Ashtamudi lake, second only to the Vembanad lake in size, with its eight braids, is known to be the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala. As we holiday at the beautiful, quaint, and peaceful floating cottages of the club Mahindra, Ashtamudi, where you gently rock, as the water flows beneath you.

With unhindered views of the majestic lake, surrounded by Chinese fishing nets, where the bulbs light up at night, to attract prawns for fishing, and fishing boats glide by your balcony as you sip your morning and evening tea!

The fiery lights from the rising sun set the lake ablaze, as birds skim and the boats glide past on the shimmering water! One of the icons of Kerala culture, and used in Vallamkali or boat race, we were lucky to see the snake boats or Chundan Vallam in Ashtamudi, during our backwater cruise. We also saw the beautiful Churulan Vallam, with its inward-turned nose and stern, and Vepu Vallam, where one end of the boat is higher than the other. The boats were getting ready for a race that happens in Kollam in a couple of days!

The purpose of visiting a place, for me, is also to gain some knowledge from my travels. We plan our stays carefully and always eat local. With it’s outstanding natural beauty, travelling across Kerala is truly inspirational. The backwaters cruise at Kumarakom led us to a cesspool of beautiful water Lillies , while the one at Poovar was through thick Mangroves and the river Neyyar Each lake has it’s own ecosystem and beauty. If you’ve done it once, you haven’t done it forever, because for sure, it would be an entirely different experience.

As we cruised the lucid, peaceful backwaters of Ashtamudi, we encountered the snake boats. We also saw the Chinese fishing nets, that we had seen at Cochin, in all their glory, and observed the fishing process closely. Fishermen in boats with long poles and small boats with sails. Brahmini Kites and regular kites circle the water for a catch.

Kingfishers and other water birds flutter around, a vast expanse of the backwaters before you get to Munroe Island, tiny little uninhibited islands in the middle of the lake, and fishing villages by the side, that come alive early mornings and late evenings! We also had one of the best Kerala Prawns curry and Karimeen fry, of our Vacation, with absolutely fresh fish.