I'm going to officially start my list of things I want to do before I die. This is one of them. What got me initially interested was when I caught a mini-doc starring Jeremy Piven called "Journey of a Lifetime" where he travels through India, I think it was on the Travel Channel. He had rented this amazing looking houseboat I've never seen before and they cruised through the backwaters of Kerala, India. How amazingly exotic, intoxicating and relaxing would that be?
Kerala houseboats are converted rice barges, know as kettu vallam, that were once used to transport rice, spices and building materials to backwater towns and to the port at Cochin. In recent years the increase in roads reduced the need for these cargo boats, so locals converted them for use by tourists, which have become increasingly popular.
The kettu vallam are still made by hand using the ancient boat building techniques, the wooden hulls are constructed from jackwood, amazingly without using a single nail or artificial substance. Instead the huge planks are kept together using coir (coconut fibre) rope tied in knots, and then waterproofed using cashew oil. The attractive canopies are made from bamboo and plaited palm leaves. All of the materials are natural and eco-friendly.So...who wants to come with me?
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