I’ve previously talked about the backwaters of Kerala in India, and how I’d love to take one of their houseboat cruises.

The contrast between the colourful, noisy, and chaotic Indian town of Alleppey, and the majesty and serenity of the lakes, rivers and canals beginning a few hundred metres away could not be greater. India is an acquired taste, to be sure, but I was enchanted by the waterways, with their jungled fringes, their tiny villages, their fields, fisherfolk, and birdlife.

I’ve often wanted to return to Spend more time there. On the days when my life seems a little too bustling and chaotic, I wonder how it would be to float along, a team of servants ready to hand me a cooling drink as the palm trees drift past.

Simon of Our World in Review has been living my dream, and it seems that it wasn’t quite as wonderful as I imagined. There were difficulties and disappointments along the way, unexpected wildlife during the day, and honeymooners rocking the boat, although he liked the waterways in themselves. Perhaps if I want to do the thing, I’ll need to go a little more upmarket.

I, like every other traveller, am grateful for an honest review. All too often the seductive advertising – and I point here to an advert for apples in Alleppey which seems to offer more than just the core product – glosses over the cons to push the pros. The stranger in a strange land is badgered to pay a little more, or the room isn’t quite as big as the photographs imply, or the staff are not quite as cheerful as in the brochure.

Simon calls ’em as he sees ’em, and that’s gold in the world of travel. Browse through his blog; he’s reviewed a tonne of experiences in what has got to be the holiday of a lifetime: a year wandering the world.

Pete

If you are going to spend some time in the south of India, you may have heard that it is quite popular to spend a day or two on a houseboat. After a busy two weeks travelling around India, we decided to spend three nights cruising the backwaters of Kerala from Alappuzha near Alleppey, Southern India with Cosy Houseboats. —Simon

Read more: Cosy Houseboats in Kerala

Sunset image credit: Our World in Review

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