The great Kerala backwaters are comprised of an intricate network of lakes, canals, estuaries, and deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea, and are only a stone’s thrown away from the lush interior of Kerala province: “God’s own country.” Sandbars form a natural dam, cutting Kerala off from the sea, and the waters stretch back for more than 900 kilometers (600 miles). Small villages of pearl divers and coconut workers line the banks of the backwaters, with bales of coarse, brown coir (coconut fiber) piled beside the jetties or weighing down tiny vessels. The calm waters form a highway for fast-moving snakeboats, heavy-laden, square-rigged rice barges (kettuvallam), and tiny reed rafts with patchwork sails, used by the pearl fishers who dive for oysters in the shallow waters. Many of the villagers are Christian — said to be the descendents of those converted by St. Thomas almost 2,000 years ago — and small whitewashed churches stand on many of the islands that dot the backwaters, shaded by tall coconut palms.

Built in the 9th century AD, Alappuzha (still more romantically known as Alleppey) lies on the edge of the great Ashtamudi Lake. It’s the hub of Kerala’s backwaters, and home to a vast network of waterways and more than a thousand houseboats. Wandering around the small but chaotic city center (it is the largest producer of coconut fiber worldwide), with its modest grid of canals, you might debate its moniker as the Venice of the East. But step out of its mini-mayhem – west to the beach or in practically any other direction towards the backwaters – and Alleppey is graceful and greenery-fringed, disappearing into a watery world of villages, punted canoes, toddy shops and, of course, houseboats.