Using an umbrella as protection from the sun, one of the two crew members steers a Houseboat known locally as 'Kettuvallam"

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Using an umbrella as protection from the sun, one of the two crew members steers a Houseboat known locally as Kettuvallam" along the picturesque and peaceful backwaters of Kerala in southwest India at a leisurely pace. There are around a thousand of these former rice carrying boats converted from single beth to 12 berths. All are air-conditioned houseboats, equipped with modern facilities that western tourists are used to. The boats are built of teak or Anjali wood, held together with wooden pegs. No nails or metals are used. The roof is thatched and it takes a boat builder on average, seven months to restore a boat.

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Size: 5930px × 3905px
Location: Kerala backwaters Kerala,India
Photo credit: © richard sowersby / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: air-conditioned, anjali, backwaters, boat, carrying, crew, house, houseboat, india, indian, kerala, kerela, kettuvallam, landscape, rice, teak, tourism, travel, umbrella, wood