Adam and Tina

Malayalam Resort viewed from lake, showing day bed in yellow. Alleppey, Kerala.

Alleppey (Alappuzha) is one of those fantastic towns where days can drift by while relaxing with a good book and watching happy village life flow by in front of you. This sensation is in great contrast to northern India. Here, the pace is slower and people are always smiling.

Most travelers miss the gem by rushing through Alleppey and jumping straight into an overnight houseboat. We recommend that you stay in a guesthouse along the backwaters for at least one or two nights (we stayed for 6 nights). Take this opportunity to kick back and relax in one of the most chilled out places in India. We used this time to study the houseboats and decide on the type of houseboat we wanted.

Accommodation:

We highly recommend two neighboring guesthouses, located just outside of the town. Both are exceptional places and neither are listed in any English guide books (yet). They are however listed in French guide books.

Keraleeyam Lake Side Resort

This place has our highest recommendation. After having traveled through several India cities (we’re currently in Rajasthan, writing missing posts), this was still the best accommodation we’ve experienced for the price range. Fully equipped with room service, restaurant and ayurvedic massage center. The best options here are lake facing huts/cottages made from palm leaves. Every cottage has a private porch along the lake, built for hours of relaxing. No need to spring for AC, peak season doesn’t bring temperatures high enough to need it.

Contact: keraleeyam.com
Cost: 1710 Rs / $45
Recommended: Room 107

Pros:

• Exceptional breakfast
• Super clean, mosquito nets, lots of light
• 24 hour hot water. Western standard bathroo, minus the roof.

Cons:

• Limited non-Indian food options
• Lacking village family feel
• Food delivery is very slow. Reserved meals are always late (order for a time prior to 30 minutes of when you actually want it.)
• Cost: relatively pricy

Lake facing hut at Keraleeyam Resort. Alleppey, Kerala.

Partial outdoor bathroom attached to Hut at Keraleeyam. Alleppey, Kerala.

Malayalam Resort

We fell in love with this place on arrival: especially the day bed perched over the lake water. Malayalam has two of these comfortable spots, held up with four wooden anchors, and decked out with bamboo mats and a Persian body pillow. Don’t be mislead by the word “Resort” in its name. It’s extremely down-to-earth here, with a village life feel. This family run place has six rooms (including one traditional hut) and is run by a very charismatic and down-to-earth manager, Jose. The owners, Thomas and Rosie, are kind but do not speak much English. Home-made dinners are served under candle light, and are most delicious but the portions are small. We loved the family here, but after staying at both places, this is our second option due to limited eating options and lack of hot water.

Contact: Jose cell phone 9447505567
Cost: 800-1200 Rs / $20-30
Recommended: Cottage/Hut

Pros:

• Family and village feel
• Economical
• Day beds and hammock

Cons:

• Limited food options (i.e.. no lunch options and dinner portions are very small), but a restaurant is just a tuktuk-ride away.
• No hot water
• Due to its family-run nature, it’s not as professionally run as Keraleeyam. Do not have laundry done here, at least not white clothing. Tina’s white clothing turned tie-dyed blue (while Adam’s stayed white).

Lake facing hut at Malayalam Resort. Alleppey, Kerala.

Tina reading Harry Potter on day bed at Malayalam Resort.

Restaurants

Eating options are extremely limited. Most guesthouses have some eating options, but your best bet is in the town and in higher end hotels.

Kream Korner, recommended by the Lonely Planet is not bad (good food, bad service and questionable hygienic). There’s a restaurant several doors down from Kream Korner with green signage that serves pretty good vegetable noodles which we frequented.

Houseboats

Staying in a houseboat in the Kerala Backwaters is listed as one of the things to do before you die by the Lonely Planet. We enjoyed the experience, and also learned many lessons that we wished we knew before getting on the boat. Here are some suggestions and tips to help you while selecting a houseboat.

Houseboat we rented for our two day backwater tour.

General Knowledge

Houseboats come in 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms. Prices start at 3500 ($90) per night for a basic 1 bedroom boat, and can cost up to 10,000 Rs. ($250) for a larger luxury boat. The price includes 3 staff (captain, cook, guide/manager/server) and all meals.

Checkin time is 11am or noon, and checkout time is 9am. The boats will either come pick you up, assuming that your pickup location is along the backwaters, or you meet them at “Finishing Point” for check-in.

Our Experience

We got a double decker boat for two days. Asking price was 6000 per night, and we bargained it down to 4000 per night (~ $100).

The first day was extremely fun. By second day, we started to get the sense that we were being cheated. The crew was leaving extra late the next morning, driving very slowly, choosing large river ways instead of the more interesting narrower river alleys, taking mid-day naps without request, and all our meals were so similar that they were clearly reruns. Additionally, there was no hot water, and we found lots of small bugs in our bed.

Despite the negatives, we still found the experience memorable and recommend it to others. Though, we do not recommend the boating company we employed.

Kitchen on our houseboat. Fully equipped.

Tips for Renting a Houseboat

Spend at least a day checking out the houseboats by staying at a hotel along the backwaters (or have a drink there). 9am and 11-noon are the best time for doing this, as boats are returning or leaving the general check-in point. Both hotels above are just up the river from “Finishing Point”, and most boats will pass by in the morning. Seeing all the boats will give you a better idea of which boat features and style you prefer. Use this knowledge to be an educated consumer and narrow your options down to a hand full of boats. For example, we decided that we wanted a 1 or 2 bedroom boat with a second level deck, which narrowed our options down to 4 boats, and made our negotiations quicker and easier.

• Know the Market - asking around for pricing. Ask other travelers who have already rented; ask hotel managers (note: managers will likely give you a higher price, because they have something to gain from referral).
• Best Pricing - it’s cheaper to book directly with boat owners by examining boats at “Finishing Point”. Removing agents and other middle men will save you several thousand rupees per night (~$20-50 lower).
• Boat Selection - Give yourself an extra day or two to find a boat, so you don’t feel rushed and you can guarantee the boat you want will be available (boats are most frequently booked for single night stays). Go to “Finishing Point” at 10 am (preferably two days prior to your desired date) and see the boats for yourself. Don’t be pressured by any one owner. Take their information and call them later, after examining all your options.
• Size Matters - During boat selection, we recommend a boat with a larger kitchen. Since, this is where the crew spends their time when you are eating. This is also where the cook spends all of his time (including sleeping time). Larger kitchen means happier cook and crew. Also note that double decker boats cannot enter into many small river alleyways due to height, however, you will get better views on a two level deck.
• Fine Details #1 - Find out where you’ll be going exactly. It’s recommended to get a map of the backwater area and make them draw it out, including the names of villages you’ll be passing. If you don’t do this, their goal is to cover as little land as possible to save gas money.
• Fine Details #2 - Find out exactly when you’ll be stopping and for how long. This includes the time when the boat stops for the night and when it’ll start again. Many boats will try to skim you out by stopping at every meal. The government requires that boats start no earlier than 8am, and stop no later than 6pm, but any other stops are unnecessary. If you don’t discuss when the boat will leave the next morning (ie. 8am), they’ll make sure to leave extra late (ie. 10am or 11am). Not having this ironed out ahead of time will result in reduced boating time (about 4 hours for the whole day). Typically, they are supposed to leave 8am in the morning, stop at 6pm for the night. But many will not follow this format.
• Fine Detail #3 - Find out what you’ll be having at every meal. This is especially important if you are staying for multiple days. We had the same coconut curry dish at every meal, and I (Tina) wanted to shoot somebody by the end of our two days. The food was fantastic at first, but after repeated sightings of the same dishes at every meal, we needed some variety. Ask about variety when negotiating details. Also, because the crew eats the same food (after you eat), if you ask for non-spicy food they’ll be reluctant to give it to you. I found this to be quite frustrating.
• Multiple Days - We originally planned to rent for three nights but went with two instead. By the end of two days, we couldn’t wait to get out of there. The novelty factor will pretty much wear off after a day, and you’ll start to pick up on all the annoyances. We don’t recommend staying for multiple days, and if you must, two days max.

Keralian breakfast served on the houseboat

Sunrise at 6:20am, Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.

Awoken by the sound of roosters and black birds, I crawled out of the mosquito net to meditate and to catch the sunrise in one of the most beautiful places in the world: Alleppy in Kerala, India. I am now sitting on the front porch of the simple palm tree hut where we’re staying. I can see in front of me: serene alleyways of calm rivers, rows and rows of palm trees, birds flying in schools into the horizon and hues of pinks and blues and yellows out in the sky. Occasionally, groups of two or three men will pass gracefully along the calming river in a traditional Indian gondola on their way to the morning market.

I am in love. Not just because it’s valentine’s day and we’re supposed to feel so, but because I have witnessed a slice of heaven here in South India.

When we arrived, I said to Adam, “If I were to ever write a book, I’m coming back here to write it. This is so beautiful and peaceful.”

The following are summaries of lessons learned during our first two weeks roaming around in India. These are specifically targeted at traveling in India, but many are applicable to traveling in general.

Accommodation

(This section turned out to be extremely long. Will specify details in a separate post.)

Conveniences

Adam at the airport with his hi-tech conveniences. The small device attached to the laptop is the Reliance modem.

• Laptop - We brought the MacBook on our trip, so we could keep up with friends, for storage of photos and so I could continue my writing. We got a sac cover for Adam’s backpack and we put the laptop in there to be locked before we leave our rooms. If you need to lock a bag, make sure to lock all bags left at the hotel, not just the ones with valuables in it.
• Mobile Internet - Mobile internet costs around $43/month (1500 Rs) for unlimited usage, and the mobile modem costs $62 (2500 Rs) on the Reliance network and $250 (10,000 Rs) on the AirTel network. The AirTel modem is slightly faster at 244Kbps than the Reliance modem at 144Kbps. However, the coverage for the Reliance network is better. We took the Reliance option. Both options are painfully slow if you’re used to broadband access, but extremely convenient. Basically, anywhere there was cell phone access, we had internet. Imagine having internet in the most remote spots, on trains, at airports, while riding a house boat, late at night in a small town. It has come extremely handy for last minute hotel bookings for us. Note: there are low coverage in rural area away from the big cities, this means exceedingly slow (i.e.. several minutes to load an email in gmail). We had this problem in Alleppy, Kerala.
• Cell phone - Definitely worth getting a cellphone, even for a couple of weeks stay. It’s very reasonably priced and super convenient. We got our phone (the cheapest model: Nokia 1200) for $30, $5 to activate the phone with a number, $2.5 for 100 minutes. We activated our phone on the Vodophone network.
• Getting a Cell Phone or Internet - For cell phone and internet access, you need the help of a local with local mailing address and photo. Security is taken seriously here and the networks will not activate an account unless the applicant’s address has been verified by an actual person visiting that address (this was our experience getting mobile internet in Delhi). Expect several days of waiting. Note: It is possible that they will disconnect your service if the address is not verified properly after several days. This also happened to us with internet access.
• Credit Cards - Almost all hotels and shopping centers accepts credit cards. We found the fees to be lower than taking money out from ATMs. ATM has an upper daily withdraw of $375.
• On a Mac - Finding software for a Mac is extremely difficult in India. If you are traveling with your MacBook, unless your a techie-mac-specialist, it will be in your best interested to have a Windows partition installed. It will make life easier. If you run into problems and needs help servicing your Mac, you can find a servicing center at the Mac store at Ansel Plaza in Delhi.

Health

• Eating - For your health: avoid anything uncooked, this includes salads, fruit juices, yoghurt/lassies, un-bottled water at restaurants. In extremely clean restaurants and homes of people you trust, you can loosen up on the lassie and juice rule. Note: After two weeks, we started eating salads at several trust worthy places.
• Bring or Buy a Scarf - Having a scarf is useful for wrapping around your mouth and nose when walking around the streets and riding in auto rickshaws. After my first day, I felt like small chunks of dirt were stuck in my throat. Adam bought his along the main bazaar in Delhi for $2.5
• Sterilizing Options - If cost is not a big issue, we recommend getting a UV sterilizing device for traveling. There are two types, one for purifying drinking water from tap water (we got the SteriPen from REI for $80 + $10 for additional filters) and one for sterilizing things like cutlery, door handles, etc.
• Mosquitos - Bring lots and lots of mosquito repellent. We recommend bringing both the cream and spray form. You’ll only need these in South India or summers in the North in certain places. I didn’t use mosquito repellent during my first day in Kerala and resulted with 27 mosquito bites on my right arm alone (but then again, Adam got none, so go figure.). Yikes.
• Drink Lots of Water - I started to feel sick after arriving in South India. This was mainly due to my body unused to the heat and not drinking enough water. Make a conscious effort to drink lots of water (3 liters minimum in hot areas). Take lots of little sips here and there.
• Mosquito Bites - Bring AfterBite. You’ll be glad you did. If not, you can pick up a local alternative at any pharmacy stall in town.
• Protection From the Sun - Sunscreens are must, we recommend getting sunscreens for babies at a high protection rate (i.e.. 50+). Hats with a visor is a wise thing to bring, for long walks in the sun and other unshaded areas. Even with sunscreens, we both had minor sun burns. Having Aloe Vera around would have been helpful. If you didn’t bring any for burns, you can rub lotion instead.
• Bring Food - We brought lots of granola bars, fruit bars, health food drinks (E.Excel’s Nutrifresh). These came extremely handy as little snacks when we didn’t have much alternatives in areas lacking food options.

Transportation

Auto-rickshaw aka three-wheelers in Delhi.

• Taxi - Taxi drivers have a mind of their own. Make sure you know exactly where you want to go, and double check they are taking you there. They may take extra long routes or go to the wrong place on purpose.
• Cost of Taxi - Ask locals (people working in the hotels, friends) how much taxis should be between certain distances. When you ask a taxi driver the cost before you get on, you will always get a foreigner’s prices (30-50% higher), so bargain.
  • Example of Bargaining - in Cochin, Kerala, a ride from Fort Cochin to Manttan-Cheery costs 18 R.s for locals, 20 if you’re good at bargaining and 30-40 for foreigners who don’t bargain. When you ask for the price (and you always should before getting in the car), they’ll likely say 30 or 35 rupees, offer them 15, they’ll laugh and say no, wait a second, offer 18, they may say 25, then offer them 20. (If they appear to say no and move away immediately after you offer 15, then say 20). They might say no or pause in silence, just slowly walk away gesturing that you won’t pay more than 20. This has worked for us, every time.
• Domestic Airports - The domestic airport in Delhi feels like a waiting room (and we hear it’s worst in other cities like Bangalore). Most flights are delayed and there are more people than the small airport can handle. If you are flying within the country, bring a book with you to the airport, you’ll need it. It’s also a good idea to bring food.
• Airline Suggestions - From our observation, SpiceJet and IndiGo are airlines that are extremely prone to delays and frustrations. Jet Airways, King Fisher and Air Deccan are better airlines with better service, better organization, less people and less delays. We only fly SpiceJet if it’s the only option or is significantly cheaper (i.e.. $100 lower), and even then, we bring laptops and thick books to accompany us.
• Tips - Keep small changes around (5 and 10 rupees). Especially on auto rickshaws, the driver will magically not have any or have enough change. We sometimes ask to see his change after settling on a price, before we get in the car.

Food

Dinner in candle light outdoors at the Malayalam Resort in Alleppy, Kerala.

• Consistency & Expectations - Food & food quality will be largely inconsistent, even within the same restaurant. For example, ordering Tea within the same hotel on different days resulted in drastically different teas and serving sizes.
• Get the Soup - Tomato Soups are amazing. Every restaurant we went to had it on the menu. We’ve been getting soups with almost every meal.
• McDonald’s - Try the McVeggie burger or the AlooTikka burger at McDonalds. Very popular among locals and is very different from the standard beef patties we see in North America and Europe.
• Salads - I’ve never seen a salad in India containing lettuce. So when you order salads (at reliable places only), expect to see sliced vegetables. Oh, and there are no such thing as salad dressing. It’s quite good with a sprinkle of lime juice and salt.
• Getting your Veggies - Most restaurants will do steamed or boiled vegetables for you, even though it is not listed on the menu. This is a good way to get your vegetables, since it’s hard to get them otherwise with local dishes.
• Break from Curries - The local food are fantastic, but I found it difficult to eat curries everyday. You’ll notice Chinese food listed on most menus, but expect sauce-like dishes similar to curries. On the same Chinese menu, I recommend Vegetable Noodles (Nothing fancier) as a nice break away from curries. Ask for vinegar along with your noodles. The fried rice is quite good in many places.

Extra Tips

• Professional Beggars - Be ware of small groups of children asking money. They will pat you down with their little hands, looking for change and money in your pockets. When riding auto-rickshaws, always have an arm (or leg) around your belongings, you’ll find these street children at stop lights asking for money and they’re not shy to stick their hands into your cart.
• Hagglers and Touts - Avoid eye contact with hagglers looking to give your tours, take you to their shops, etc. The moment you give them any attention, they’ll be haggling you even more.
• Getting Friendly - Having a friend in the city is invaluable. If you have a friend or a friend’s family in town, definitely ask for help, you have no idea how much happier you’ll be as a result.
• Money Budgeting - You will always end up spending more than you expect. So budget for extra costs.
• Break Away From Noise - When you need a break from the hectic street scenes of downtown Delhi or the hustle and bustle of the many tourist traps, consider a break at one of the modern shopping malls in South or East Delhi. We suggest: Ansel Plaza, Khan Market.
• Children in Tourist Towns - You may encounter small local children approaching you with courteous English. They may ask, “one pen?”, followed with “sweets?”. Do not give in to this for obvious reasons. I like to reply with, “Do you have a pen to give me?” instead of no.

Delhi

• Shopping - Shopping along the Main Bazaar is quite good for foreigners. It’s a bit of a tourist trap, but great for souvenirs.
• Food - Haldiram in Chandi-Chowk (old Delhi) is a fantastic and clean Indian fast-food restaurant. The Special Thali (North Indian) and Vegetable Noodles are amazing.

Odds & Ends

• Cell phones knows where we are. As we are sitting in the hotel restaurants within Main Bazaar, the phone knew where we were (listing out the hotel name), and it will periodically send advertising in the form of text-message.
• No matter what happens, there is no need to panic.