Backwaters - Day 2

This is a link from my blog about my trip to India in 2014
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Backwaters - Day 2

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Today was our second day on the backwaters and as were already on board we set off from the jetty before 08:00 this morning so that we could go further into the backwaters. After we had been travelling for a couple of hours the boat slowed down and eventually stopped. We were all wondering what was happening when all of a sudden four more passengers (and a guide) came on board “our” boat – and what was even worse was that another couple joined the boat a bit later, making 12 of us in total.

The boat then continued for a while with the guide explaining what was going to happen when we boarded the rice boat for a trip along some of the narrower parts of the backwaters.

The rice boats that they use were up until the 1990s used to carry the rice up and down the rivers but these days they have been transformed in pleasure craft – not altogether dissimilar to our canal barges.

Once we were on the rice boat we set off along the narrower backwaters until we reached the first of two places where we were to get off the boat. The first stop was for about half an hour to have a look at a village and a rice field. Rice growing is now nationalised in India since the Government took all the rice fields from the farmers. After getting back on board the rice boat we went a bit further and all got off again – this time to see a half-statue of Lord Buddha at Karumadi followed by a short walk to see the local Hindu temple, from the outside. Back on the rice boat and back to our own “big” boat. All in all, apart from seeing the narrow backwaters a bit of a waste of time!

Once back on board we had lunch which today was a Sadya which is a Indian banquet of about 20 courses, most of which is served on a banana leaf and eaten with your fingers – those who were able to move after this lunch tended to collapse into chairs and later fall asleep on the sun beds.

That was the afternoon taken care of and our pre dinner entertainment tonight was a performance of Vrindadyam – effectively three guys hitting various drum type instruments, another guy playing a stringed instrument that is unique in this area of India (but looked, and sounded, like a violin) and the fifth guy playing what looked and sounded like a Jew’s harp. I have to admit that it was not my type of music and I cannot see it ever getting in the top ten!

Today is the first day that it has not rained whilst we have been in Southern India.

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