Alleppey
Granite temples, palm fringes and filter coffee. The food is older than most countries.
Alleppey — officially Alappuzha — is the gateway to the Kerala backwaters. The day-cruise houseboats from Alleppey to Kumarakom across Lake Vembanad are the iconic image; the experience is good for one night, not three (the engines are loud, the views repeat). For something better, hire a kettuvallam (smaller, slower) and ask the captain to take you up the narrower canals where the lily pads grow over the water. The town itself is unremarkable — a single beach, a few colonial warehouses, and a long Saturday market. Time it for the Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race in August (1,500 oarsmen, 30-metre boats, the entire backwaters watching).
Source · Wikipedia · Alappuzha · CC-BY-SA
Granite temples, palm fringes and filter coffee. The food is older than most countries.