We Traveled the Backwaters of Kerala in a HOUSEBOAT
What's up everyone and welcome to another video. Today we are still in Kerala, in India, but we are gonna do something very very special today. As you can see, I am surrounded by nature at the moment, we just had a 3 hour car ride, I think. It was actually really long. We are going on a backwater boat tour.
We have a private boat, which you can see here. We literally booked it yesterday night, so we are super lucky that we can actually do this and I'm gonna take you guys along with this adventure. I am so happy that we have our own private boat and let me take you on a little tour. So here we enter. It's the first time that I actually see this as well. We have a cute living room with a TV here, actually.
You can see already how stunning the view is. So much water going on and then here we have a table, fresh coconuts, I see and a living room. I'm so excited. I'm gonna see if I can find the others because they are already in here and see for the bedroom. Oh my God, I love it. This is so exciting.
So there are 2 bedrooms and this is how the bedroom looks like. It's a 2 person bed with a view over the water and I'm actually really excited for this. Look guys at the view.
There are so many boats here, but first, I'm like packed, as you can see, I have... For one night, I still have lots of things with me, so I'm gonna put my bag down quickly and show you guys the bathroom. Let me see how it works.
This is decent. So we have a sink, we have a toilet, and we have actually a really nice shower, as you can see there. A view of the water again. Wow! I'm really impressed that we booked this so last minute and that it turned out really well. I'm really excited for this. Hopefully, we're not getting too much seasick.
Are you guys happy with this? - This is so nice. Right? - Better than expected. It looks so amazing. I am really really excited for this.
And let's actually say hi to the staff because we came in and we've been just exploring this boat, so maybe it's better to go and say hi. But the boat is huge as well and I love that it's private. Coconut is always a good idea to start with and these look very fresh.
I think it's going to be the first coconut I have in India, actually. You? - Yeah! First Indian coconut. So this is how they look like. First Indian coconut, actually. Let's see if they taste different. Let's give this bad boy a taste test.
They are actually a bit different. - Yeah! I could also not say how, but I feel like a bit more sweet. They're sweeter. - Yeah!
Oh, it's so good. 10 out of 10 for this one. I needed this after this long drive. It's so worth it.
- It's really worth it. Just got completely comfortable here in the boat. I unpacked my bags because even if it's for one night, I still do this. And I wanted to let you guys know how much we are actually paying for this trip because I think that's a really really interesting thing to know. So we paid 14,000 rupees.
So if you would calculate this into dollars, it's roughly around $150. So that's $50 per person and you have one night and everything is included. The whole boat tour, the meals, the accommodation because you also stay for one night on the boat. So if you ask me that's a really reasonable price. We started this tour at 12 and tomorrow we will end it at 9, so it's almost 2 full days that you're exploring here on the waters and I can't wait what we're gonna see because I've heard so many good stories about it, but let me show you guys quickly what we've already saw since we got on the boat. I just asked if my coconut could be cut in half, so I can have the meat that I can eat and I hear them chopping so much in the kitchen already.
I think they're gonna deliver it soon to me. So I'm gonna patiently wait and then enjoy my coconut here on the water. They even brought it cut guys. Look this is the coconut here and this tastes so good. And right now, we're preparing for lunch, which I'm super excited about because we have no idea what we are getting for food. We had the option that we could choose chicken or vegetarian, I think something like that.
And we chose all vegetarian. So we will get lots of vegetables, which I am excited about. Don't know about Wisnu, though. - Yeah! Are you excited about only vegetables? - Yeah, for sure! - I'm prepared for that.
Good answer, good answer. And we have some white rice here as well, and the rest is coming. Wow, look! With the best view. I mean can you think of a better view while having this lunch.
We have our food. This is how my plate looks like and like I said, it's all veggies and I have no idea what it is, so I'm gonna bring you guys along with my first bite and the rice is huge. We're all a little bit... Interested with how big the rice is, but I'm gonna get the first bite.
I just mixed everything, looks like this. Whoa! So many flavor and I think the rice is unique. It's like really different rice. - The rice is unique. It is. I've never had rice like this in my life.
This food, I would give a 9 out of 10 because it has so much spices and herbs and veggies. And you guys know I love veggies. You can believe it or not, but we actually took a little nap because we were so tired. I took some seasick tablets and they always knock me out, but we are awake again and we're feeling so much better.
And right now, we are having coffee here on the boat and we killed this pineapple. How good was the pineapple? - They were really good. We needed it. Fruit, on the day like this is literally the best thing ever. As you can see behind me, boats are crossing here, the river is absolutely stunning and I'm also really impressed with how crowded it is on the river.
As you can see here 1 2 3 and behind this boat, there's one other boat. There are so many people. There you see a small boat again.
The beautiful birds here are flying all the time everywhere. They really make it. The captain actually just yelled at us that we are leaving the backwaters and we're entering the lake right now.
And he couldn't be more right. Yes, this is the lake, right? Oh, look at how beautiful. It's huge.
Wow! Here you can see all the boats guys. Look at how many boats there are here. This is insane. So this is the lake right now. And it is straight up stunning.
I get to drive the boat, I think you call it. I can sit behind the wheel, but it's on a lake, so it should be safe. Thank you so much. Now, I feel like the Queen captain of the boat. This is how it looks like, but it's safe. There's so many other boats here.
So it should be fine. Luckily. But it's interesting actually, because the more I turn to right, it really goes quickly to the right, so that's really good to know.
I can't put too much pressure on the wheel. - Do you have to gas here, like motorcycle? No! Oh, no break. Oh, there's no break, so if you hit something... There's no break? - Yeah, no break. So how do you break? - Oh, no gas then. OKAY! There's no break, but if they want to break I think they put the gas back.
so you go backwards, I think. We're going straight into another boat guys. Let's see how this is gonna go.
So there are so many eagles here. You have no idea, I wish I could show you because they are high up in the sky, but it is so cool. As you guys know, I have an eagle tattoo and I absolutely love eagles so much. I think they are one of the coolest birds ever and there are so many of them here. That makes this experience even more magical. We just left the lake and we are back in the small waters again and it is so so stunning.
As you can maybe see, the sun is slowly setting. Sun is very low right now and it is getting only more and more beautiful and the super interesting thing is that there are literally so many other boats and it is getting so magical at this point and I really want to give you guys the best experience to show actually how stunning this is. And I can only do that in one thing that is to show you with a beautiful cinematic, so here we go in 3 2 1... Stunning, right? I told you this is literally so so stunning and now, there are actually people kayaking here on the river as well. Maybe, I can show you if I hang out of the window. Look at that.
People are coming there already with their canoes and it is so cool. So there is not only these big boats, but also canoes here, which I love. Literally so many families, friends, and everyone here are enjoying themselves. I'm enjoying myself a lot as well. We are having such a beautiful moment in front of the boat and actually, we just crossed some ceremony where there was a festival, I think. And there was such loud music.
They even put speakers in the top of the tree, which was so cool to see and people were like bathing themselves here in the river and celebrating their festival and it was so beautiful to see the real raw India. Let me show you guys how we are sitting here in the front right now. It is simply stunning. It is now way less crowded on the river. As you can see, there are not many other boats, so we really have the river now to ourselves and it is just us and the captain, enjoying this insanely beautiful view.
I really recommend you guys to book a tour like this because you go back to nature, you really see the real and raw India and almost feels like meditation here on the river because it's simply so quiet and so stunning and just completely back into nature. And that's what I love. Janine and I were just talking, seeing how magical this experience is. You can't even put it into words how beautiful it is. Especially, now that the sun is going down. It's like we're passengers here on the boat and we see like all the local people going to the church, some people are bathing themselves in the river, some people are fishing, other people are just talking, doing their daily routine and we're just sitting on the boat, and we just observe everything and it is simply, just magical.
- We cannot give it words. No! - It's so beautiful. Exactly! It's so beautiful. All the sounds that you hear, all the sounds that you don't hear make such a huge difference. And I cannot urge you guys enough to do an experience like this because it is stunning.
And I see like a huge group of birds flying over right now. - Oh, wow! Which is again such a stunning moment. I think like this, I don't know if you guys can see it on the GoPro. Look at this.
There's like a huge group of birds here flying over. - Oh my God! Perfect timing. Perfect timing. See this experience is just magical all over the place. We are... I think you can see boarding our boat.
I don't know if you say like that, but the boat is ducking here. Yeah, I think it's ducking the boat and then I think we're gonna have dinner and according to Janine, it smells really really good, so I'm excited for it and I will show you guys what we are getting for dinner as well because I have no idea; everything is a surprise right now. - This can be really scary meme. How are you going here Janine? - It's so beautiful. Is it beautiful? - I love it.
- Yeah?! Can I see? - Yes! Wow! So while we are waiting for our dinner, I see that the sun is actually going down and I'm like, guys, shall we have a look? Because I feel like we can maybe see the sunset. So here behind me, you can see our boat is ducked here and then behind us there, I think there's sunset going on. So I mean, why not check it out? And then come back later to the boat. This is so interesting to me. So the sunset here in India is way more different than in Bali, where I live and in Bali, it's like with the clouds, beautiful colors and here, it's just only the dot of sun that you see. So the funny thing is, I think we're gonna enter maybe someone's property right now, but we're still just gonna go and see if we can have a look here, but this is the situation.
There you can see the dot that I'm talking about and we have the palm trees going on here. Let's see. I'm just gonna bring you guys along. Hello! - Hello! Wow! This is so so stunning. Literally, one of the most perfect sunsets ever because it is so different than what I'm used to. Time to walk back to our boat because the mosquitoes are eating us alive.
There's also something that I didn't really know about India actually, that there were so many mosquitoes, which I should have known, but somehow I completely forgot it. So I don't even have mosquitoes spray with me, so I am gonna be safe inside the boat right now, while we are waiting for our food to be ready. Guys, the food is served. It was not a long wait actually and it smells amazing. I wish you guys could smell this. So I think this is naan bread, then we have veggies, potatoes, I think with obviously, really nice sauces.
This I don't know and we have the same rice again. And right now, we are going to dig in, but I will let you guys know how I like the taste because obviously, I never had anything of this before, so that is quite interesting. This is how the plate looks like.
It looks actually so tasty and I'm really excited for this bread as well. Other once are still digging in, but I will share the first bite of this food with you, what my real experience is? I will eat it with my hands because that is a tradition here. For this one...
I think it's potato inside. Wow! Oh my God! I think this is the best thing that I ate up until now in India. This one. You tasted it? - Hmm...
These flavors are so strong and so nice. It's especially the herbs that make it nice because it's not too spicy at all, but it is so amazing. 10 out of 10 for me.
10 out of 10. Enjoy guys. - Enjoy! So we just finished dinner and right now, it is time to shower, go to bed, so we are very well rested tomorrow morning. And tomorrow morning we still have I think one hour of activities here on the boat so I guess I'll see you guys in the morning. Good morning from our room here on the backwater boat. We had the absolutely best sleep on this boat.
This bed is 10 out of 10. And as you can see, maybe behind me, already a little bit, we are having such a gorgeous sunrise. We literally see the sun rising from our room and again, like the sunset yesterday. It is a little ball slowly going up and it is literally so stunning and one of the most magical ways to wake up. Let's see if the others are here actually already because I'm one of the last ones to wake up. Wow! Let me see the breakfast is being served already.
Good morning early bird. How are you? - Yeah, good! How was your sleep? - Yeah, it's good. Yeah! I had the best sleep ever guys. Look we have the breakfast being served here and the sun is still rising. It looks so beautiful. This is how the breakfast looks like.
We have these. I don't know what it is, but I think it's a little bit the same as yesterday. Then we have fried toast, we also have jam and we have not masala dosa, but dosa.
I'm just gonna get one. These are from Kerala. So that's why they're more wider, typically from here. So I'm really curious how these are gonna taste. We have the National Geographic Photographer in the wild.
- I'm in the house guys with my lens. I love it. Yeah, such a good lens. Look at what she's looking at guys, it's so stunning. Literally, the views right now, it is so early in the morning and the lights are one of a kind.
It is amazing. Whoa! It's our last half hour on the boat and everyone is again there at the front enjoying themselves. I'm gonna join them and enjoy just these stunning views because again, it is early in the morning, we are driving pass all these local houses, all these local families. They're bathing in the river, they're cleaning themselves, they're making themselves ready for the day and it is simply magical. This trip is coming to an end as well.
We are slowly making our way to where we are going to duck the boat and we feel sad. What would you rate this experience from 1-10? - Definitely 10. Maybe even more. Yeah, same! 10 out of 10. Definitely, such a good experience and so peaceful as well because as you can hear right now... only birds. Only birds in the background.
So beautiful. I absolutely loved it. Alright guys, so our car is here, as you can see, we are being picked up right now. This trip is coming to an end, which I'm really sad about because we had the absolute best experience. This was one of my many Indian adventures, so definitely make sure to like and subscribe. So you're not gonna miss any of these epic adventures.
For now, I want to say thank you so much for watching this video. I really hope you enjoyed it. And as always, I'll see you in my next one.
2023-04-20 06:28
