Beautiful backwater heaven with some 1500 houseboats and a buzzy paddy fields greenery, Alleppey is a great place to create some memorable life stories. We visited this place during December 2014, and found it a little tough to choose from where to start, especially since we were on a time crunching schedule. Fortunately, we met a few locals, who were extremely friendly, and guided us instantly on how to mix adventure with naturalistic explorations. We had planned to stay just for a few hours, but found this place exciting enough to spend additional two days. Accommodation was easy to find. A lot of pretty resorts, houseboats, and homestays offer decent living conditions.
The Culture: Alleppey's people are warm, and don't object to non Hindus visiting temples unlike most of the Kerala where only Hindus are allowed inside temples. If you ever get a chance to visit during the Ambalapuzha temple festival, do not miss witnessing the lively ceremony of elephants carrying the Krishna idol with music accompaniments.
Boat Races - Although the season during which we visited Alleppey did not have any boat-race competition, we could still see loads of them tied next to their owners' homes. It reminded me of the Kerala that Doordarshan used to show when we were kids - the boat races with over hundreds of men rowing in such a synchronized manner that it was almost musical. The competition is held on the second Saturday of August.
The experience you must have
Visit the beach. Early morning, afternoon, or night - anytime you can, you'll always find it crowd-free, serene, and inviting. Alleppey is so famous for its backwaters that people don't visit its beach at all, which makes it a must-see place. For us, it was so memorable that we stayed there listening to the waves from early morning till late afternoon, skipping our breakfast & even lunch, just because we did not want to miss being the only two people on such a beautiful beach.
