of this subcontinent into North and the South, just by drawing an imaginary line passing through its center, Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. Here is a humble attempt to take my readers through some of the beautiful destinations I have been to enjoy the natural marvels of Southern India. They are in random order and listed as and when I recollected them. For more details, you need to read my individual posts on them by clicking on their respective tags!

1. Kurusudai islands: Nestled off the coast of Rameswaram in the Gulf of Mannar, it is the only place in the world where the oldest and the last surviving living fossil is found in the world.

2. The table tops of Maharashtra: Be it the beautifully painted pink valleys of the Khas plateau, valleys of Matheran, Mahabaleshwar or any place thought of for a scenic drive for the Mumbaikars- have all formed out of large volcanic eruptions as the subcontinent merged with Asia. Not just that, these geographical features were strategically used by Shivaji to stop the invasion by the Mughals and hence called the Deccan traps.

3. Limestone caves of Andhra Pradesh: Belum caves, a part of a larger cave complex in the Erramalai region is the largest and longest cave system that is open to public. Similarly, the Borra caves is the deepest in the country. The speleothem formations are worth a visit which have formed due to continuous flowing of water over a thousand years, easily dating back to the Archaean age.

4. Gandikota: People call it as the ‘Grand Canyon of India. It is a beautiful gorge formed by the Pennar river as it squeezes from between the rock formation that has played witness to several kingdoms in history.

5. Eastern Ghats: Although I use a very generic term that specifies an entire region, they are older and mineral rich than their popular counterparts on the western side. All, again a resultant of several tectonic activities in the event of formation of the Indian mass.

6. Dhanushkodi: This abandoned town has more than just history of a cyclone. The revered ‘RamaSethu’ or the Adam’s bridge was formerly considered to be the largest Tombolo in the world and is believed to have formed due to the drifting of India and the Lankan land masses several thousand years ago..

Well… If all these have been the outcomes of several tectonic activities of the earth over a million years, there are yet several other amazing things that nature has to offer in the Southern peninsula.

7. Have you been to Wayanad in Northern Kerala? There is a heart shaped lake after a good climb up the Chembra peak in the western Ghats. It’s the nature’s way of telling ‘I Love You’!

8. Heard of the Barren island? It is the only active volcano in India, with the most recent eruption being in 2017. The sea area around it is considered to be one of the best dive sites in the world!

9. And then there is Baratang islands- It is the only mud volcano in India, situated in the Andaman group of islands.

10. Have you seen the Purple hills? Where do you think the Nilgiri hills in the western Ghats derive their name from? They’re so called because these green verdant hills are painted blue/purple (Neela in Hindi) by the Neelakurinji flowers, something that blooms only once in twelve years. The latest mass-blossoming being in 2018.

11. Cruised through the canals of Kuttanad? Mostly popular among the honeymooners and families alike for its backwaters and houseboats, what many don’t know about this region is that it is the only region in the world where paddy farming is done below sea level.

12. How about a boat ride in the Mangrove forests of the Bay of Bengal? The Sundarbans and Pichavaram forests are the first and the second largest mangrove marshlands in the world. A world heritage site that they are, an extremely important part of the ecology.

13. What happens when a meteor hits the earth? A massive crater is formed giving form to Lonar lake in Maharashtra. This Geo-heritage monument saline soda lake is the only high velocity impact crater lake on earth.

14. Seen the waterfalls of the Deccan plateau? Be it the Chitrakoot falls in Chhattisgarh, Gokak falls in Karnataka, Athirapally in Kerala or Hogeynakal in Tamil Nadu… They’re all so good they can give a good competition to the Niagara!

15. Heard of the Sentinelese tribesmen in the Andaman sea? They’ve long avoided contact with the outside world and their gene pool is believed to be one of the crucial links to early man and the evolution of mankind on the planet.

What India has to offer is abundant! And these are only a few places that I have been to in the southern India. Do you have any recommendations? Have I missed out on anything? I would LOVE to know… Please drop n your suggestions, recommendations, feedback in the comments section below 😊

Karnataka

Exploring the backwaters of Karnataka- Thonse

December 17, 2017 thelostlander 1 Comment

Although the places that I choose to write about may not stand a chance to be compared with the Sundarbans or the Pichavaram forests… None the less- The Arabian seacoast has its own share of beautiful places in terms of its mangrove creeks. And while Kerala is synonymous with its enchanting backwaters, Karnataka too has its fair share of backwater system which is still untouched and yet to be explored… Through my innumerous journeys in this coastal stretch, I don’t remember a time when I did not put my neck out to be tantalized by the view of the backwaters as I passed on those bridges that fall in between Mangalore and Udupi. So, this time I had set aside one weekend exclusively to explore these lesser known places of the west coast and mark myself in those remote places on the map-of-India.

My itinerary:
Friday: Start from Bangalore – Overnight bus journey to Udupi
Saturday: Kemmannu (Explore the backwaters in a traditional boat ride), Kodi bengre (explore the village and an estuary), Malpe beach (water sports), Krishna temple and the seven Mathas,
Sunday: Chill at Sasihitlu beach and estuary, Kapu beach & lighthouse, return to Bangalore by bus (You can alternate this with a day visit to St. Mary’s island)

The details:

First things first- Having good connectivity, taking the public transport to reach these places has its own experience, the way I enjoyed my trip. But I strongly recommend having your own vehicle to these places. Given the hassle of waiting for a ride, the remoteness of the place and the joy of riding through such a beautiful stretch of road be best enjoyed on a two-wheeler only. That said, my mother and I had reached Udupi by an overnight bus and stayed at a hotel close to the Krishna temple. We freshened up and headed to the service bus stand located at a walkable distance to the hotel.

The entire district of Udupi is dotted by innumerous temples and churches and hence, I prefer not to make a mention of them in this post. There is no dearth of local buses to any place within the coastal belt of Karnataka and hence, I relied totally on public transportation for my commutation. All set to explore Thonse, we boarded a bus that passed through Kallianpur village (This was once, a part of the Vijayanagara empire). The ruins of an old laterite fort stand testimony to that era.

My first stop was at Kemmannu. A short walk on a meandering road through coconut plantations took me to a serene system of backwater canals connected to river Swarna. A suspension bridge has been laid across the river and set in an idyllic location of mangrove creeks. There was a boatman and his family living in a small house on the riverbank. When we enquired with the, they agreed to take us on a ride into the river for a fee. As our country boat set sail in the river, the oarsman suggested us to take a boat ride in the high tides either for sunrise or sunset. According to him, the delta beach would look brilliant at that time. He took us around several islets in the backwaters of river Swarna that gave us good sighting of rare birds. It was a very pleasant experience of sailing in the lap of nature, after having landed from the madness of the metropolis.

IMG_20171209_121635 — The suspension bridge at Kemmannu

From there, we walked back to the main road to get a vehicle to our next destination. While we walked beside a broken bridge, something caught my attention near the harbored boats. There was something amusing happening down there at the canals. I felt as if I was witnessing a bioluminescent spectacle in daylight. The sight was something I had never seen before. On a closer look, I realized that the canal was filled endlessly with jelly fishes of various colors and sizes. After spending some time there video graphing the sight, we boarded the bus to our next destination- Kodi bengre.

This small fishing hamlet is located on a narrow strip of land mass, placed geographically between river Swarna and the Arabian sea. While your heart will surely skip a beat at the first sight of the vastness of the sea at Hoodi beach, a deviation to the right is what we took. This road narrows into the village and gave us an experiential ride, right until the estuary at Bengre beach. The ‘tip of land’ is a great place for sunset viewing and enjoying the silence with the waves. The several shacks in the hamlet serves freshly caught sea food served spicy hot which is something not to be missed while you’re there!

From there, we took a bus to the coast, on the other side of the junction (Hoodi beach) where we had taken a right deviation from. With a quick ride through country roads flanked with traditional sea facing mansions, we reached Malpe beach. This being a popular tourist place, it was bustling with activities including various water sports. We walked down to the fish market / port area, away from the crowd- and got a good sight of the setting sun.
There is a dedicated ferry service from the jetty to the Saint Mary’s Island for those seeking for a day trip which I personally recommend for anyone who is visiting this coastal town. It’s a great place and there is enough information available all over the net to get there… If you are driving your own vehicle, then I recommend you take the Pithrody route to reach back the Udupi town. This will complete your coastal stretch of Udupi giving you an experience of driving through yet another estuary and delta- that’s formed by river Udyavara and the Arabian sea.

You can complement your beach trip with a visit to the Krishna temple and the seven Mathas that are associated with the temple administration. Top it up with delectable Udupi chaats and the famous Gadbad ice-cream that saw its origin in this coastal town.

Festivals of India, Kerala

Backwaters and boat races at Alleppey

May 4, 2015 thelostlander 3 Comments

It was the 2nd Friday of August 2012, a day before the Biiigg sporting event of South India: “The Nehru trophy boat race”. After a long haul of planning, two of my friends and I had alighted at our destination- Allapuzha, a popular little town on a tourist circuit in Kerala. Fondly known as Alleppey, we were there to experience the festivities of ‘The Olympics of Kuttanad’- Vallamkali or the boat race. The Nehru trophy boat race is an annual event held in the Vembanad lake, in the Kuttanad region of Kerala. Vembanad lake is the longest lake in India and spans across several districts of Kerala. Depending on the region, the lake is known by different names. It is called as the Punnamada Lake here in Kuttana, of which Alleppey is a part. Along with the boat race, we wanted to explore the backwaters that’s a popular haunt of the tourists in this region.

My Itinerary:

Day 0: Leave from Bangalore to Kochi (Overnight train);
Day 1: Kochi to Alleppey (local train), Shikara ride in the Vembanad lake, Sunset at Alleppey beach.
Day 2: Nehru trophy boat race, Champakulam St. Mary Forane Church, Kalloorkkadu Angadi (local & oldest market in the region), Latin church. Return from Alleyppey to Bengaluru (Overnight Train)

Other Places of Interest:
• Karumadi Thodu- famous for the black granite idol of lord Buddha
• Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna temple- known for the ‘Palpayasam’ or the milk porridge offered as prasad to the deity.
• Kokkothamangalam church- This is one of the seven churches founded by St.Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ.
• Ayyappan temple in Mukkal vattam (near Muhamma)- known for the Kalari from which Lord Ayyappa is believed to have learnt his skills in martial arts. The hermitage where Ayyappan lived during the training period has been preserved in its original form by successive generations of the Cheerappanchira family.

The Details:

Day 1:

It was noon by the time we checked into our hotel room. We freshened up quickly and set out to explore Alleppey. We walked around a little bit and reached at a small boat jetty. We hired a ‘Shikhara’, a local motorboat to cruise around the narrow canals, passing through several fishing hamlets. While the womenfolk were washing clothes, the men were spiralling their fishing nets into the water and a few kids were diving into the waters for a refreshing swim. It was a nice experience of seeing local lifestyle of the people for whom, the backwaters are a lifeline. Along our ride, we picked up some fresh lobsters and pomfret at a local market and got them cooked in the local style at a fisherman’s house.

The Shikara cruise in the narrow canals of Alleppey

Further, we were oared across to the end of the canal which opened into the wide Vembanad lake where all the teams were practising for the boat race and the venue was getting set for the ‘Big’ event. The energy and enthusiasm in the atmosphere was no less than that of the main event itself. Though we wanted to stay there till sunset, the government deadline for all activities in the waters forced us to return to the jetty before 06.00.p.m.

On returning to the mainland, we meandered through the lanes of Alleppey town searching for a dose of Kerala chai and palam-pori (Banana fritters). We then decided to settle down by the beach until dark. While finding our way to the beach, we walked past the coir industries that Alleppey was once known for, and now remained shut and non-functional.

A stationed shikara enroute to the Alleppey beach

While walking back to the town area from the beach, we happened to see a hoarding of a concert happening at a nearby stadium. Post sunset on normal days, most towns in Kerala sleep to silence after 7.00.p.m. and there will be not many options to see or do after that. Since we did not want to waste the remaining evening by sitting inside our hotel room, we decided to head to the stadium to kill the rest of our evening. ‘Music never disappoints’, all the three of us had the same thought. Upon arrival at the stadium, we enjoyed the on-going performance of ‘Theyyam’, one of the colourful, traditional & spiritual dances of the state. But after some time in the audience gallery, is when we experienced a surprise on the stage. A MIND-BLOWING show by the violin maestro- Balabaskaran and team.. It was there that we were LOST in dreamland..!!

Day 2:

The next morning, we had to reach the racing venue as early as 08.00.a.m. to ensure that we had a place to sit. (Read about the madness of the event). The snake boats are the world’s biggest water vessel used for sports. One by one, they arrived for assembly. Locally called as the Chundan Vallam (Beaked boats), these 100~120 feet long wooden canoes carry 90- 110 rowers and move like snakes through the channels. And soon, the races started under different categories. Every single soul in the arena was singing songs of cheer. All through the event, only one thing echoed in the atmosphere: Vanchipattu or the Boat song. It was a once in a lifetime experience to be a part of that enthusiastic crowd.

The oarsmen '"Women" — The oarsmen ‘”Women”

Post the event, we still had time to explore the town and hence boarded a bus to Champakulam. As we passed through the waterlogged villages of Kuttanad, we were reminded that the region we were passing through was the ‘granary of Kerala’ or the rice bowl of Kerala. It is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.

Soon, we reached the St. Mary Forane Church. Since it was a Sunday, we were lucky to take part in the mass. Built in 427A.D., this riverside church is a testimony of time with its finely maintained beautiful mural paintings. From there, we took a boat to reach the other end of the river: the oldest market in the region known as Kalloorkkadu angadi.

With a local bus ride from there, back to the town, we then took a walk to the Latin church in the town. The entire town of Alleppey can be viewed from the terrace of this church (permitted only during visiting hours). What particularly caught our interest was the cemetery where all members of a family were buried in the same pit. Hundreds of such graves laid within the church premises.

We then checked out our lodge and headed to the railway station for our return, scheduled for the night. It was time for us to depart with a mind filled with beautiful memories of sailing afloat on a boat in the backwaters of land that is called ‘God’s own country’ and hope to return soon.

Must dos: Experience the madness of the Snake boat race
Must eat: Freshly caught and cooked seafood while on a backwater cruise tour