Kumarakom

An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off the goal. We were heading for Munnar when an under construction National Highway made us take our eyes off Munnar and onto Kumarakom . . . and it turned out to be an invigorating tryst !!!

Kumarakom is a peninsula set in Vembanad Lake whose fresh water has carved through the mainland a labyrinth of lagoons, brooks, canals and waterways hosting a variety of fauna and flora. Please visit http://www.kumarakom.com/ for further details

The Stay
As always, thanks to dad, we had a wonderful stay in Paradise Resorts - one of the several lake resorts in the region. They help make your stay enjoyable by providing well furnished independent cottages, 2 houseboats, 1 swimming pool, quality landscaping and a motorboat to take you around the backwaters. Negotiate well on room tariffs and do not pay more than Rs 200 per hour for the motorboat. Please visit http://www.paradisein.com/ for further details.

The Houseboats
Most of the resorts in the region provide following 2 options with varying degree of luxury. Any other option is just not worth considering.

1. An Independent Cottage adjoining the backwaters. Hotel Radission complements each inependent cottage with a private swimming pool
2. An Independent Houseboat sailing across the backwaters. The Houseboats set sail at around 12 pm and return to the resort at 9:30 am, the following day.

Therefore, Option 1 is recommended only if the check in time is reasonably after 12 pm.

En route, houseboats cover most of the tourist attractions. They sail all the way uptil Allepey and then resume their way back home. The sunrise and sunset form the key selling point of the trip. Very broadly, following is their schedule

• 12 am to 6 pm: Cover all scenic spots near Kumarakom and finally head for Allepey
• 6 pm to 7 am: Anchor at a common point as the local fishermen venture out and lay their
  fishing nets across the backwaters
• 7 am to 9:30 am: Return Journey.

The picture shows Houseboat 1, which is smaller of the 2, parked at Paradise Resort. It comprises of a drawing room, bed room with attached bathroom and kitchen

Outer view from the drawing room of Houseboat 2. A LCD TV has been installed in the drawing room, as well as in the bed room

The passage of Houseboat 2, the larger of the 2. First right leads to bedroom 1. Second right leads to bedroom 2. Straight ahead is the kitchen and the driver's room

A Houseboat parked outside Hotel Radisson, adjoining Paradise Resorts

Myopic View of a Houseboat cruising through the Backwaters

A Houseboat with en elevated Balcony . . . very creative !!!

Artistic . . . Isnt it?

The Backwaters

We reached Kumarakom at around 6 pm. All the houseboats had set sail by then. So we hired a motorboat the next day, for a couple of hours, to roam around the backwaters. The artist within me could not resist getting atop the motorboat and capture some rare moments.

There are townships on either side of the water way

Now, a closer look at one of the housing colonies

Now, a closer look at one of the house . . lets not zoom any further !!!

One of the Lake Resorts spotted during our cruise . . . I am unsure of the name

Fishermen consolidating their catch, early in the morning

Road . . sorry . . Water to Kochi . . .

Earth, Water, Sky . . .

Reflections !!!

I wanted to capture the houseboat and the bird together. Can you spot the bird?

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