Johnson, the owner of the guest house we were staying at arranged our houseboat tour. Together with Jari, Henry, and Josephine we decided to take a two day house boat tour instead of the usual one day tour. We had two bedrooms, each with it own shower, toilet and sink.
We were picked up by auto rickshaw in the morning and drove about 45 minutes to get to the house boat. There were three men that would be with us. Their responsibility was to drive the houseboat, cook our meals and guide us during our tour. Our job was to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.
There is a serious issue with water pollution in the river system as everything is dumped into the river. We didn't go swimming and did wonder about the quality of the water that was used to clean the dishes we ate out of and pans they cooked our food in. Good drinking water was used in the cooking of our food and the coffee we drank.
Our houseboat.
Dining room table area.
The captain let us try driving the boat. Of course we were in a large lake and not on the river when he let us take a spin at the wheel.
The main pilot, although all three men took turns driving the boat.
We bought these prawns at one of the little stores along the river and the cook cooked us them for supper.
Every morning the women did their laundry in the river.
Men on a side canal unloading sand that was going to be used in a building project.
The steward, the cook, the captain.
There was no running water in the houses so the women had to bring their water jugs to fill at the one water line in the town.
Everyone took their baths in the river. The weeds are over taking the waterways so people put up netting around their bathing areas to keep the weeds out.
Jari, Josephine, Charlie, Henry, Jane. Our Swedish friends and boat mates. At night we anchored along the river and got out and walked around the area.
We took a 2 hour canoe trip up one of the smaller rivers.
Repairing a break in the wall separating the river from the rice fields.
Fishing boat. Nets were strung across the river to catch fish.
This man had pots in the tops of the coconut trees that caught the sap from the trees and then used the sap to make alcohol.
This is the water plant that is invading all the waterways. The roots are short so the plants drift along the rivers and easily spread all over.
Dishes, pots and pans are all washed in the river.
Laundry day is everyday.
This was a classroom. The teacher is in the doorway and the students were the neighborhood children.
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