Backwaters of Kerala by boat : May 8, 2011 by Amanda Stergianos Four hours every second day in the roads, seemed to be the norm for the distances we needed to cover. Not that I would ever recommend trying to drive yourself in India, my hat off to our driver Saadji, who navigated us out of countless potential head on collisions- either with other drivers or cows in the middle of the road. Double overtaking on narrow roads with blind corners – made my hair stand on end, so much so I tended not to watch the road. So yet another 4 hour stretch back down the mountains brought us to a “houseboat port” on the backwaters of Kerala – one of which became our “home “ for the next 2 days. The kids got to fish and actually caught something. This was probably one of my most relaxing days on this tour, and mossies aside – comes highly recommended for 2 nights at most. The water however, is not clean enough to swim in, so you’ll have to be prepared to suffer the tropical heat and take in the scenery.