Our house… boats

This past week the new intern (EJ) and I got the chance to try out Raxa Collective’s collection of overnight houseboats (River Escapes for those interested) on the serene backwaters of Kerala.  With an influx of water hailing from the Ghats, these backwaters are the lifeblood of a significant portion of Keralan rice farmers; generations upon generations of these farmers have mastered their craft in a terrifically unique environment , and thus, a magnificently odd community unlike anything you would ever see state-side has emerged upon the banks of these backwaters.

Me relaxing 🙂

EJ and I, along with two other Raxa employees and the River Escapes staff got to experience a very relaxing and almost therapeutic excursion on one of the “houseboats,” pretty much a house… on a boat.  With separate bedrooms, a second floor “lounge” area complete with pillows and a view, along with a dining table on the deck and other amenities, the ride was comfortable and pleasurable.  The staff was exceptionally cordial and jubilant which helped ease any tensions or nervousness; and the better part of the afternoon was spent observing and relaxing.

Pre-dusk, we were treated to a canoe experience, where we snaked our way through the smaller canals and got a much more intimate view of the local community that lives and breathes these backwaters.  It cannot be emphasized enough that the people who live here literally reside on the waters, their houses merely occupying the slim stretches of land between the lake and smaller waterways.  On the banks we would often see locals bathing in the water, washing their clothes in the water, fishing in the water, traveling via boats on the water, even the children get picked up to got to school by “boat-buses” –absolutely everything revolves around the water.

Water everywhere!

As a westerner, witnessing such a different lifestyle than anything I have ever experienced before back in the states (Upstate New York) was quite humbling.  Observing how life unfolds in these backwaters for rice farmers, fishermen and duck farmers is truly a different cultural experience.  Don’t pass up the opportunity to see it for yourself if you are ever given the chance.

Life on the water!

I also want to give mad props to the crew of our houseboat!  You guys killed it!

The most ballerific houseboat crew to ever crew a houseboat