Mahendra Holidays Resort
As most of us know that Kumarakom has over the years ,become
a famous tourist destination for a lot of desis & foreigners especially
after Kerala tourism has succeeded very well in marketing its destinations with
its now famous tag line -God’s Own Country.
Kumarakom is a village on the Vembanad lake in the
backwaters of Kerala.It is laced with canals where houseboats ply the waters
and is home to many resorts.
We set off on our journey from Hyderabad to Kochi about a
hour and half flight & thereafter a taxi for the 2.5 hr journey to
Kumarakom. We landed in the Mahindra Holiday Resort which looked green all around .We were
welcomed warmly by the staff and shown our cottage which nestled among the
greenery beside a small canal which then joined with a bigger one. The weather
was balmy & humid.so we just relaxed in the cottage which was airconditioned.
The best part of the trip was the Houseboat
ride on the canal leading upto the vembanad lake and the lake itself.
The Vembanad lake is part of one of the largest wetland
systems in the country & covers over 2000km.The lake itself is 96km in
length & Its borders touch districts
of Kerala like Allepey, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam ( Wikkipedia will give you
more info)
We had arranged a small houseboat and had arranged a local
lunch made by the houseboat cook whom we later came to know was the owner of
the boat. The houseboat was quaint with a sitting area a bedroom with an
attached bathroom and a small kitchen.
Our House Boat
We started off at about 2 pm , the boat making its way through the canal
with houses on either side of the canal. In front of each house there was a
step with easy access to water. We saw some ladies washing clothes /vessels and
some catching fish with a fishing rod,probably for the dinner.
On the sides of the canal were houseboats of various types
moored to the sides. The water was full of water hyacinth & the boatman
maneuvered slowly among the weeds so that the propellers do not get tangled and
made its way into the Vembanad lake
island .
About half an hour later we were served a delicious Kerala meal with Boiled rice, Sambhar Fish , Vegetables and of course Papadoms.
While on the land it was humid, but on the lake, cool breeze
blew as we chugged on the vast waters. The lake was truly magnificent in its
vastness. It was here the Mohan the houseboat pilot mentioned that he had about
23 years of experience of boating experience in the Vembanad Lake starting off as
a fisherman in the same lake ,he could
probably navigate the water blindfolded. He pointed out the various wooden
markers the fishermen had planted to tie
their nets .He also mentioned that the cruise boats were allowed on the lake only upto 6.30pm in the evening by the authorities after which
the local fishermen set out for fishing
till morning.
Mohan , Our Houseboat Pilot
Mohan , Our Houseboat Pilot
On the waters chugging along were various types of
houseboats , some huge airconditioned boats
with restaurants, rooms and a luxurious look.
As we went along the waters we saw a lot of birds seriously
fishing for food ( no praying – give us this this day or daily bread)they had
to fish to stay alive , among them were cranes ,black egrets ,heron and gulls.
They were our constant companions ride through the ride. The black egrets were
a sight to watch as they floated on the water and made a sudden dive to catch
the fish. They would come out totally drenched flying off to the nearest fishing
pole to dry off. This sequence kept repeating.
As the sun slowly set we were on the return journey to our boat wharf.The effect
of that boat ride remained in our memories as we taxied back to Kochi, the next
day for our return home.
Since our flight was
in the late evening we had also planned a visit to the Dutch Palace, the oldest surviving Jewish Synagogue & Fort Cochin which we had not seen even
though we had lived in Kochi 45 years back.
The old Dutch Palace had ancient stories of a Chera Kingdom, and the subsequent coming of the Portugese It is said that the Portugese built this palace in 1545 C.E as a gift to King Veera kerala Varma of the Kochi Dynasty. It came to be know as the Dutch Palace after the renovated it extensively. and finally falling into the hands of the East India Company. It has a vast potrait gallery of the Kochi kings ,the grandeur of Raja Ravi Varma & the Rama Varma was on display.
The Dutch Palace
.The Dutch Palace were full of foreign tourists the guides speaking in Portugese French and Japanese. Of course there were the local school children in uniform, they were probably told to tie their hands behind, walking in a single file through the various exhibits, with no one explaining what all that was about.The school authorities probably had to complete such a visit in their curriculum and that was what they were doing. Not to enrich the young minds with our history.
Narrow street to Synagogue Outside the Synagogue
Next we winded our way through the narrow streets of the Jew town which were once resplendent with spices and now having various fabrics , nick nac and touristy stuff. The narrow street lead its way to the Jewish Synagogue.The story of how the Synagogue came to be is well documented in the Gallery.Of course these days there are very few Jews as most Jews have migrated to Israel.
Chinese Fishing Nets
Our last visit was to the Officers family area of the Naval
Base which was originally named Magazine Area and subsequently renamed Katari
Bagh after Admiral Katari. The place had changed completely with a lot of
security. We did manage to get in and see the old houses we lived in. The houses
had not changed much but the layout of the roads , the security etc had
increased a lot.
It was here that I met my wife, about 45 years back ,when
both our parents who were Naval Officers
were posted in Cochin. My wife studied in a local college ( St, Theresa’s)
while I used to visit my parents from erstwhile Madras during college vacations. To be able to see the roads
we had walked in and sat by the side of these roads which abutted the back waters( the same
waters which came from Vembanad Lake).took us back in time.
This was no longer just a holiday trip ,but a walk through memory
lane.. Our eyes moistened.We had truly celebrated our Valentine's Day .We returned home to Hyderabad.
Mahendra Holiday Resort
Houseboats Moored to the sides of the canal leading to Vembanad Lake
Houseboats on Vembanad Lake
