NAVIGATING THE KERALA BACKWATERS

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After saying goodbye to Elsa and Tommy, who as a last gift have smeared our face with aloe vera and left us with softer skin than a baby's ass, we begin what will be one of our dreams fulfilled in India: a Kerala Backwaters cruise! You know, when you want a thing a lot, often, reality can disappoint you.

But we assure you that this is not the case: reality even surpasses fantasy! And it is that sailing through the waters of the Backwaters has awakened the explorer that we had inside: it will be that we love sailing, that the landscape was incredible, that we were living an unforgettable experience but we felt like two little “Cristobales Colones”.

Of course, we could not shout "Earth in sight!" because the land, in the Backwaters, is always in sight!

But ... What are Backwaters?

Backwaters are a network of 800-900 km of navigable canals They are in the state of Kerala. Navigating the Backwaters you will pass through small villages, rice fields, palm trees ... many palm trees, old ladies who do laundry, children who go to school and it will not take long to realize that traveling "slow" is cool!

The ship is slow, the water current is slow, life around you is slow and you ... you will begin to enjoy all this "slowness" and to travel sipping every moment, every image, without thinking about schedules, in the hotels you have to contact, in the posts you have to write, in the sleeper class train you have to take. You will enjoy the here and now.

Our kettuvalam, that's what the floating boats that sail through the Backwaters are called, it was beautiful. Apart from that it was all ours, as we were the only guests staying. The room was super comfortable, with a clean bathroom and hot water, a soft bed that you lay on and you know that you will have sweet dreams, a desk, two windows and a closet.

We spend most of the time in the little room in the bow to not miss a detail of what we were seeing, and that is that next to the channels life goes on as if nothing (obviously!) ... the houses, humble but charming, the fishermen with their rods and patience, the happy children without thoughts, the crazy goats as always, the ducks taking their dip and much, much tranquility.

To be 100% happy, we only needed one thing: food! And as if they had read us in the mind, the food arrived: mmm what a delight! We tried Kerala curry, coconut salad, sambar, rice, pappadam, fish. The afternoon remained calm, but not boring: something always happened that left us speechless.

Around 4:00 p.m. they brought us fried bananas and chai for a snack and at 6:00 p.m. we stopped at the little village where we were going to spend the night.

We decided to get off and take a walk since when would we have the opportunity to get lost in a Backwaters town? We did not have to walk much to find a family that opened the doors of his house to show us his orchard, trees and hospitality.

Whoever says that traveling in India is dangerous and that people just want to scam you has not understood anything: once again we had the sign that the people of India are in-can-ta-do-ra!

After greeting our new friends (it hurts not to have brought the camera!) We returned to the boat, after lunch, we knew that dinner was not going to disappoint us and it did not: how good everything ... We lay a little on the mat of the bow, we look at the stars and think about how lucky we are. How cool it is to travel!

Without a doubt, if you have the opportunity to navigate the Kerala Backwaters ... take it! For us it was one of the most beautiful experiences we lived in India (and see that we live many!)

USEFUL INFO

Cruise:

The Backwaters cruise is Kerala's most famous attraction, so it won't take long to see advertised agencies and tours. Make it clear what you want: how many days, what route, if you want all meals, if you want to be alone or in a group, etc ...

Who did we do it with?

We were invited to the cruise by Tommy's company that hosted us at Elsa's homestay: River and Country

Contacts:

Our cruise:

It was 1 day (with night on board)

We had lunch, snack, dinner and breakfast. All very rich and a lot. Very friendly staff. We recommend it without any doubt! As there are many agencies we had read everything ... but we are super happy with the treatment they gave us!

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