INDIA
India - Luxury Travel Magazine
 | |||||
Planes, Trains, Chauffeur-Driven Automobiles & Houseboats | |||||
| By: Bronwyn Ridgway, Issue 42 – Autumn 2010 | |||||
| (Family Holiday India) | |||||
| BRONWYN RIDGWAY TOOK HER FAMILY ON AN INDIAN ADVENTURE WHERE A LUXURY HOUSEBOAT VOYAGE TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST WAY TO SEE FROM DAYBREAK TO NIGHTFALL THE ACTIVITIES AND LIVES OF THE LOCALS IN THE SOUTH-WEST OF THE SUBCONTINENT. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALLUM MURRAY. | |||||
| Our Indian family adventure started when we flew into Kochi International Airport, in the commercial centre of Kerala. Arriving late at night we went straight to the comfort of our hotel, The Taj Malabar, magnificently positioned on Kochi harbour as it reaches out to the Arabian Sea. By 10 o’clock the next morning we were being chauffeur driven to Alleppey, 70 kms south. This was the start of an extraordinary backwaters experience on a luxury houseboat (or kettuvallum as they are known), which silently navigates the canals and lakes of Kerala on India’s lush south western coast. Kerala is a narrow strip of land that sweeps from the sea to the mountains. Locals call it “God’s own country” and with good cause. It’s a truly beautiful part of India. The highlands of the region offer tropical forest havens with tea, coffee and spice plantations and wildlife sanctuaries while the coast is made up of ocean inlets and coconut palm studded beaches but in between the two is a labyrinth of blue waterways, the Kerala backwaters. They cover 1500 kilometres and consist of 44 rivers, lagoons and vast lakes. Traditionally, river boats have provided transport for the locals between towns and villages; they also moved rice, coconuts and other crops to market centres. Nowadays they are constructed as luxury accommodation for travellers who enjoy a very special, private experience for anything from one night to two weeks. They are still made along traditional lines using local anjali wood and coir, but now they are built with modern kitchens, air-conditioned bedrooms with ensuites, lounge, dining and viewing areas with satellite television. The crew consists of a captain, deckhand and trained cook, or qualified chef if you’d like to pay a little more. The food is traditional Kerala home style cooking, featuring local vegetables, chicken and fish. You can purchase fresh prawns from riverside stalls. Our crew welcomed us Kerala style (with green coconut milk still in the shell) then pushed off from the riverbank as we settled into the relaxed state that pervaded the entire houseboat experience. Flying from Australia to India doesn’t cause jetlag, but after a 15-hour flight to Kochi we relished a peaceful night’s sleep in the comfort of our floating bedrooms. The children had their own bedroom suites and they could move around at leisure, exploring the boat as well as the scenery. Our 11 year old son Callum took lots of photographs while Lily, our 15 year old daughter, watched river life go by; the fishermen on their boats, workers in the rice farms, children coming and going from school, men and women washing and children giggling as they dived and played in the water. Both were intrigued by the river transport system, watching grain and produce silently pass by. By afternoon they were happily fishing from our houseboat, comparing the size of their catch and talking with our cook about the way he would present the fish for our evening meal. Lily and I took the opportunity to disembark in the late afternoon and caught a tuk-tuk to a local village that had an established Ayurveda Therapy Centre. Ayurveda is the ancient and complex science of Indian herbal medicine and healing. Over 2000 plant species are used in this process and the centre at Kerala is regarded as an Ayurveda centre of excellence. We indulged ourselves with an authentic Ayurvedic herbal oil treatment, massaged by qualified specialists. Our return in the tuk-tuk was in fading light. We passed through the spicy aromas of evening meals, past the children playing on doorsteps, past groups of men and women chattering in Malayalam, then through the river birds’ calls as they flew to their nests. Back on our houseboat we sat down to an elegantly served dinner for four, delicious to the last mouthful. The food on the houseboat was the best we had eaten in India: fresh, simple and delicately spiced but full flavoured. When booking your houseboat, remember they range in quality and size. Make sure you book a five-star vessel and that you get what you paid for. Our luxury houseboat offered total comfort and a unique opportunity to see from daybreak to nightfall, the activities and lives of local people on the Kerala backwaters. We disembarked from our houseboat at Alleppey where our chauffeur and guide were waiting to take us back to Kochi then on to Thekkady. We made time to see a show, Kerala’s 500-year-old dance drama titled Kathakali, and to visit the Mattancherry Jewish Synagogue which was built in 1568. Also in Mattancherry there’s the Dutch Palace, constructed by the Portuguese in 1555, which has elegant murals and ornate Goan wooden ceilings. The tea, coffee or cardamom plantations of Thekkady provide peaceful stopovers, complete with nature trails and nearby wildlife sanctuaries. A number of Kerala plantations now provide treetop accommodation, which is the new award winning ecotourism. From Kochi we travelled by train to tiny Goa. It takes around 12 hours on the Rajdhani Express, one of the premier air-conditioned trains of India. Meals, bottled water and newspapers are included in the price of the ticket and if travelling overnight, sleeping births are provided. It’s best to travel by day because the railway threads its way along the spectacular Malabar then Konkan Coast. It’s a stunning journey, especially along the Konkan Coast where the train passes on one side, exotic mangroves and coconut palms that sweep to the sea and on the other, the green carpeted forests of the Western Ghats. Our train pulled into Margao Station Goa where holiday makers disembarked before the Rajdhani Express pulled away from the platform bound for Mumbai. Train travel in India is efficient and effective and it’s an exciting wayto move around the country. India Tourism suggests that international travellers take first class travel on domestic rail. These places are limited so it’s best to book early and have written confirmation of your secured seats or births with you when you travel. Ticket inspectors rigorously check all details when it comes to reservations and passport identity. Goa’s wide rivers, deep harbours, beaches and relaxed lifestyle are as attractive to us as they have been to traders and travellers over the centuries. In Panaji, the riverside capital of Goa, it was easy for our family to stroll around the beautiful Portuguese influenced buildings and to enjoy Goa’s shopping opportunities. Panaji’s boutiques and emporiums cater to a more exclusive market and have select fabrics with the rich colours and designs of the south. It’s also worth visiting Old Goa’s 16th century monuments and magnificent churches with ornate crypts and extensive parklands. The Leela Kempinski Goa offers resplendent beachside rooms, suites and villas. Sprawled over 75 acres with a 12 hole, three par golf course and beach it has extensive pool and spa facilities and Ayurvedic therapies. Exclusive cruises and fishing trips can be organised on guests’ request, there’s also a 24 hour casino games room. Goa is the only place in India where gambling has been legalised and there are floating casinos on the river at Panaji. It was difficult to move on from the relaxed pace of Kerala and Goa to bustling Delhi. We wanted to see some of Delhi’s fabulous monuments and parks. Chauffeur-driven with guide, we toured Delhi’s must see sights and monuments – Humayun’s Tomb, Safdarang’s Tomb, the Red Fort, Connaught Place and Qutab Minar. The chic city-based Aman New Delhi resort was our home in New Delhi. Just south of the Delhi Golf Course and minutes from the city’s iconic sites, it’s well located for an easy trip to the airport. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| India Tourism | |||||
| Luxury Kerala Houseboats | |||||
| STAY: | |||||
| Taj Malabar Kochi | |||||
| The Leela Kempinski Goa | |||||
| Aman New Delhi | |||||
|
