Ferry from Alleppey to Chennamkary

I waited in a shelter at the public boat jetty for the ferry from Alleppey to Chennamkary. Other passengers sat and waited patiently for their boats – most doing nothing except sit; one man read a magazine. My ferry came in and the in-coming passengers got off. 2 boatmen turned the ferry round. One stood on the jetty and held a rope at the back of the boat and the other was at the front and used a long bamboo pole to push the boat around.  The boatmen were the first people I have seen with some sort of rain wear (other than an umbrella). One wore a light-weight waterproof jacket and trousers and the other a waterproof cap with a peak.

Passengers started to get on.  From the jetty there was a step down of about 2’ to a lower narrow sill on the jetty side. Then it was a step across the gap between the jetty and the boat, stepping up onto the wooden sill of the boat and down 2 steps into the body of the boat. There was no-one to assist. As the passengers got on the men sat at the front and the women at the back. A group of 3 women stood on the jetty; two older and one young woman. One of the older women was carrying a very tiny baby, wrapped in a fleece blanket with a hood. She called to a woman who was already seated inside the boat, who came to the boat doorway and reached out to take the baby in her arms. Then the 3 women climbed aboard, the older two helping the younger, who winced as she stretched to step down. Once on board the baby was swapped back. Next came two women, the younger was heavily pregnant and the older also helped her down from the jetty and into the boat. Inside the boat the atmosphere was of quiet, patient waiting, the occasional murmur of subdued conversation. Some women had shopping with them. One had a box with a new electric ceiling fan inside, with ‘cool air everywhere’ written on the outside; another had some shiny metal cooking pots and others had bags of vegetables. A man wandered through the boat trying to sell some sort of food from a bag – no takers.

As the boat filled up and all the seats were taken women started to sit on the inside step and stand in the aisles. The level of conversation rose. A woman sitting on the step by my feet engaged the woman next to me in conversation by touching her knee and re-touching her to make her point and make sure she was paying attention.  A group of teenagers in smart school uniform got on, then off, then on, off and finally on.

After half an hour the boat driver and conductor got on in their khaki uniforms. The driver took his seat at the side of the boat about half way back and next to the engine, which was in a fenced-off pit in the middle of the boat. He started the engine and spat over the side. Someone rang a bell and we were off.  The driver couldn’t possibly see out of the front of the boat and I realised he wasn’t steering – just operating the speed and forward/backwards direction of the boat.  Perhaps other boats just got out of the way! Someone else must have been steering from somewhere else. I hoped so.

We’re off

We came out of the small canal into the main waterway, stopping at various small jetties on the way for people to get on and off.

Passengers getting off at a jetty

The ticket collector came round. My fare was 7 ruppees (about 10p) for the 10km/hour and a half journey. We continued to zigzag our way across canals and wider stretches of water, dropping people off on both sides. We passed other ferries, houseboats and smaller craft.

Views from the ferry

I was looking out for the church as the landmark for my destination. I needn’t have worried; the ticket collector the driver and both boatmen made sure I knew my stop was imminent. As I got off and turned to wave goodbye to the people on the ferry I noticed that there was a wheelhouse on to of the boat, so someone had been steering after all.

Leaving the jetty I turned right along the path, as per my instructions, walking along a narrow muddy path between small houses and the edge of the water. After 5 minutes walk I arrived at Green Palms and was greeted by Anna who had a delicious home-made lunch waiting for me of tomato curry, lentil and spinach curry, ginger pickle, coconut paste, mackerel and rice followed by fresh pineapple. I think I have truly arrived in heaven!

Anna's house

lunch

The last 4 places I have stayed in have been called, ‘Green View’, ‘Green View’, ‘Green Palms’ and ‘Palmy Residency’. There are a couple of themes going on here.  It’s like one of those word association games – get from ‘green’ to ‘palms’ in no more than 4. I guess my next place might be called ‘Palm View’.