Alleppey, aka Alappuzha, is famous for its backwaters. The backwaters are a network of canals connecting many villages and towns.

We arrived in the late afternoon and began our search for a guest house that had been recommended by two French girls we met in Hampi. Everybody seemed to know where it was but their directions never brought us to the right place. Finally, we were able to find a phone and call the guesthouse to get real directions. The owner ended up coming to get us to bring us to the guest house, which was very appreciated! Upon arrival, we filled out the usual exhaustive check-in forms and booked an Eco-friendly backwaters tour for the following day.

Our tour began at 8 am when a rickshaw brought us, Marco and I, along with Danny, a young Swiss guy, to the waterfront where our boat awaited. We climbed into the boat, which was more of a long canoe with seats, and our guide began paddling through the backwaters. At first, we stayed mostly in the large canals where large motored boats passed us but we eventually made it to the smaller canals where there were less motored boats and more canoes. We stopped at a small restaurant for a typical Indian breakfast which consists of small rice dough balls with a vegetable chutney. Marco also purchased a coconut with a straw, which was quite disappointing as the coconut milk tasted more like cucumbers than coconuts!

On our way back to the boat, there was a domesticated eagle so we stopped to take a few photos with him. We continued zigzagging through the canals, looking at the wildlife and the different villages along the way. Eventually, we stopped for lunch at our guide's house, where his wife had prepared a typical Indian lunch. We ate small fish, rice, some kind of chip with small portions of different types if vegetables, such as tomatoes an onions and a green bean mix. We then ate some fruit, drank some tea and spent time with the family while our guide took a short nap. Once he was awake, we got back onto the boat and headed back to where we started. We spent a lovely day floating through the backwaters and enjoying the calmness of the villages. We also had some great discussions with Danny and learnt a lot about life in Switzerland.

Alleppey was by far the most festive city we stayed in. Since we were there during Christmas time, we woke up every morning to Christmas carols heard over loud speakers throughout the town. Every night, candles lit up the sides of the main road and hundreds of people crowded the streets, making it difficult to get anywhere. The street bazar was crammed with stalls selling a variety if useless things. Similarly to our dollar store, some talks sold all of their merchandise at one price varying between 7 and 30 rupees. It was a great place to be right before Christmas.

We left Alleppey by train on Christmas eve to go to Kovalam.