 We took the
train from Chennai and reached Kottayam the next day. There we
stayed at Nillimoothil Guest House, had something to munch and left for the cruise.
First Day
It was real fun, as we had to spend the night in the boathouse. The boat was stationed in the Vembanadu Lake, which we reached by road. The journey took nearly 45 minutes. There was a boat stationed at the jetty of the lake. We got into the boat and sailed towards Alapuzha. We were served lunch in the boat and the experience was exotic. It was pretty hot outside but in the boat we did not feel it at all. Enroute we passed through the coconut lagoon and bird sanctuary on our way to
Kumarakoum.
The boat was anchored for a short while at 5 p.m. at Alapuzha to enable us to go around the marketplace. We purchased some eatables to enable us to carry through the night. Around 7 p.m. we boarded the speedboat. We were served some snacks. And since it was night, the boat was lit with lanterns. It was a new experience to spend the night without electricity. From Alapuzha we travelled for ˝ an hour to get finally anchored in mid river to spend the night. Since there were many tourist boats in the lake we weren't feeling lonely. Dinner was served around 9.30 p.m. and on a quiet note we went to sleep.
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The sunrise around 6 a.m. was a real feast to our eyes. The water was glittering as the sun shone. Since we were very close to the bird sanctuary we saw many rare birds along with the common birds like water crow, egrets and black crane that were in found in plenty. After a good breakfast we were taken to the jetty of
Kumarakoum.
Second Day
 We boarded a speedboat and reached our resort "Paradise Resorts". It was really a paradise on earth with well-maintained rooms and good landscapes. The resort had everything under its roof including a cruise of its own. After breakfast we went on a 'Banana Boat' ride on the river. This is modelled on skiing with five persons on a banana shaped boat, which is tied to a speedboat. With water splashing all over us, it was thrilling to be left in the high river with life jackets on. Then we went to the 'Golden Tulips' restaurant in Coconut Lagoon for lunch where mouth-watering dishes were lined in array. After a hectic day in the sun, we retired for the night with a long stroll in the coast of the river.
Next morning we took a few snaps of the sunrise, as we were very close to the riverbed. We could see the fishermen with their catamarans leaving for their day's fishing. We left Kumarakoum to Cochin, which was nearly a 2-˝ hour drive to catch our train to Chennai. It was an unforgettable holiday with Mother Nature.
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