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Alleppey and Kumarakom: Backpacking in the Backwaters

Quetzalcoatl — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:25:28 +0000

I think the first time heard of Alleppey (Allapuzha) was sometime in the mid-90s while watching Surabhi. Those were the glory days of DD. I didn’t have access to Discovery or Nat Geo during those times as cable TV was considered to be a threat to the academic well-being of school kids. I heard of Kumarakom a few years later when PM A B Vajpayee reportedly went there for a much needed break and produced a couple articles jointly known as Musings from Kumarakom. But still I never really had a good opportunity to visit the region and so finally when I got a long extended weekend, I decided to use for this purpose.

Bangalore to Kottayam:

I boarded an ironically named train called “Garib Rath” (Chariot of the poor) which only had expensive AC coaches and no sleeper class. But I soon realized why it is called so. The AC coaches are marginally cheaper than those in other trains and to compensate for that they do not provide complementary blankets. One has to pay extra and get them from the staff and that too only till the stock lasts. So while I realized it before it’s too late, some people missed the mark and thus spent the night shivering and understanding the true meaning of poverty.

Kottayam to Alleppey:

The train ride was otherwise eventless and reached Kottayam with a slight delay. I hired an overpriced autorickshaw and moved to Alleppey. It took longer than I expected to cover those 50kms. Narrow roads, traffic and finally confusion over the location of my resort meant that it was afternoon by the time I settled down. My resort had nice traditional cottages, decent food options and more importantly was located right on the banks of the backwaters. So, I could directly see the houseboats sail from my room itself. It is a bit far off from the town centre and difficult to find other shops, eateries or quick transportation unless you are lucky. Nevertheless, it was a peaceful place and I enjoyed the ambiance yet to be molested by industrialization.
However, I realized that my planning was a bit off the mark. I lost a significant amount of time earlier in the morning and towards the evening I wasn’t feeling very well. So I didn’t roam around much and just explored the nearby areas. Very few photographs were worth reproducing from that evening and the next morning and I am putting up some of them below.

Alleppey to Kumarakom:

The next morning I rushed to the bus stand after a good breakfast with local pancakes and cardamom tea. But there was no direct bus to Kumarakom at that time and hence I travelled back to Kottayam by boarding a rickety bus and then moved to Kumarakom which is only 12km away from Kottayam.

At Kumarakom:

At Kumarakom my hotel was located just near the government jetty. The place looked nice but the narrow highway was full of traffic. I roamed around in the nearby area in search of some good shots but did not really find anything exciting. Only after almost an hour I realized that ditching the highway and descending down towards the government jetty will offer me better sights. As I did so, I realized that the area stretches into the Vembanad Lake. There was a tomb just by the side of the promenade and it offered nice perspective against the colourful sky of the dying dusk.

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary:

I spend the night reading a book and trying out the food offered by my hosts. While the names on the menu were quite “northy”, they were cooked in coconut oil thus creating a gastronomic as well as olfactory confusion that I did not mind for a change. The helpful caretaker had also arranged for me an autorickshaw at 7 am in the morning to take me to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary as I was informed that early morning was the best time to see the birds. The sanctuary, to my relief, was not even 10 mins away from my hotel. In fact it is not exactly a dense forest but an area of decent vegetation by the side of the lake. I purchased a ticket at the gate, moved inside and was greeted with scores of blue butterflies in the well maintained garden.

After a few snaps, I started to walk through the narrow road flanked by trees and marshes. My camera was eager to shoot but I only heard the chirps and couldn’t see a single bird. Right at that moment a shadowy figure leapt out of the jungle and offered me his services. He was a boatman called Aravindan who makes his living by helping tourists move around the sanctuary. I noticed that his tiny boat was also hidden by the side of a narrow canal that eventually flows into the lake which itself is full of lush vegetation. As the boat took me to a relatively open space, I began noticing the birds. The entire area was full of Egrets, Storks, Kingfishers, Cormorants and a variety of other water birds, mostly looking to catch fishes for their breakfast. I clicked as many as possible, but the smaller ones like the Kingfishers eluded me due to my limited 200 mm zoom. I spent around 1.5 hours on the boat and finally Aravindan dropped me back at the same point where we started. He charged Rs.250 for his hard work which I didn’t mind shelling out as he had provided me the best possible positions to shoot the birds. It is also worth mentioning that this location is one of the major wetlands in India as declared by the Ramsar Convention.

After this fruitful morning trip it was the time to return. More importantly my waiting list ticket was not yet confirmed. Eventually it turned out that I was going to return without a confirmed berth in the general coach. To my horror, it was jam packed and eventually I completed the journey by spending a sleepless night and without even getting to sit down for a while. But then… who wants to know about that?

Traveller FAQs:

Reaching there:
Train lovers can get a ticket to Kottayam. There are trains to Alleppey too but Kottayam is a bigger railhead and has more options. Alleppey is 50 kms from Kottayam while Kumarakom is only 12 kms away. You will get buses and autorickshaws easily for the last phase of your trip. Another alternative can be a flight to Kochi. From there you can move to any of these places.

Accomodation:
In Alleppey I stayed at the Keraleeyam-Heritage Home & Ayurvedic Resort which is situated by the side of the canal and hence offers a good view. A bit far off from the city but has a good ambiance and decent food. It costs around INR 1500 for one night.
At Kumarakom I stayed at Tharavadu Heritage Home which is conveniently located near the government boat jetty and near to all major attractions. This neatly maintained hotel charged INR 1000 for one night.

There are scores of other hotels and resorts in the area owing to a regular inflow of tourists and finding accommodation. One can also prefer to spend the night in the houseboats apart from taking a daytime ride. They are well furnished with all essential facilities but they are comparatively costlier than the hotels on the ground.

Time Required:
If you plan well, one day in each of the places should be enough.

Best Time to Visit:
These places can be visited throughout the year but winter is a better time when the temperature is moderate. Please note that it is never cold out there and I found the January sun to be pretty strong.

What to see:
Main attraction in both the places is the backwaters and the houseboats. Apart from that you can visit the Alleppey beach (which I missed out) and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. While visiting the sanctuary, make sure that you reach there early morning. Otherwise you may not find too many birds.

Postcards from Karbi Anglong: 38th Karbi Youth Festival

Quetzalcoatl — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:35:13 +0000

This is a special post on the forthcoming 38th Karbi Youth Festival.

NONE of these photographs are mine. I’m doing this post as a show of support & goodwill. I’ve attained the images from Ranjan Engti, Chief Coordinator of the event & a friend of mine. I believe they have been captured by more than one people at various points of time.

For the uninitiated, the Karbis are considered to be the earliest settlers in Assam and nearby regions. Now they are mostly concentrated in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.

Coming back to the event, it is recognized as the North-eastern India’s Largest Ethnic Festival. This time round it features over 500 artists on 5 stages during its annual 5-day run in mid February. The festival features national and regional musical entertainment and more than 5 lakhs people are expected to attend.

For more details you can see the event FB page.

Now let’s enjoy the images from an exotic land that most of my readers might not have heard of…

The Official Poster

Local Artisans Weaving Dreams

Guess what are these…

Rajasthan is not the only place where you can shoot a Fevicol Ad…

Plumes of Tradition

What do you think about this one?

Ever lived atop a Tree?

Traditional Artifacts

Nubile divas of an antique land

The event is scheduled to start on 15th February at Diphu . Karbi Anglong (Assam).

Bangalore Noir: Incorrigibly Branded

Quetzalcoatl — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:17:52 +0000

That night I shrugged off my lethargy, picked my camera and roamed around the Indira Nagar area in Bangalore for a couple of hours in search of inspiration which was hard to come by. It was another failure like most of my misadventures. More importantly, I noticed how integral the brands have become to our lives in the cities. I tried hard but failed to find a decent view without a significant logo dominating the horizon. So, eventually I decided to capture Bangalore as it is, the branded city complete with the lonely Ronald McDonald, the Oreo diving into milk and a shapely derriere personifying capitalist lust.

Tungabhadra: Bridge over the Styx and fountains of everlasting youth

Quetzalcoatl — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 09:52:25 +0000

As a side dish to my Hampi trip, I visited the Tungabhadra reservoir and a park build within the complex that are fitted colorful fountains. It was not a very exciting proposition to begin with but I wanted to capture some good night shots and hence decided to go ahead with it. It was already dark when I reached and I was greeted with a very eerie sight. It felt like the Styx with a bridge build over it instead of Charon’s boat. I noticed a sinful couple being eaten away by locusts of the nether world.

I somehow crossed the bridge and thankfully rest of the area was more colorful and less intimidating as you can see for yourself.

FAQ:

How to Reach:

Any auto rickshaw will take you there from Hospet. Charges will vary according to their mood. One can also go there from Hampi but be prepared to pay around INR 500 in that case.

When to visit:

Visit in the evening and wait till its dark to witness the lighting effects. There is no point of visiting it during daytime.

Postcards from Udaipur

Quetzalcoatl — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:52:14 +0000

Time for another round of guest photography.
Su Ko visited lake city Udaipur in Rajasthan a few months ago and took a few good shots with is Canon point and shoot. Considering the primitiveness of his device, I must say that he has done a good job.

Valley of Flowers Redux

Quetzalcoatl — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:19:19 +0000

It’s been a year and a half since I visited the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand but I still can’t get over it.

The Valley of Flowers Travelogue was my first real post for this site too. So, today I am sharing a few previously unpublished photographs of the place.

Hampi: Heady Antiquity

Quetzalcoatl — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:22:00 +0000

Ever since I saw Om Puri playing Krishna Devaraya in Shyam Benegal’s Bharat Ek Khoj as a kid, I’ve had a deep fascination for the Vijaynagara Empire. The last non-islamic superpower of the Deccan that the Bahmanis had to literally collude to dismantle and an architectural marvel that left Portuguese wanderers agape, Vijayanagara has always been alluring and to a certain extent enigmatic to me. So, when I finally packed my bags and set out towards Hampi, the erstwhile capital of the empire and an UNESCO world heritage site at present, I was delighted, my personal crises and ever increasing existential entropy notwithstanding.

Bangalore to Hospet: A sandal epic without swords

Hospet is the nearest railhead to Hampi. Due to procrastination, I failed to book a ticket on the fastest train to that place and hence ended up in a passenger train that not only arrived late but also carried a visible testimony of official negligence. But as someone who has clocked thousands of man-hours with the great Indian railway and as someone who once slept in the corridor between the two toilets in a sleeper class compartment while travelling with an unconfirmed ticket, it was too familiar a sight for me to complain. After a delay of almost an hour, the train finally started moving at around 11 pm and I fell asleep after turning a few pages of Ishiguro. But as always, Murphy was lurking around the corner as I dreamt of a utopian world. As I woke up the next morning, I learnt that our sleepers had been stolen and that was not even the worst part. The person (May his grey cells rest in peace) took one of my sleepers and one of another guy, thus leaving one apiece for us. If that is not enough, both the pieces he took belonged to the right foot. This incident further strengthened my belief that rationality as we know it, no longer holds water in this world. Nevertheless, at around 1 pm we finally reached Hospet, ran barefoot to the nearest shop and purchased new footwear (& I must accept that they were cost effective and very comfortable). After wasting a few minutes at the bus stand, we finally hired an auto rickshaw that agreed to take us to Hampi at INR 150.

Hampi: Defying the assaults of time

After almost an hour of a rickety ride, the rickshaw driver dropped us in front of a hotel that was as innocuously named as “Suresh Lodge” but had an intriguing and macabre fascination for dead dictators as one can see in the following photograph.

Nazi symbolism apart, it was a cheap and austere room perfectly suitable for cash starved backpackers at INR 400 per day. It also boasted of an open air restaurant with continental menu at the terrace. The terrace restaurant also offered a good view of the nearest ruins atop rocky hillocks. In fact the whole area is full of large rocks and more rocks. On the other side there is the Tungabhadra River. The area is generally known as Hampi Bazaar. The temple in the midst of the main area is the Virupaksha Temple which is not exactly a ruin but still frequented by the local populace for worship.

After a good English breakfast I first inspected the bank of the river. For someone who has grown up near the banks of virile and masculine Brahmaputra, Tungabhadra seemed extremely serene and harmless although I do not know if that changes during the rainy season. There are a few monuments in the banks of the river too and there is a ferry service to cross the river although none of these options seemed very interesting under the scorching sun.

Day1: Astride MacMillan’s Stallion:

From Vittorio De Sica to the obscure backpackers, everybody loves the bicycles. It is much faster than walking but yet a good exercise and sans any carbon footprint. At Hampi one can borrow cycles at INR 40 per day and roam around and that is what I decided to do. I rode a bicycle after ages, huffed and puffed when I had to pedal uphill, but eventually enjoyed the free downhill rides.

The first notable place that I encountered was the Gopura of Krishna temple, which is partly destroyed but still a magnificent structure with intricately curved stucco figures of warriors, elephants, horses and various deities apparently describing Krishna Devaraya’s Orissa campaign.

On the opposite side of the temple there is a pond, apparently a water reservoir and a long corridor with series of unadorned pillars giving an impression that it was a marketplace. At that particular moment the blazing sun was covered by dark clouds and I managed to get some decent shots. I could also capture a few birds resting on the ruins. I only wish I had a bigger zoom.

The next stop was the Lakshmi Narasimha or Ugra Narasimha temple. Apparently it was a temple with the statue inside it. But as of now only the statue remains. Nevertheless, the animated expression of the Ugra Narasimha is priceless and makes it perfect for a manga adaptation. Another nearby monument is the Badavilinga temple that houses a large Shiva lingam (A phallic representation of the deity).

The next major monuments that I visited were the Queen’s bath (now deserted but my imaginations ran wild) and the Mahanavami Dibba (A pyramid like structure somewhat reminiscent of the Meso American edifices with flights of structures on all sides and apparently used a pavilion by the royalty). I also found the famous stepwell where flights of stairs are designed in triangular patterns. Overall, it seemed that these people had perfected the water supply system. But I think the grandeur and mystique of this location was somewhat compromised by newly curated garden and flowers.

The next steps were the Zanana Enclosure (The compound for royal females, which would have been inaccessible for laymen in those times) and the Hazarrama Temple with sculptures depicting various events of the Ramayana. By that time, it was already dark and I had to give the museum a miss and rush back to my hotel. I visited an interesting place for dinner but more about it later.

Day 2: More of the same

The next day I continued in the same fashion. First I ventured into the nearby areas on the banks of Tungabhadra. The bank is also covered with rocks of various shapes and sizes. I passed through a narrow alley where I encountered an ascetic who was materialistic enough to ask for coins. I surveyed the riverbanks, saw local boats that look like oversized saucers, climbed up a hillock near Malyavanta Raghunath temple to get a panoramic view of the entire Vijayanagara and also visited the famed Stone Chariot at the Vittala Temple. I also got a few decent pastoral landscapes minus the ruins. Later on I visited the Hazarrama Temple as well as the Elephant Stable. As I feel that the description would feel repetitive after this point, I would let the pictures do the talking for the rest of the day.

Random Titbits: Of deceptive restaurants, Gali Durgappa and the mysterious drummer woman

Hampi offers an interesting cocktail of mediaeval heritage and traditions and cosmopolitan services primarily geared towards luring the foreign visitors. When I first entered the popular New Shanthi Restaurant, I was taken aback by its surreal lighting, whimsical décor and Salvador Dali graffiti. The menu was continental enough with Italian, Mexican and Chinese options although mostly the Vegetarian versions. Being a place surrounded by temples, it is hard to expect otherwise. While for a vegetarian like me it was a no issue, some people may have a reason to complain.
At night I preferred to try out another place. I noticed a sombre looking place called Durga Huts which looked deceptively mundane. But nevertheless, I decided to check it out. A narrow flight of stairs took me to the second terrace and it was a completely different world altogether. A very Goa kinda ambiance, mood lighting, full of foreign tourists, continental menu and a band of esoteric and eccentric musicians… it had everything one could ask for in a dull evening. One of the musician came and introduced himself. He was Gali Durgappa, who owns a shop of musical instruments and comes to play at this place at night. I wasn’t sure but whether is plays for money or out of passion but his music was something I’d never heard before. The troupe had a variety of drums and an oboe type instrument that he claimed to be of Australian origin. But even more bewitching was a white woman who just joined in on request but played like a woman possessed. She kept me spellbound for two consecutive nights. But I could not even get a photograph of her as my battery drained out at the most inopportune moment (Yes Murphy again!).

When I finally I packed my bags and returned from Hampi, I was left with two hundred photographs, some mind numbing experiences, the grief of losing my sleepers and a sense confusion regarding that woman. But then, what is a trip without an escapade and what is a woman without an enigma?

Backpacker’s FAQs

Reaching Hampi:
You first have to reach Hospet that can be reached by train or buses. You will get enough options from Bangalore for both. As far as I know, people also come from Goa as both of them are considered to be apart of popular tourist cycle now. From Hospet you will get buses and auto rickshaws to Hampi area. Myauto rickshaw took around 1 hrs and INR 150.

Accommodation and Food in Hampi:
You can either stay at Hospet itself or at the Hampi Bazaar area. There are plenty of options ranging from expensive resorts to cheap guesthouses.

Hanging Around in Hampi:
You can borrow bicyles at INR 40 per day or motorbikes at INR 150 per day. Just buy a map and follow it. Road condition is pretty decent and it is pretty easy to hang around without a guide once you get used to it. If you are short of time and cannot cover everything, my pick will be the Krishna Temple, Mahanvami Dibba, Malyavanta Raghunath Temple and Vittala Temple.

Season to visit Hampi:
There is no particular season to visit Hampi but I felt the heat even in late October/early November. So I can say prefer winter over summer given a choice.

Photography Tips:
The sun shines brightly in Hampi. Try to schedule your important visits during the morning or evening. Also have the right equipment, filters etc to counter the blazing sun. (I din’t have any of those, nor did I time it rightly… you can see the results in the shape of these pathetic photographs). At the risk of contradicting myself, I would say that the clouds an the rainy season may offer a more interesting view. I may give it a try next year.

Simplicity

Quetzalcoatl — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:18:06 +0000

Havn’t clicked a single photograph in last few months. Things have been such that I have not been able to do anything in this regard.
So I went through my folders in search of a theme…
here is what I came up with… Simplicity…

Landscape Photography: Dry Winter Pastures After Harvest

Quetzalcoatl — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:26:12 +0000

I am publishing a few photographs I tool last winter in Assam. These are mostly barren landscapes during a foggy morning with sudden dashes of colour occasionally. The winter in Assam is not extremely harsh but a pleasant one. These snaps were taken around the time of Magh Bihu, the festival that is celebrated after harvest. That is why the paddy fields look extremely barren.

I also developed an unhealthy fascination for the Graduated Tint tool in Picasa during this process which is responsible for these loud and jarring colours.

Guest Photography: Kerala Backwaters and HDR experiments

Quetzalcoatl — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:33:59 +0000

Today I am publishing a few photographs of my friend Jayanta Bora who is also an avid traveller and photographer when he is not busy with his work. While I have been noticing his photographs for quite sometime now, I was awestruck by a recent set he did in the Kerala backwaters, mostly in and around Kumarakom and Alappuzha (Alleppey).

He’s applied high dynamic range imaging (HDR) in some of these pictures, a trick I have never tried out due to sheer lethargy. The good thing here is that HDR is not overdone but it adds an understated pensive melancholia especially visible with the lonely boatman at dusk or with the towering coconut trees against the sky with surreal colours I fail to articulate. The flamboyance of the wedding drummers in Sin City colour palette somewhat compensates the otherwise gloomy collection.

In case you want to see more of his work or need to ask more about his trips or tricks you can check out Jayanta’s flickr stream and leave a few comments.