India. Backwaters of Kerala

 The backwaters of Kerala are one of the region's most defining features. Seawater from the Indian Ocean has created an extensive network of canals and islands, where river transport is active, fishermen catch fish, and locals travel between the shores in canoes... 

 Map of our journey in India...

 In the town of Kollam, we reached the main boat station, where we had planned to take a tourist boat to the city of Alleppey through the backwaters. However, we discovered that this route had not been resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Near the station, a man with a tuk-tuk was offering to take us to Munroe Island and organize a three-hour canoe tour of the island's canals. After some bargaining, we decided to go to the island...

  Munroe Island is located 15 kilometers from the town, and to get there by tuk-tuk, we needed to use a ferry crossing... 

  As we approached the island, we saw locals fishing from their canoes... 

  The ferry docked at the shore...

  Upon reaching the island, our driver quickly arranged a canoe with a personal "gondolier," and we immediately set off on a journey through the canals... 

  If you look closely, you can see a hawk on a tree branch in the next photo...

  Paddling leisurely on a wooden canoe is very calming...  

 We slowly moved through the canals surrounded by palm trees and enjoyed the fantastic scenery...

 I also had the opportunity to steer the canoe...

  Emerging from the canal, we found ourselves on a lake with charming mangrove bushes growing straight from its bottom... Incidentally, the depth of the lake and canals does not exceed three meters, so pushing off the bottom with a bamboo pole provides the main propulsion for the canoe...    

  Mangrove bushes grow in saltwater, and their fruits, which constantly fall into the water, sprout, forming new branches...

  

  After finishing our journey through the island's canals, we headed back to Kollam with our tuk-tuk driver to the bus station, from where we took a bus to the city of Alleppey. Upon arriving in Alleppey, we booked a room in another homestay - Manna Homestay, and arranged a canoe tour for the next day with a local tour operator, Oscar Cruise... We spent the evening in the center of Alleppey, enjoying a delicious dinner of Gobi Masala Dosa, a large pancake filled with vegetables served with various sauces...

 The next morning, we started a new canoe trip through the backwaters... Our tour began at the ferry terminal, from where we took a ferry to a nearby village...  

 Emerging from the canal into the lake, we saw many houseboats offering tourists the chance to spend a few days cruising the backwaters in comfort...

 Another option for tourists is motorized tour boats... 

 But we chose a canoe tour because a canoe can navigate the narrowest canals of the village, and its slow pace adds a unique calming atmosphere...

Settling into the seats of our thatched-roof canoe, we set off to explore the narrow village canals... We were part of a group of three canoes, and our "captain" was the most skilled, so we were always ahead...

  The village canals were very picturesque...

 After making a large loop through the village's narrow canals, we emerged onto the main "highway"...

  Our fellow travelers couldn't catch up with us...

 Many locals also travel by small canoes... 

 On the wide canal, we again saw many houseboats...

 

  After completing the four-hour canoe trip and reaching the shore of one of the villages, we went to have lunch... We had a traditional local meal served on banana leaves...  

After lunch, we waited for the ferry and took it back to the central boat pier in Alleppey...

 Arriving at the pier, we said goodbye to our fellow travelers and went to collect our things from the homestay, then headed to the bus station, where we took a local bus to Marari Beach, located 20 kilometers away...