Dragon Boat Race - Alleppey

mistytopaz

Hi!
Does anyone know if the famous dragon boat race is taking place this Saturday (12 August 2006) at Alleppey?

Anyone watched it before?
I've heard it's not to be missed........

batistuta

It is taking place this saturday as you mentioned.
I have not watched it before unfortunately....

mistytopaz

thanks batistuta.
any ideas on best way to get there from Bangalore and how long it would take? what time does the race start?

batistuta

From Bangalore: You can go by Bangalore-Trivandrum buses and get down at Alleppy. The ticket cost is Rs. 300/- The journey is overnight via Salem-Coimbatore-Cochin. The roads are good and the buses are very comfortable being airbuses but non A/c but video coach. The some of the good operators are Sharma Transport & others.
I pulled the above info frm google.
The timing for the 2005 race was 2:30 PM - 6:10 PM,
hence i would think it would be in the same vicinity.

By the way there are a few packages if u surf for the boat race
on google but imho it will be more exciting for you to explore
on your own.

Time duration frm bangalore ,i dont knw maybe 12 hrs.


Have a blast though.!!!!!!!!

SMARTGUY

Nehru Trophy Boat Race, the most colourful water sport in Kerala, is conducted at PUNNAMADA LAKE in Alappuzha on the second saturday of every August. This prestigious cultural event of Kerala has been attracting people from all over the world. Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a festival for the people of Alleppey the main attraction of which is the sportive sprits among the participants of the race. The trophy is a replica of a snake-boat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words of nehruji are inscribed above his signature.

The boats of Kerala are known after their shapes, sizes or purposes. The Chundaanvallam is so called because of its pointed prow. The term snake boat comes from its stern, which represents the raised, the hood of a snake and its length . The front end of this type of boat will be tapering in shape and the rear end will be very high from the water level. They have a length of about 60-65 meters and a capacity carrying hundred to hundred and ten people during the race time. The stern is majestically caparisoned and decorated with a flag and brass ornaments. Silken parasols are arrayed along the entire length of the boat. There will be almost 95 oarsman, 5 Amarakkar (Controllers) and 10'Nilakkar' (persons supposed to enhance the vigour and enthusiasm of the articipating oarsman). It has got a resemblance to the shape of a snake, when it advances in a competition and hence became popular as snake boats. Snake boats are the traditional battle vessels of Kerala known as Chundan vallams . They were originally designed as a naval vessel used for battle.

The nearest international airport is Nedumbassery(cochin)85 km from allepey.Domestic airlines like Jetairways,Indian, Air deccan & Kingfisher connects you from bangalore to cochin. from there you will get taxi service.

Else if you have time you can go to cochin by Bus and directly to allepey by train too,the distance from bangalore to cochin is approx 580km.So it may take 10-12 hrs journey.

You can contact also District Tourism Promotion Council Ph: 0477-2253308, 0477-2251796 or Mr.Vinod at indiatravel@fsmail.net for packages according to your budget.

Happy journey..

haritha

Stanley Wilson of Wilson tours around Rs.850 contact at 0484 2217405 for details . From Fort Cochin or Ernakulam .Stanley Wilson seems to organise theee tours for past few years

Contact My dreams for their packages from Alleppey -- Rs.1500/- per person contact 098460 75978

Dasin City -- price nto specified 094473 54804

Nick-H

I was there in 2004.

If you get a seat in the Tourist VIP area and stay all day please note the following...

This stand is on an island and there is one small landing stage where the boats come and go. The crush of people leaving at the end do not care if there is a boat there or not, they just push towards the exit.

If you wish to avoid ending your day (or even ending your days ) with a very frightening experience then leave early or stay at the back of the crowd and be among the last off the island.

Some people from the same hotel had a better time on the bank among the general crowd than I did with a several-hundred rupee seat on the stand.

The boats are an amazing spectacle, with as many as 120 or even 150 people rowing one boat! But, like many sporting events, it is one repetitious heat after another, leading up to the final at the end of the day. Get involved in the competion and I guess you will enjoy that. For me (although I did stay all day) it was enough to see the first few races, and to have seen the boats preparing (I have a waterside hotel) the previous day and morning.

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