Houseboat
May 28, 2010 by admin
Filed under Backwaters, House Boat, Kerala Destinations
House Boats in Kerala
Regionally termed as ‘kettuvallams’ or tied – boats, these hand-crafted boats are built with strong planks of wood probably with jack wood. These wooden planks are tied together with coir ropes and polished with fish oil, encompassing almost 85 feet, these floating houses accommodates 2 to 10 people in it. During the olden days, these houseboats were used to transport all the agricultural products to the seaports of Kerala – Alappuzha, Kollam and Kochi. That’s why these houseboats were also called as ‘Rice Boats’. Today, houseboats are the star attraction of Kerala. Most of the travellers visit Kerala to experience a trip in this ‘floating paradise’, because it offers you with all sabbaticals that you get in a five star hotel!
You will be amazed to know that not even a single nail is used during the construction of these leisure arks. After joining it with ropes, these arks are coated with a corrosive black resin made out of boiled kernels of cashew nuts. The other raw materials which are included in the making of this vessel are bamboo mats, carpets, bamboo poles and all other furniture. If this vessel is carefully handled, it will last for generations.
There are huge houseboats which are 108 feet long and 19 feet wide. In a houseboat, there are three crew members who assist us throughout our journey, they are: – a driver, a chef and a cabin manager. Nowadays, as houseboats of Kerala are raising the graph of tourism in ‘God’s Own Country’, many changes have been made in the décor of the boat by bringing many new luxury items, so that travellers can have a happy journey through the waterways of Kerala. To increase the level of comfort, we have warm living rooms, bedrooms, a kitchen, modern toilets and even an opulence balcony to view the colourful nature.
The advanced houseboats have swimming pools, ayurvedic spas, houseboats for arranging conferences and business meetings, double – deck houseboats and also houseboats that are driven by females. Some houseboats are driven by local drivers but the advanced one has engines. We can also have a train of boats by joining two or more boats together, which is normally used for groups of voyagers.
Kerala houseboats are distinct from all other houseboats in the world. It’s like a chocolate in a new, glittering and fancy wrapper!!! We have some exclusive houseboat tour packages for you that will enable you to get high on the waves of Kerala like Houseboat Holidays, A Toast to the Coast, Honeymoon Packages, Lake Placid and many more , which are waiting only for you. Have a memorable experience with these enticing vessels that will take to a dream world!!!