| Houseboats in kerala
and kashmir |
| |
|
Kerala
Tour Packages |
Kashmir
Tour Packages |
| |
Kerala Houseboats
When the modern trucks replaced this
system of transport, some one found
a new way that would keep these
boats, almost all of which were more
than 100 years old, in the market.
By constructing special rooms to
accommodate travelers, these boats
cruised forward from near-
extinction to enjoy their present
great popularity.
Now these are a familiar sight on
the backwaters and in Alleppey
alone, there are as many as 120
houseboats. While converting
kettuvallams into houseboats, care
is taken to use only natural
products. Bamboo mats, sticks and
wood of the aracanut tree are used
for roofing, coir mats and wooden
planks for the flooring and wood of
coconut trees and coir for beds. For
lighting though, solar panels are
used.
Today, the houseboats have all the
creature comforts of a good hotel
including furnished bedrooms, modern
toilets, cozy living rooms, a
kitchen and even a balcony for
angling. Parts of the curved roof of
wood or plaited palm open out to
provide shade and allow
uninterrupted views. While most
boats are poled by local oarsmen,
some are powered by a 40 HP engine.
Boat-trains - formed by joining two
or more houseboats together - are
also used by large groups of
sight-seers. The Houseboats of
Kerala are giant country crafts,
measuring up to 80 feet in length,
retrieved from being lost to the
State altogether. Once they ruled
the backwaters, poled along by one
or two men, heavily loaded with
rice, coconut and other commodities.
But in the recent times, the
kettuvalloms have been replaced by
more and modern modes of transport,
relegating them to neglect and
decay. |
| |
Kashmir Houseboats
Srinagar "Dal Lake" and Nagin Lake"
floating on a postcard lake in one
of Kashmir's famous houseboats is
the way to see how this place earned
the name, "The Venice of the East".
Water - powered peddlers sell
everything from saffron to paper
mache deer to the houseboat door.
Ride a Shikara - a Kashmiri gondola
- to the watery vegetable markets
and see the mountains mirrored in
the lakes. The houseboats are grand
with hand - carved furniture and
rich Kashmiri carpet. Floating on a
postcard lake in one of Kashmir's
famous houseboats is the way to see
how this place earned the name, "The
Venice of the East". Water - powered
peddlers sell everything from
saffron to paper mache deer to the
houseboat door.Most houseboats on
the Nagin and the Jhelum are
situated on the banks of the lake,
and can be accessed directly from
land without the help of a shikara,
while all those on the Dal require a
shikara to get to and from them.
Most houseboats on the Dal are
situated in long straggling rows;
some face the Boulevard, Srinagar's
most exciting address, while others
are situated singly or in groups of
two and three.
For the honeymooners the
houseboats deep in the lake are
ideal. The romantic setting of the
lake in Kashmir together with the
royal setting of the houseboats
create magic. The best activity
while on the houseboat in Kashmir
would be to sit in the balcony and
enjoy the multi hues of natural and
human life pass by. The view from
the houseboat keeps changing with
the season too. There are the awe
aspiring mountains of the Pir Panjal
(also spelt as Panchal) and the
majestic mountains of Himalayas. In
winter the fun doubles when the snow
covered surrounding take over. The
waters of the lake are mesmerizing
as it is. |
| |
|
Kerala
Tour Packages |
Kashmir
Tour Packages |
| |
|
|
