Kerala Vacations

A trip on our boat

We were very excited at the thought of spending a few days on the company boat. It has been working well since we launched it in September, and has been successfully trying out routes and ideas the other boats can't do. It is narrow and has a shallow draft, and we were keen to test the idea of going South to Kollam.
Depending who you ask, if it possible to go to Kollam and it is not possible to go to Kollam. The crew are very experienced and if anyone could get to Kollam it was them!
We met the boat South of Alleppey and set off very quietly. The boat is driven by a petrol outboard which is very quiet and the peace was blissful!
After three days we discovered that you can get to Kollam, and you can't get to Kollam. It depends on the position of the shutter which lets the water into the backwaters and regulates the levels in the paddy fields. As you never know when the shutter is to be opened, making it impossible to get further South then Thottapally, planning a trip is hazardous! The official ferries no longer run all the way down the coast, although they are still advertised.
Our trip was  an adventure of wandering around the backwaters meeting various hazards to navigation and backtracking. Our way was blocked by a new bridge under construction, a fallen electricity cable and water hyacinth. Even achieving Thotapally required patience and many "short" cuts!
However, three days of pottering about the narrow canals, cruising the flat lands of the Kuttanad and navigating the waters of Lake Vembanad make a wonderful cruise as part of any holiday. More later.

Fort House Hotel, Fort Kochi

Fort House is situated right on the waterfront near the ferry terminal in Fort Kochi. about ten minutes walk from the Chinese Fishing Nets. It has recently been refurbished and the new rooms are spacious, overlooking the pretty garden and with verandas or balconies. The bathrooms are fitted to a high standard and clean, although a measuring error led to our toilet being rather high on the wall!
Meals are served on the jetty which gives a wide view of the inlet and the boats which go in and out of the port, from huge tankers and cruise liners to small fishing boats. On the other side of the inlet the inexorable progress of the container port grows daily, but it is some way away. We watched dolphins swimming in and out during breakfast one day, and the jetty is a cool place to relax in the evenings. The food is most successful when traditionally Keralan, but dishes such as pasta are acceptable. The service can be erratic, but is inevitably cheerful, helpful and polite. The laundry arrived perilously late, but was beautifully ironed and finished.
Fort House is a quiet island in the bustle of Fort Kochi and represents good value.

What changes have we seen recently?

The dust has begun to settle over our three-week trip and we are nearly through all of the finishing up jobs which need to be done. Now we have had a chance to reflect, one question has been most interesting to answer. What are the main changes you saw this time?
There is still a rapid growth in the number of resorts and hotels both in and out of the tourist areas. Most of these are small homestays, some looking very luxurious. Another 100 houseboats ply the backwaters, the thing which catches the eye are the lifebelts which have sprouted on every boat and the registration plates which are now on every boat. The water is no cleaner.
Fort Kochi has changed for the better and the worse. The narrow streets are crammed with cars, many of them "kensington tractors" and unsuitable for these narrow and unmade streets. Once you could wander about without having to jump for the gutter every two minutes, the dangers being from bicycles, auto-rickshaws, motor-cycles and cows. The bumps are now larger!
There are more Chinese Fishing Nets on both sides of the inlet, and there are gangs of women clearning up the rubbish along the front. The whole town is altogether cleaner, rubbish collection now a regular event. Recycling is sorted out by hand from bins tipped out on the road, however, so still way to go! You can still buy fish and get it cooked at a small stall, although these are increasingly regulated. Small local businesses are being replaced by tourist shops, and new cafes are opening all down the main street.
As far as the roads are concerned the growth of traffic has been enormous. There are many more private cars on the road, with a parallel growth in service stations, many of them with clean toilets and coffee machines. The roads are still poor out of the main areas, but there are improvements. The number of motor-cyclist wearing crash helmets has increased as it is now the law to wear them on the main roads. About 50% of riders comply with the law. It still looks normal to see a family of four on one motor bike. Many children are killed each year on motorbikes- they fall asleep.

Shalimar Spice Village, Periyar

The Shalimar Spice Village at Periyar is an elegant resort which is well established. It is about 6Km from the wildlife santuary and Kumilly Village, and is located in a steep valley which gives all the tranquility possible, a cool and welcome stop after a journey or the heat of the coast.

The rooms and villas are dotted over the steep site- travellers with mobility problems would do well to check- and are traditionally built and spacious. There are large verandas and the Elegant villas have huge doors leading out onto them. Bathrooms are large and well-equipped, the bath robes being especially useful for the uphill walk to the pool. This is shady and cool and has good loungers and fluffy towels, and is amazingly cold when you first get in! There is a recreation room by the pool with television and an impressive library as well as games.

The restaurant menu is not large, and offers a mixture of continental and Keralan dishes. At quiet times the service can be a little overpowering, and the restricted a la carte choices would make a long stay here monotonous. Breakfast was good, and again, the service active!

The location of this resort makes it a good choice for a night or two for those who don't want the hustle and bustle of the resorts close to the wildlife sanctuary.