Take To The Waters – Alappuzha, Kerala, India

Water is life in Alappuzha, India, that is for sure.

It is not every place that proudly accepts the moniker “backwaters” but, this area, also known as “Venice of the East”, harbours the honour. Think brackish lagoons and you will be close to what the backwaters are about; a network of interconnected canals and lakes and rivers is a closer description. A converted grain barge plying the southern India waters (below Cochi on the Arabian Sea) might not be your first thoughts of a luxury cruise but, no question, the only way to check this part of India out is to take to the waters. Life on the waterways can only really be experienced from a boat at the same level as the locals. You will soon realize there are two kinds of traffic, the slow meandering tourists and the locals who actually have an agenda. Shifting, and sometimes jockeying, among other houseboats for docking and viewpoints can become a game; local boats diving and swerving the water traffic is less play and more risk.  That’s lagoon living, once the tourists demand a houseboat experience!

See more on southern India at:

http://heathersimondsphotography.com/2012/12/11/behind-the-scenes-at-the-indian-laundry/

http://heathersimondsphotography.com/2012/12/02/gone-fishing-to-south-india/

©Heather Simonds, Houseboats and Local Boats Meet On The Kerala Backwaters

©Heather Simonds, Heading Up The Alleppey Waterway

©Heather Simonds, Tropical Southern India Waterways

©Heather Simonds, Boating Is A Family Affair

©Heather Simonds, Paddling The Waterways of Kerala State