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| KUMARAKOM TRAVEL INFO :- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Air - From the Trivandrum International Airport it is a 171 Km (approximately 3 hours ride by road) to the Muhamma boat jetty. By Rail - From Bombay, Madras or Bangalore, you can take a train to Kerala. The best place to alight is either Cochin or Kottayam (the nearest railhead to the resort, just 16 Km away by road). Kottayam links you to all major cities in Kerala and India with numerous trains plying this route daily. From Cochin, you could also take a south bound train via the Alleppey route ( enjoy picturesque scenery as the route flanks the backwaters and the sea on its way). Alight at Chertala for a short 14 Km ride to Kumarakom. By Road - Kottayam is 14 kilometer from Kumarakom and both State highway and National Highway links Kumarakom with the rest of the country. By Sea - If you have arrived at Trivandrum International Airport, come to Quilon by road or rail (takes just about one hour). From there, you can take the regular ferry service to Alleppey - a long and delightful ride on Kerala's backwaters. From Alleppey, it's just a short ride to Kumarakom. |
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| COME AND LISTEN THE OCCASSIONAL CALL OF MIGRATORY BIRD, KUMARAKOM :- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| An ornithologist's paradise, the 14-acre bird sanctuary is situated on the eastern banks of the Vembanad Lake. The sanctuary adds to the natural beauty of Kumarakom. Birds (waterfowl, water ducks, cuckoos, wild ducks etc.) build their nest and spend happy summers here. Birds like Siberian storks migrate here every year. At the water-bird sanctuary you can spot domestic birds like cuckoo, wild duck, egrets, darters, herons, teal, and waterfowl as well as migratory birds like the Siberian storks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IN KUMARAKOM :- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long before the coming of the rail and the road, waterways were the best mode of transport. House Boats (Kettuvallom) were traditionally used to cargo tones of goods across Kottayam, Kollam and Kochi, with a portion covered with bamboo and coir serving as a restroom and kitchen for the boatman. These vessels are built entirely without the use of nails. Planks of jack-wood are joined together with coir rope and coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels. With careful maintenance they last for generations. Kumarakom,one of the very few places in the world, where mode of transportation is through the water ways. Small canoes to very large 'Kettu Valloms' are used for transportation. One can find boats filled to capacity with families travelling to different destinations and also bigger boats carrying goods such as rice, coconut etc. The fact that even the mail and morning newspaper are delivered by these boats complete the picture. Today, widely and appropriately called houseboats, they carry furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. Sections of the carved roof of wood or plaited palm open out to provide shade and allow uninterrupted views. Most of these boats are poled by local oarsmen while some are powered by a 40 HP engine. Boat trains- formed by joining two or more houseboats together make a convenient mode of sightseeing when the company is large. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BACKWATER CRUISE, KUMARAKOM :- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kerala is known for its panoramic backwater stretches, lush green paddy fields, highlands and beaches. The major backwater stretch is in Kottayam district, where a network of rivers and canals empty into the great expanse of water called the Vembanad Lake. Located at Kumarakom 16 km from Kottayam town, the Vembanad Lake, an enchanting picnic spot and a fast developing backwater tourism destination, provides boating, fishing and sight seeing experiences that are truly exhilarating. Kumarakom slumbers on the banks of the famous Vembanad Lake. The Vembanad Lake with its majestic canals, streams and distributaries along its banks weave an intricate and enchantingly beautiful web. The gorgeous green of the fringed palms ripple in the blue waters and blend into wavelets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THE ELECTRIFYING BOAT RACES, KUMARAKOM :- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Backwaters host many special events during August to September. The electrifying races by carved wooden boats set the backwaters on fire. Boat races are held in connection with Onam, the harvest festival in August/September. Scores of long snake boats and other smaller crafts participate in these events. The largest team sport in the world, the snake boat races are preceded by colourful water parades. Usually a snake boat is manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers and 100 - 125 oarsmen who row in unison to the fast rhythm of the vanchipattu (song of the boatman). Thousands of people crowd the water's edge to cheer the huge black crafts as they slice through the waters to a spectacular finish.The oldest of these events have curious legends and myths attached to their origin. Myths closely linked to the rustic people and their beliefs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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