June 28, 2020

Alleppey was the last destination during my South India solo trip. So after Kodaikanal, I headed towards Alleppey. I took a road trip through Kodaikanal – Munnar – Kochin – Alleppey which took my whole day of travel. This was one of the best road trip I ever had, especially Munnar – Kochi. One will definitely be lost in the greenish beauty of mother nature in the Munnar – Kochi way. The forest, waterfalls, rivers, tea gardens, and the mountains, it felt like I was traveling in heaven. I have no doubts why Kerala is known as GOD’s own country. I can not express that beauty in my words, it can only be felt.

After traveling for a whole day, I finally reached Alleppey by 11:30 PM. If you want a best-staying experience in Alleppey, go for a homestay. It will give you an actual feel of the original flavor of Kerala. The interaction with the homestay owner will introduce you to the rich culture of Kerala. And the best part is, it will charge you very less as compare to hotels. My Homestay owner was Mr. Ramanujan K. He was an army retired person. I had very little time to interact with Mr. Ramanujan, as it was too late when I reached and the next day morning I had to leave for Backwater boating. But whatever interaction we had, I must say he was a very jolly and disciplined man. He also made an arrangement of a boat for me.

The next day morning Mr. Ramanujan served me the most delicious breakfast which I had since my trip started. Again, the benefit of homestay is you will be served local and delicious food. By 10 AM, I checked out from my homestay and headed for backwater boating. So there are 2 types of boats for backwater, one is a Shikara boat, and another is a Houseboat. Houseboat would have all the facilities just as your home like living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and many more. Houseboat will definitely cost you a huge price i.e. 25000-45000 INR/Per day based on your boat choice. Whereas the Shikara boat is the simple one and way cheaper than a houseboat. So obviously, Shikara boat was my choice, which did cost me 600 INR.

After 10 minutes of the boat started, the noise of the crowd, and the vehicles disappeared. And the atmosphere was filled with complete peace. We reached the point from where you can see that one village is inhabited on water. People of the village have their own small boats for their transport, just like we have bikes and cars in the city. Few shops and restaurants were located on the edge of the village. And some of them were having parking facilities too for their customer’s boat. I was feeling like I was wandering in Venice. We stopped at one of the restaurants where I had tea and had some chitchat with locals in the restaurant. I had a good time interacting with the local people of Kerala throughout the whole trip. They are very generous and a good host. They will welcome you with a pleasant comfort.

Nehru Trophy Boat Race :

The boatman shared some of his stories about his participation in Nehru Trophy Boat Race that gets conducted in the August month every year. This race happens on a special type of boat i.e. Snake Boat. Snake Boat race in Kerala is also known for its ancient tradition and grandeur. He told me, how a difference of just a couple of seconds matters in your win and loss. Some of his boat race’s stories literally gave me goosebumps.

After almost 2 hours of boating in the backwater, he dropped me back at the shore from where we started. The backwater boating experience was one of the peaceful experiences I had during the whole trip. And boating among those coconut trees would feel like you are floating in heaven. Everyone should go for the backwater boating at least once in a life. I took my luggage back from my homestay and headed towards Kochin airport for my return flight to Mumbai, home.

10 cities in 15 days, that’s all I had during my life’s first solo trip. It filled me with memories, emotions, confidence, fearlessness, and a lot of goosebumps. This trip inspired me to start ‘The Comfort Escape‘ and to live my longtime dream of traveling. If you have a dream, just go for it. Because you never know how many beautiful and memorable moments the journey will bring towards your dream.

The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences. (Into The Wild)