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Kerala Houseboats
Kerala Houseboats
Have you ever gone houseboat cruising on the backwaters of Kerala? If you haven’t,
make sure you do. This one’s really an absolutely wonderful, unforgettable experience!
The houseboats of today - huge, slow moving, exotic barge used for leisure trips
- are the reworked kettuvalloms of olden times. The original kettuvalloms were
used to carry tonnes of rice and spices - a standard kettuvallom can hold up
to 30 tonnes - from Kuttanad to the Kochi port.
The kettuvallam or ‘boat with knots’- was so called because the entire boat
was held together with coir knots only - not even a single nail is used during
the construction. The boat is made of planks of jack-wood joined together with
coir.
This is then coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels.
With careful maintenance, a kettuvallom can last for generations. A portion
of the
kettuvallom was covered with bamboo and coir to serve as a restroom
and kitchen for the crew. Meals would be cooked on board and supplemented with
fresh fish from the backwaters.
Today, the tradition is still continued and the food from the local cuisine
is served by the Kuttanad localites, on board. When the modern trucks replaced
this system of transport, some one found a new way that would keep these boats,
almost all of which were more than 100 years old, in the market.
By constructing special rooms to accommodate travelers, these boats cruised
forward from near- extinction to enjoy their present great popularity. Now these
are a familiar sight on the backwaters and in Alleppey alone, there are as many
as 120 houseboats. While converting kettuvallams into houseboats, care is taken
to use only natural products.
Bamboo mats, sticks and wood of the aracanut tree are used for roofing, coir
mats and wooden planks for the flooring and wood of coconut trees and coir for
beds. For lighting though, solar panels are used. Today, the houseboats have
all the creature comforts of a good hotel including furnished bedrooms, modern
toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling.
Parts of the curved roof of wood or plaited palm open out to provide shade and
allow uninterrupted views. While most boats are poled by local oarsmen, some
are powered by a 40 HP engine. Boat-trains - formed by joining two or more houseboats
together - are also used by large groups of sight-seers.
What is truly magical about a houseboat ride is the breathtaking view of the
untouched and otherwise inaccessible rural Kerala that it offers - while you
float! Now, wouldn’t that be something?
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