Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In Alleppey, rented canoe boats offer a nonguided laze through the canals on a small, covered canoe for up to
four people (two people for two/four hours ?200/400).
Public Ferries
If you want the local backwater transport experience for just a few rupees, there are State Water Transport
(
www.swtd.gov.in
)
boats between Alleppey and Kottayam (?10 to ?12, 2½ hours) five times daily starting from
Alleppey at 7.30am. The trip crosses Vembanad Lake and has a more varied landscape than the Kollam-Alleppey
cruise.
Environmental Issues
Pollution from houseboat motors is becoming a major problem as boat numbers swell every season. The Keralan
authorities have introduced an ecofriendly accreditation system for houseboat operators. Among the criteria an
operator must meet before being issued with the 'Green Palm Certificate' are the installation of solar panels and
sanitary tanks for the disposal of waste - ask operators whether they have the requisite certification. Consider
choosing one of the few remaining punting, rather than motorised, boats if possible, though these can only oper-
ate in shallow water.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Kottayam
0481 / POP 172,878
Sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the backwaters, Kottayam is renowned for
being the centre of Kerala's spice and rubber trade rather than for its aesthetic appeal. For
most travellers it's a hub town, well connected to both the mountains and the backwaters,
with many travellers taking the backwater cruise to or from Alleppey. The city itself has a
crazy, traffic-clogged centre, but you don't have to go far to be in the villages and water-
ways.
Kottayam has a bookish history: the first Malayalam-language printing press was estab-
lished here in 1820, and this was the first district in India to achieve 100% literacy. A
place of churches and seminaries, it was a refuge for the Orthodox church when the Por-
tuguese began forcing Keralan Christians to switch to Catholicism in the 16th century.
The
Thirunakkara Utsavam festival
is held in March at the Thirunakkara Shiva Temple.
Sleeping
The accommodation options are pretty average in Kottayam - you're better off heading to
Kumarakom for some great lakeside accommodation.
