House
boat
The
houseboats in Kerala,
south India, are huge,
slow-moving, exotic
barges used for leisure
trips. They are a
reworked model of
Kettuvallams (in the
Malayalam language,
Kettu means "tied
with ropes",
and vallam means "boat"),
which, in earlier
times, were used to
carry rice and spices
from Kuttanad to the
Kochi port. Kerala
houseboats were considered
a convenient means
of transportation.
The
popularity of Kettuvalloms
has returned in the
function as major tourist
attractions. Many find
the Kettuvallom an ideal
means of exploring the
beauty of the Kerala
backwaters.
Such
a houseboat is about
60 to 70 feet (about
18 to 21 meters) long
and about 15 feet (about
5 meters) wide at the
middle. The hull is
made of wooden planks
that are held together
by ropes of coconut
fiber; the usual wood
is 'Anjili'. The roof
is made of bamboo poles
and palm leaves. The
exterior of the boat
is painted with protective
coats of cashew nut
oil. |
House
boating
House
boating can be the most
relaxing experience
for any age, size or
type of people. The
following are a few
suggestions and ideas
are the result of many
years of experience,
and with an intension
to help make your trip
more fun. What works
for one person does
not necessarily work
for another, so you
may find only bits and
pieces of this useful
to you. Feel free to
use your imagination
to expand your experience
on a lazy houseboat
trip in any way you
can think of. The idea
is to have fun, and
there are lots of ways
to do it. |
Kettuvallam
Kettuvallam
is a kind of houseboat
in Kerala, India. Kettuvallam
literally means "bundle"
or "package"
boat (Kettu means tied
with ropes, and vallam
means boat - Malayalam
language). A houseboat
is about 60 to 70 feet
in length and has a
width of around 15 feet
in the middle. The boat
is made of wooden planks
joined and stitched
together using coconut
fiber ropes. Usually
the wood used will be
'Anjili', the roof covering
is made of bamboo poles
and palm leaves. The
outside of the boat
is painted using cashew
nut oil, which acts
as a protective coating.
|
history
During
the time when road and
rail transportation
was expensive or unavailable,
traders used this as
a form of main transportation
in the inland waterways.
The
boats had enough facilities
for cooking and sleeping
for the boatmen. Sometimes
boatmen's families also
accompanied them. These
boatmen were also famous
for the folk songs they
sang while rowing the
boat and for their style
of cooking which they
developed for the conditions
inside the boat.
The
first houseboats to
appear on Vembanad Lake
were former rice-barges |
| |
|
