All of us reached and got busy with decorating and setting up the ancestral home for the function and it took place in the best possible way. And right after the celebration day was over, we decided to head off to Alleppey, where the driver came with a travellers vehicle that could fit all 13 of us. The not so hot and not so rainy climate of Kerala was soothing and in a three-hour driver, we reached our neighbouring district, Alappuzha. The pristine nature changed the talks into how unlucky we had been that we had not been to a place so closely located to us during the school days. We had a houseboat plan for 5 hours where we could enjoy the Alleppey backwaters and have some relaxed talks. We got into the boat around 12 and they welcome us with a drink. All of us sat in the sitting room and began showering out topics on which we sat and talked and laughed over. The trees and people that surrounded us made the place look like we had never experienced the sort of life, the people in Alleppey had been leading. It seemed merrier and the guide told us that the people here were not great fans of luxury and they loved the simplest lives they had been leading. That is probably one reason that the place has remained much greener than ever.
The guide told us that the cook had been getting our food ready and we could eat in another half hour wherein my cousin brother set up the camera on a tripod and we sat on for some good pictures to be clicked before we fell for the yummy food he served us. We sat where ever possible around the table and attacked the food like we had come from some foodless locations. But the authentic Kerala seafood seemed to be a bliss for us and the guide told us that we could eat our dinner from a place he suggested us as they served the best and the most cost-effective rates for the people. We sat with all the marvel in our eyes and licked in every bit of the food. The cook was our king and we literally thanked him for the amaze he lit up in our stomach. Three hours had gone by and the remaining two hours we spent taking a tour through the boat and throwing sarcastic comments. The photographer in the family had fallen for the nature that had been turning in to some exceptionally good pictures. Also, all of us resided in metro cities and being in Bangalore always made me crave for the retreat that Kerala always feeds its people.
And when the cruise was over we got out and took a walk along the nature trails where some people had been busy setting hook in the backwaters. We walked forth to the hotel we had booked for our night stay had been located close by. the driver said that we could visit Alleppey Beach and check into the hotel by 9 and until then we could sightsee the several places. We went to the beach where quite a number of people had been waiting to view the sunset. We sat on the shore and the ice cream vendor served us some good jackfruit ice cream which I had never tasted from any place. The ice cream parlours with a number of flavours in Bangalore never had this sort of absolute relishing flavours. That was about Kerala where we would be surprised with the sights and tastes that come our way. And then we insisted that the driver takes us to the shop the guide in the houseboat had told us.
The kappa and fish curry and all that toddy that had been served to us were simply the best inner ever and the food hangover took us to the hotel where we initially sat in the balcony and each of us dozed off eventually. We had even parcelled some beef for who would ever serve food so tasty and cheap in places like Bangalore where we were bound to return the next day. Early morning we checked out and headed off to Kochi.